THE Seal OF SEVENOAKS SCHOOL
The Seal was issued in 1560, along with Letters Patent
incorporating the town and school, which was known for the
next 300 years as Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School.
Around the border are the words Sigillum Commune
Scole Grammaticalis de Sevenok in Com Kance. Or if
you prefer, The Common Seal of the Grammar School of
Sevenoaks in the County of Kent.
In the centre a master sits teaching, surrounded by
pupils reading. In his left hand he holds an open book and
in his right a birch, those being the days of stick rather than
carrot. The letters R and B on either side of his head stand for
Ralph Bosville, a local man and a courtier.
The motto reads, ‘Servire deo regnari est’, meaning ‘To serve
God is to be ruled’. ‘Servire deo regnare est’ was more commonly used,
meaning ‘To serve God is to rule’. What a difference a vowel makes.
Was a mistake made or a deliberate decision? May we simply blame the
vagaries of sixteenth century spelling? The jury is still out.