The Marquis de Aguilar appoints Don Joaquín Gutiérrez de Celis as chancellor lieutenant in Granada (1769) - Page 1

Appointment of Joaquín Gutiérrez de Celis as Deputy Chancellor of the Chancery of Granada by the Chancellor, the Marquis of Aguilar.

From the Middle Ages, the Chancellor of the Great Seal was responsible for stamping all documents issued on parchment by the offices of the “Hacienda” (Treasury) and the Royal Council, as well as all judgments laid down by the Chanceries of Valladolid and Granada, with the lead seal. The provisions and judgments issued on paper by the Chanceries and "mero imperio" courts, and those issued by the Councils, were validated with an applied paper seal.

In Castile, there was one Chancellor of the Great Seal, but he performed his duties through deputies. There were 3 of these: one for the Chancery of Valladolid, another for Granada (both entrusted with keeping the seal and applying it to documents), and another for the "Contaduría de Hacienda" (office of the treasury), who was only involved in the issuing of documents.

The office of Chancellor of the Great Seal was linked to the Manrique family from the first Marquis of Aguilar, García Fernández Manrique, during the reign of John II. Silver molds were used to make the master versions of the applied paper seals that paper documents issued by the Chancery had to bear. A steel or turquoise stamp was used to cast the lead seal that was required for parchment documents.