The Merchant Adventurers' Hall, York

People use symbols to tell other people something without words.

A symbol can often say more than a whole page of writing. By the kind of images, colours and shapes used in a symbol we can understand what it means.

Symbols were used by medieval guilds in their coats of arms and seals. These symbols could be used on their buildings to show to whom they belonged or in their letters to prove who had written them. This was particularly useful in times when very few people could read.