Walsingham was, and is, a pilgrimage site. Having been told by the Virgin Mary in the Holy Land to build a replica of the house where the Annunciation occurred, Richeldis de Faverches built a small wooden house in the middle of Norfolk. This soon became a centre for pilgrimage, and the Augustinian canons moved in and built a fine priory there in 1153 (Augustinians were in charge of several pilgrimage sites - e.g. St Frideswide's, Oxford).
The seal is late 12th or early 13th century. It's very nice - with the BVM & C on a lovely high-backed throne and these gorgeous drapes making almost a polylobed recessed panel.
The obverse is a church with people (pilgrims?) praying in.
Recently, the V&A's Langham Madonna was shown to be a good candidate for the famed statue of Our Lady of Walsingham.
PS. I've just seen Kirkstall's first seal. It's very similar - a copy, one might say.
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