Overall: 23cm (5.1in) x 16.5cm (6.5in)
‘Impressions from a triangular Seal, / used by Oliver Cromwell, now in the / possession of Mr Russell of Cheshunt Park / a descendant. - 1838’ Framed and glazed.
The present impressions were taken from the heirloom seal belonging to Thomas Artemidorus Russell (d.1858), whose wife of Elizabeth Olivera (1777-1849) was daughter Oliver Cromwell (1742-1821) of Cheshunt Park, great-grandson of his more famous namesake and great-nephew of Richard Cromwell (1626-1712), briefly Lord Protector of England. Elizabeth Oliveria was the last direct descendant of the Protector to bear the name Cromwell, causing her husband, Thomas Artemidorus Russell, to repeatedly apply for permission to take his wife’s name. Each petition was vetoed by George III, reportedly with the words, “No, no; no more Cromwells!”