The Order of the Pelican in the Kingdom of Lochac is given for extraordinary service to the Kingdom over many years. The Order had a ceremonial cloak to invest new members, but after many years of use, this was showing its age. To honour the death of Master Everard de Bruce, an early member of the Order, Mistress Rowan Perigrynne designed a new cloak, based on period examples and featuring the devices of all the members of the Order. The project was funded by the Fighter Auction Tourney fund.
The cloak was completed for May Crown 2009 and was first used to elevate Master Bernard Stirling to the Order.
The design is based on the many copes and mantles which show a series of motifs in a structured framework. The devices are charted with the name shown above; where the Pelican has no registered device, the Lochac Populace badge holds the place (and is replaced if they later register a device). The motifs are added in the sequence that members join the Order, so it depicts the history of the Lochac Pelicans.
The Pelican cloak is made of a fine, dense red wool with woven gold braid applied to form the divisions, and the whole lined in silk. Lozenges depicting Pelicans and the Lochac badge fill the front border. The body of the cloak holds the devices of the members, in the sequence that they joined the Order, with their names above. Where a member does not have a registered device, the place is held with the badge of Lochac. Many original placeholders have now been replaced, as new devices are registered.
The devices and edge symbols are worked in tent stitch, in silk on linen canvas. The original cloak bore petitpoint patches depicting the Pelican and West Kingdom device. These have been removed and applied to the inside border of the new cloak, to provide continuity.
The original cord closure has since been replaced with a more robust one in brass, leather and braid.
When the project began there were 100 Pelicans. In 2020 the Order approaches 200 members and the project continues. Kits are prepared for each new device with linen and charted design, to be worked by the new Pelican, or (if they prefer) by members of the Company.
Lochac’s Pelican Cloak inspired the Kingdom of Caid to create their own cloaks for the Orders of the Pelican and Laurel. The description of the cope and detailed photos of each of the embroidered patches are available on the Laurel Cope page of caidwiki.org.
Gallery
The galleries below show the many devices of the Order, in alphabetical order.