Cloth Seal, Worcester Arms
Cloth Seal, Shield with Three Pears, Part of the Arms of Worcester, Image & Found by John GM.
Found on the Thames foreshore, 19mm, 8.8g.
Shield bearing a tierce, in chief one pear, in base two pears, P P to sides // blank
Interesting two part seal blank on one disc but on the other a shield with P on each side. The shield has a tierce or 3 bars across the middle with three pears, two above and one below.
This is the modern arms of Worcester. See Heraldry of the World "Until the beginning of the 17th Century the Coat of Arms displayed the castle alone but in 1634 the 'castle' coat was registered along with the coat bearing the black pears and were described as the ancient and modern arms of the City of Worcester.
Tradition has it that it was during the visit of Queen Elizabeth I to Worcester in 1575 that Worcester acquired its second coat of arms featuring the black pears. It is said that during her procession through the streets of Worcester the Queen saw a pear tree which had been planted in the Foregate in her honour. She was so pleased at the appropriateness of the tree growing right in the heart of a fruit growing region, that she bade the city add the emblem of pears to its Coat of Arms.
It may be legend too that the Worcester Archers rallied under the pear trees before the battle of Agincourt and it is interesting to note that the pear blossom was borne as a badge by the Worcestershire Yeomanry Cavalry from the beginning of this century until 1956."
Uncertain whether this is a county alnage seal or a clothier's one.
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