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A pelican in her piety
A recent article in The Daily Telegraph sheds light on one of our most popular crests – a “pelican in her piety” or, in laymen’s language, a pelican feeding her young. As Christopher Howse explains, this moving image has been an allegorical symbol for the Eucharist since at least the second century. It was used as the frontispiece for the King James or Authorised Version of the bible in 1611. With various minor differences, this image is the crest for dozens of families. myfamilysilver.com usually has items of antique silver listed displaying
the crest. A good example is engraved on this pair of silver snuffers listed by Schredds
Pair Silver Snuffers 1814
John Culme, who for many years has been connected with Sotheby's Silver Department, is author of several books and articles, including The Directory of Gold and Silversmiths, 1838-1914, published in 1987, and co-author with Nicholas Rayner of The Jewels of the Duchess of Windsor. He is also a Liveryman of the Goldsmiths' Company, London.
