Based on the Great Seal commissioned for Oliver Cromwell in 1655 and engraved by Thomas Simon, this design depicts Cromwell in armour, mounted on horseback and holding the reins and a baton. His personal heraldic arms appear beside him, with a town and river landscape in the background.
Following the execution of Charles I in 1649, England became a Commonwealth. Cromwell became Lord Protector in December 1653, exercising authority over England, Scotland and Ireland. In 1655, a new Great Seal was commissioned, replacing the earlier Commonwealth imagery of Parliament with the traditional representation of a ruler on horseback. Although Cromwell was offered the crown in 1657, he declined the title of king.
The Protectorate's heraldry combined the crosses of St George and St Andrew, the Irish harp and Cromwell's personal lion. Its motto was PAX QUAERITUR BELLO, meaning “Peace is sought through war”.
The Latin legend around the seal reads:
OLIVARIVS DEI GRA REIP ANGLIÆ SCOTIÆ ET HIBERNIÆ &c PROTECTOR
Translation: “Oliver, by the grace of God, Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, etc.”
Each stamp is made of solid brass, fitted with a wooden handle and presented in a velvet pouch.
A quotation from Cromwell's speech to Parliament in January 1654/5:
“I look at the People of these Nations as the blessing of the Lord: and they are a People blessed by God.”
