Cantilupe connections: a re-examination and possible candidate for a seal matrix of an unidentified 13th-century archdeacon of Bedford

This paper focuses on a 13th-century vesica-shaped copper-alloy seal matrix of an unidentified archdeacon of Bedford that was discovered in South Lincolnshire by a metal-detectorist and recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database in 2003. The matrix displays the medieval coats of arms of the Cantilupe (three leopards’ heads reversed jessant-de-lys ) and Gournay (lion rampant) families, and it was discovered in an area where the Cantilupes are known to have held extensive landed interests. As a result, archaeological and historical consensus has attributed the seal matrix to a member of the Cantilupe family. A recent study has further associated the matrix and archdeaconship of Bedford with St Thomas de Cantilupe, bishop of Hereford (1275–82, canonised 1320). This is based on his appointment to multiple high-ranking positions in the Church prior to his election and consecration as bishop of Hereford and that he displayed his familial arms on his episcopal seal. Through an exploration of the available documentary and material evidence, this paper provides an alternative attribution for the matrix’s owner. Rather than belonging to Thomas, the matrix belonged to his elder brother, Hugh de Cantilupe, another churchman, who may well have held office as archdeacon of Bedford. This attribution is suggested through an examination of Hugh’s extant seal while precentor of York Minster, as well as his disappearance from the historical record between 1270–73, a period which coincides with a gap in the appointment of archdeacons of Bedford.