Pearly Kings and Queens

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"Pearlies" redirects here. For the animated series, see Pearlie. For the Traffic song "Pearly Queen", see Traffic (Traffic album).
Pearly King and Queen


Henry Croft[edit]

Main article: Henry Croft (pearly)


Death and memorial[edit]



Pearly organisations[edit]

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[1][2] and holds the majority of the original pearly titles which are City of London, Westminster, Victoria, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Shoreditch, Islington, Dalston and Hoxton. Other groups have also been established over the years. The oldest is the Pearly Guild, which began in 1902;[1][6] modern additions include the London Pearly Kings and Queens Society which started in 2001 following a disagreement,[1][3] another is the Pearly Kings and Queens Guild.[7] Despite the rivalries, each group is associated with a church in central London and is committed to raising money for London-based charities.[1] A parade of real-life Pearly Kings and Queens was featured at the 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony.


  4. ^ "The Passing of the King of Pearly Kings". British Pathe Archive. British Pathe. January 9, 1930. Retrieved 2009-09-24. 
  5. ^ "Memorial to "Pearly King"". British Pathe Archive. British Pathe. June 4, 1934. Retrieved 2009-09-24. 

History of the Pearlies The Pearly Families - The Hitchen Family - Pearly King City of London

External links[edit]