Wakefield Museums and Castles

This seal is believed to have been used for sending messages between Rajahs and the Viceroy during the British Raj in India. The seal features script in three languages: English, Urdu and Punjabi.

Our records don't say how it came to be in our collection or if there is any connection to Wakefield.

The British Raj was the part of India directly governed by British Crown Rule from 1858. Queen Victoria was the head of state. From 1878 she was also known as the Empress of India. The Viceroy acted as her representative in India to oversee the British-controlled territories.

Other parts of India were governed by Rajahs, hereditary Indian rulers. These areas were not directly ruled by Britain. However, their Rajahs still reported to the Viceroy and British government.

The British Raj ended in 1947. The Indian Independence Act forcibly partitioned British India into two self-governing countries, India and Pakistan.