Clan Stewart badge

[Troglodyte]

We're familiar with the widely produced Clan Stewart badge showing a Pelican feeding her young.

Specifically the pelican is shown "vulning" that is wounding herself, with drops of blood coming down.

This is called a "Pelican Vulning in her Nest" and specifically a "Pelican in Her Piety".

It's a common heraldic motif (it even appears on the Louisiana State flag) and is said to be an analogy for The Passion.

So yesterday I was at a Highland Games and a vendor had an entire line of Clan badges I'd not seen before.

Most of the badges which have been made going back to the early 20th century are recasts of recasts of the same old sculpts from who-knows-when. It's obviously an enormous project for a jeweller to do an entire line of new sculpts. But here was such a line!

Looking at the Clan Stewart badge, which was a lovely sculpt, I was surprised to see a fish in the mouth of the mother Pelican. (Vulning ain't in it.)

Which led me to look up just what the Stewart badge is supposed to be.

I read on Wiki that due to a lack of a Chief, members of Clan Stewart use the badge belonging to the Earl of Galloway, the Senior Cadet, which Wiki says is:

A Pelican Argent, winged Or, in her nest feeding her young, Proper.

Sounds like the common Pelican in Her Piety. But if so, why isn't it worded that way?

Because simply saying "feeding her young" could mean, say, a fish.

Does anyone know why the Earl of Galloway badge is shown having a Pelican in Her Piety despite the wording not saying that?

I would be inclined to put this question direct to Lord Lyon Society.

They will have the original emblazoning of the various Stewart arms - both the official description and the hand-drawn and coloured full coat themselves, including the crest - which will give you the definitive answer.

This is the great thing about the office of Lord Lyon and College of Arms in London - they have the originals of all arms awarded in Great Britain and the Commonwealth, and their reords go back over centuries. The vellum records are wonderful things to see.

If the crest in quetion as been changed or altered at any time, they should be able to tell you when, why and by whom. If they have no record of such a change, or matriculation, any such depiction or representation can be regarded as unofficial and incorrect.