NEW GREAT SEAL OF THE REALM

15 Feb 2001 12:00 AM

Her Majesty the Queen has given approval to the commissioning of a new Great Seal of the Realm. The new Seal will replace the existing Seal, designed by Gilbert Ledward, which has been in service since 1953.

Designs for the obverse and reverse of the new Seal submitted by the sculptor James Butler, R.A., are presently being developed in conjunction with the Royal Mint. The obverse shows an enthroned portrait of Her Majesty. A full achievement of the Royal Arms appears on the reverse.

It is anticipated that the new Seal will be delivered into the custody of the Lord Chancellor, who is the traditional Keeper of the Great Seal, and brought into use in the late Spring.

Notes for Editors

The present Seal, which consists of two silver matrices of 6 inches diameter, is now showing considerable signs of wear. Long usage and the heat to which the Seal is regularly subjected in the sealing processes, have caused some distortion and lack of definition.

Previous Great Seals commissioned include:

Victoria 1838, 1860, 1878 and 1898 Edward VII 1904 George V 1912 and 1930 Edward VIII (No Seal) George VI 1938 and 1948 Elizabeth II 1953

A full description of the design of the Seal, together with the text of the inscriptions, will be announced later. The Queen is expected formally to sanction the use of the new Seal at a meeting of the Privy Council in late Spring.

Documents to which the Great Seal is affixed are: Proclamations, Commissions, certain writs (such as writs for the election of Members of Parliament), Letters Patent and the documents which give power to sign and ratify Treaties. The Wafer Seal, which is a smaller copy of the obverse of the Great Seal in lower relief, is embossed on certain documents instead of the Great Seal being appended to them.

During the course of the last year over 100 documents passed under the Great Seal.

James Butler, 69, studied Art at St. Martin''s School of Art and the Royal College of Art and for 10 years was a professional stone carver. He taught sculpture and drawing at the City and Guilds of London Art School and was visiting professor to the Royal Academy Schools. He was first elected to the Royal Academy in 1964 and is a member of the Royal West of England Academy and a fellow of the Royal Society of British Sculptors. James Butler has works in private collections throughout the world and has undertaken numerous public commissions, the most recent of which is the Fleet Air Arm Memorial, unveiled by HRH The Prince of Wales, and situated in Victoria Embankment Gardens.