Monks (or canons or nuns) were not supposed to have personal property. Presumably this extended to seals. Apart from rules about possessions, the reason for restricting the ownership and use of seals within a monastery is pretty obvious, and is illustrated beautifully by a story from 12th-century St Albans Abbey. In 1146, Ralph, treasurer to the bishop of Lincoln, was appointed abbot of St Albans, as the bishop had promised. Not too long afterwards, he found an uncut seal at the workbench of Brother Anketil - who had, prior to taking his vows, been moneyer to the king of Denmark and therefore was probably a skilled engraver. Ralph suspected forgery afoot, and sacked the prior, whom he thought was behind it all as part of a move to depose him (Ralph). He who had the monastic seal had monastic power.
Abbot Samson swept the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds thoroughly with a stiff new broom. He took inventories and accounts, and stopped certain practices. One of his reforms concerned seals:
On a certain day he made an order in chapter, that every one who had a seal of his own should give it up to him, and so it was accordingly done, and there were found three-and-thirty seals. He himself explained the reason of this order, forbidding that any official should incur any debt above twenty shillings without the assent of the prior and convent, as had been the custom heretofore. To the prior and to the sacrist, indeed, he returned their seals, but kept the rest himself.
Seals gave authority and authenticity to documents and transactions. In order to control income and expenditure, you needed to control who had a seal - who was authorised to make or take payments on behalf of the monastery. 33 seals is rather a large number and suggests a somewhat anarchic approach to monastic economics!
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