Meghan and the scallop shells

[Kathar1na]

So they created a brand new coat of arms for the new Duchess of Sussex, formerly known as Meghan Markle. You can spot 6 scallop shells on the left side - Harry's side. They refer to his mother's side, Diana Spencer. The Spencer family had three scallop shells - or escallops as they are properly called in heraldry - in their coats of arms for quite some time. People are often quick to associate scallop shells with a pilgrimage to Santiago but that's actually often not the case as there are a number of other reference points. In this case, it is most likely that is was initially a reference to the crusades to the Holy Land ... the military crusades were understood as pilgrimage in those distant days.

 

[GraemeHall]

It must be me. I'm reluctant to expose myself by commenting on this forum just now, but honestly i can't see sny scallop shells here...

So they created a brand new coat of arms for the new Duchess of Sussex, formerly known as Meghan Markle. You can spot 6 scallop shells on the left side - Harry's side. They refer to his mother's side, Diana Spencer. The Spencer family had three scallop shells - or escallops as they are properly called in heraldry - in their coats of arms for quite some time. People are often quick to associate scallop shells with a pilgrimage to Santiago but that's actually often not the case as there are a number of other reference points. In this case, it is most likely that is was initially a reference to the crusades to the Holy Land ... the military crusades were understood as pilgrimage in those distant days.

 

[Bradypus]

It must be me. I'm reluctant to expose myself by commenting on this forum just now, but honestly i can't see sny scallop shells here...

They are small red scallops on the five-point label on the escutcheon and on the same label on the supporting lion. The scallops on the Spencer family arms and the personal arms of Diana are far larger and more obvious.

 

[Kathar1na]

It was unexpectedly difficult to find an image of good quality, probably because it's so new and has not yet invaded the internet.

Here's the relevant part from her spouse's emblem where it is easier to see the familiar shell shape. As far as I can make out there's no indication that any ancestor went on a Santiago pilgrimage or a Holy Land crusade for that matter, the Spencer coat of arms was created in the second half of the 16th century, during a time when pilgrimage had already been forcibly suppressed in England by order of Henry VIII and the days of crusading were long gone. One or more escallops were a popular design and looked good and noble to have ...

 

[t2andreo]

Indeed interesting... I accept the Jerusalem - Crusade connection as a pilgrimage.

FYI, In Christianity, pre-Reformation, the major pilgrimage sites were (in order) Jerusalem, Rome, and Santiago. Since the Reformation, these three have been joined by several others including: Fatima (PT), Lourdes (FR), and Częstochowa (PL).

I am not certain what order the last three fall into, but the first three remain the most popular. I believe Sanitago may be number four in the order of pilgrim popularity these days...

Hope this helps.

 

[Kathar1na]

Echoes of the connection scallop/pilgrimage/crusade:

The Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem who trace their roots back to Godfrey of Bouillon, a famous leader of the First Crusade, award a Pilgrim's Shell to their members for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It is bestowed by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem who is the Catholic archbishop of Jerusalem. This is from the blog of the Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean O'Malley, when he accompanied priests on a retreat in Israel who were awarded the shell:

 

[Kathar1na]

There's another reanimated medieval order, the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, although they are not as officially recognised as the EOHSJ and they seem to have split into several sub-orders, who award something they call The Crusader’s Medal (traditionally called Pilgrim’s Shell; PSLJ); it may be conferred to any Member or Affiliate of the Order recognising his [or her, I guess] pilgrimage to the Holy Land and to other religious places; this pilgrimage must have been under religious auspices.

Who would have guessed that there is a world beyond Compostelas? If the Santiago Pilgrim's office would hand out something similar, I'd even be willing to queue for hours and pay for it.

 

[Waka]

Indeed interesting... I accept the Jerusalem - Crusade connection as a pilgrimage.

FYI, In Christianity, pre-Reformation, the major pilgrimage sites were (in order) Jerusalem, Rome, and Santiago. Since the Reformation, these three have been joined by several others including: Fatima (PT), Lourdes (FR), and Częstochowa (PL).

I am not certain what order the last three fall into, but the first three remain the most popular. I believe Sanitago may be number four in the order of pilgrim popularity these days...

Hope this helps.

I went to Czestochowa last year, it's certainly the main pilgrimage site in Poland. I was amazed at the crowds even on a weekday, of course everyone one is set on seeing the Black Madonna, the waiting time was hours to get a glimpse, suffice to say I didn't wait that long.

 

[C clearly]

Interesting. Did the association of scallop shell with pilgrimage begin with Santiago?

 

[Kathar1na]

Interesting. Did the association of scallop shell with pilgrimage begin with Santiago?

I have no idea. Personally, I don't think so. Actually, I don't think so less and less. It's a fact that the scallop shell is associated with the pilgrimage site of Mont Saint Michel, a rock island in the North of France. It was a pilgrimage site before anyone knew anything about any Saint James relics in Galicia. Not too long ago, archeologists dug up moulds for pilgrim's badges on the Mont with the Archangel Michael above a scallop shell:



The coat of arms of the abbey on Mont Saint Michel:



The Order of Saint Michael, founded by a French king, and its collar:

 

[Kathar1na]

We know from a source about the visit of Emperor Charles IV in Paris 1377 that scallops and their shells were generally associated with pilgrimage, independent of Santiago.

Two English crusaders who incorporated scallop shells in their coat of arms are D'Acre and Villiers (see below). Villiers took part in a crusade in Palestine around 1270, and D'Acre's is connected to the city of Acre or even the siege of Acre in 1291, one of the most important battles of the time. In those days, English noblemen were of course more connected to the culture of France and Normandy where Mont Saint Michel is located than to Spain and Galicia. After all, they famously came from Normandy to England in ten-sixty-six and hence their French looking names .

 

[Jeff Crawley]

That is one evil looking bird.