Memorial to Henry Croft

Memorial to Henry Croft

c.1930

Stone

This stone memorial is to Henry Croft (1861-1930). It is a full marble sculpture of Croft, leaning on a plinth, in top hat and pearly attire. On the plinth and on a vase on the sculpture, in relief is the memorial text, noting he died 1 January 1930 and is ‘The Original Pearly King’. Croft’s memorial was moved to St Martin-the-Fields for safekeeping in 1992 from its original location in St Pancras Cemetery. The memorial is located in the back of the Crypt Gallery, under the church.

Engraved: IN MEMORY OF HENRY CROFT WHO DIED JANUARY IST 1930 AGED 68 YEARS. THE ORIGINAL PEARLY KING

Henry Croft was raised in an orphanage in London and as a young boy he was fascinated by the coster mongers (apple sellers) in Covent Garden, with their ‘Flash Boy outfits’ covered in button decorations. Croft made a whole jacket covered in pearl buttons and wore it when fundraising and collecting pennies for his orphanage. Churches and Hospitals asked him to work as collector for the poor and he began to be assisted by the coster mongers. From this the Pearly Kings and Queens began with Pearly Families affiliated to each Borough of London. St Martin-in-the-Fields is the adopted church of The Pearly Kings & Queens Association and since the 1940s, has hosted many pearly weddings, baptisms and memorial services. Every October there is a Pearly Harvest Festival service in St Martin’s where the vicar is adorned with a special ‘Pearly stole’ and a collection is taken up to support the church’s charitable work.

SMITF.H.75