I regret I have never had the opportunity to examine for myself the original death-warrant which was carried out on that chill thirtieth day of January, 1648-9; and so I am not able to say with exactness which of the seals show tincture lines, as it is said they do.
About the end of the fifteenth century, arms are frequently found surrounded by a wreath of laurel or bay leaves, usually, at this date, divided into four parts by ribbands. Menestrier gives the date 1480 as the earliest instance he has found [his most learned works seem too little known by English heralds: the _Origine des Armoiries_ was published in Paris 1679, and the _Origine des Ornemens des Armoiries_ in Paris 1680]. We see an example in the tomb of Margaret, Countess of Richmond, 1509, in Westminster Abbey (engraved Sandford's _Genealogical History_, 1677, p. 326)--see No. 74. We find similar wreaths or garlands in Sylvanus Morgan's _Sphere of Gentry_, published 1661, vol. i, p. 22, and vol. ii, p. 68; and engravings of several fanciful varieties are also there given. Wreaths of olive, formed of two branches tied at the top and bottom with ribbands, appear several times surrounding coats of arms in W. Hollar's beautiful engravings in Thoroton's _History of Nottinghamshire_, published 1677 (see pages 199, 200, 203, 310, 486 and 487).
After a while, such wreaths were frequently introduced in the outer edge surrounding official and also personal round seals, and so arranged that they more resemble bell-shaped flowers of three leaves (like the side view of blue bells), and without any dividing ribbands. The annexed wood-cut of the Statute Merchants' seal of Carlisle, 1670, will show this. This seal was in two halves to be kept in separate custody, and when used, these were screwed together into a handle to make it complete before affixing to any deed. The seal and handle are here shown from the engraving in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, 16th May, 1889. Throughout the eighteenth century, the blue bell ornament appears in corporate seals, and book-plates about 1800 are found surrounded by such oval bell-flowered wreaths.
Menestrier [_Origine des Ornemens_, published 1680] writes:--"Now [_aujourd'hui_] persons of quality, particularly married ladies [_femmes_], place two palms together on the escutcheon of their arms, which makes an agreeable ornament, and is, at the same time, the symbol of conjugal love, which the ancients have represented by the palms, male and female." The earliest instance I have noted in England is on the cups of Sir E. B. Godfrey, who died in 1678 [engraved in _Gentleman's Magazine_, 1848, and in _Topographer and Genealogist_, vol. ii, p. 467]. They occur beneath a shield of Bridgeman, Bart. (the plain arms not impaled), in Sandford's _Genealogical History_, 1677, p. 228; also on a monumental slab, 1671, engraved in _Miscell. Genealogica et Heraldica_, 1884, vol. i, p. 151. About 1765 we see two palms extensively used as decorations below Georgian shields (see the plates in Dugdale's _Warwickshire_, 1765; Hasted's _Kent_, 1778; Rudder's _Gloucestershire_, 1779; and Hutchin's _Dorsetshire_, 1774). Such are extensively seen throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and were frequently painted, as a pleasing decoration, below the arms on carriage panels, almost to our own times. But they must have lost the original symbolism, for they occur constantly on ledger tombs [see _Miscell. Genealogica et Heraldica_, Mar., 1885, p. 233; dated 1696], and must then refer to the resurrection life. They are found in book-plates in the middle of the eighteenth century, and continue down to 1800 or later. The ledger tomb to Ashley Palmer and his wife at Hawstead, dated 1792, shows a pleasing example. This engraving is from _Miscell. Genealogica et Heraldica_, 1885, p. 307.