A rock crystal seal

A rock crystal seal, England, second quarter 19th century, the flat-topped handle of tapering faceted form, the matrix engraved with the arms of Kelsall impaling Ainsworth, the motto reading 'Meliora Sequentur', measuring 7.7 x 3.0 x 2cm

This seal was made for Henry Kelsall of Rochdale (1793-1869), an industrial pioneer who brought the woollen trade to Rochdale in Lancashire, building their first factory in the town in 1835. Kelsall's descendants continued his legacy, and his grandson George Kemp was created 1st Baron Rochdale in 1913.