Pearly Kings and Queens, known as pearlies, are an organised charitable tradition of working-class culture in London, England.

Henry Croft

The practice of wearing clothes decorated with mother-of-pearl buttons is first associated with

Henry Croft Henry Croft (January 15, 1856 — July 28, 1917) was an Australian-born lumber and mining magnate on Vancouver Island from the 1880s to 1900s. Born in Australia, Croft moved to England at a young age and was educated there. He moved to Canada ...

(1861-1930), an orphan street sweeper who collected money for charity. At the time, London costermongers (street traders) were in the habit of wearing trousers decorated at the seams with pearl buttons that had been found by market traders. In the late 1870s, Croft adapted this to create a sequin suit to draw attention to himself and aid his fund-raising activities. In 1911 an organised pearly society was formed in

Finchley Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. Finchley is on high ground, north of Charing Cross. Nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, Mill Hill and H ...

, north London. Croft's funeral in January 1930 was attended by 400 followers and received national media coverage. In 1934 a memorial, referring to him as "The original Pearly King", was unveiled in St Pancras Cemetery, and in a speech to mark the occasion he was said to have raised £5,000 for those suffering in London's hospitals.

Pearly organisations

The pearlies are now divided into several active groups. Croft's founding organisation is called the Original London Pearly Kings and Queens Association. It was reformed in 1975 and holds the majority of the original pearly titles which are City of London, Westminster, Victoria, Hackney, Tower Hamlets,

Shoreditch Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area. In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

, Dalston and Hoxton. Other groups have also been established over the years. The oldest is the Pearly Guild, which began in 1902. Modern additions include the London Pearly Kings and Queens Society, which started in 2001and the Pearly Kings and Queens Guild. Despite the rivalries, each group is associated with a church in central London and is committed to raising money for London-based charities. A parade of real-life Pearly Kings and Queens was featured at the

2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony The opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics took place on the evening of Friday 27 July 2012 in the Olympic Stadium, London, during which the Games were formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II. As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the pr ...

References

External links

www.thepearlies.co.uk
The Original Pearly Kings and Queens Association
www.pearlies.org.uk
Pearlies of Kings Cross & St.Pancras

The London Pearly Kings and Queens Society

Pearly Kings and Queens Guild
Henry Croft, Pearly King
and other Pearly photos on flickr
History of the Pearlies
*The Pearly Families
The Hitchen Family - Pearly King City of London
by Mary Braid. ''The Independent'', (16 April 2014). Retrieved 13 March 2021.
"One last knees up: What does the future hold for London's ageing Pearlies?"
by Charlotte Leedham. ''Goldsmiths University of London'', (8 January 2018). Retrieved 13 March 2021.
"What's All This Then? – London's Pearly Kings and Queens."
by John Rabon. ''Londontopia'', (23 February 2017). Retrieved 13 March 2021. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pearly Kings And Queens Culture in London Charities based in London Working-class culture in England