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Record
HMC - The Harrow Museum Collection
S - Social History
1 - Community Life
Title
The Lord Mayor's Stow Prize plaque 1939
Repository
Harrow Museum Collection
Ref No
HMC/S/1/1987:190.2
ObjectNumber
1987:190.2
Date
1939
Description
Small explanatory plaque, under glass in wood frame painted dark blue, hand-lettered in black and red ink on paper: "The Lord Mayor's Stow Prize 1939. The Right Hon. Sir Frank Bowater, Lord Mayor of London, placed a new quill pen in the hand of the statue of John Stow at S. Andrew Undershaft in the City of London on April 24th 1939.... The old pen taken from the statue's hand was given by him to the Headmistress of the Harrow County Girl's School. A copy of Stow's "Survey of London" was presented by him to Margaret Bowles as the prize for the best essay on "London's Past and Future" written by a scholar of the Secondary Schools under the Board of Education in the County of Middlesex."; and signed by G. Vernon Willesden, Bishop Rector of S. Andrew Undershaft.
Provenance
Donated by Lowlands College, 1987. Inherited by Lowlands College from predecessor Harrow County School for Girls.
Comments
A marble monument to John Stow (1524-1605), writer of the "Survey of London", erected in St Andrew Undershaft, holds a real quill pen. Since at least 1828, a 'renewal' ceremony replaces the quill periodically. Although the ceremony has lapsed several times, it continues to be held today, jointly sponsored by the Merchant Taylors' Company and the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society, the latter of which supplies the quill. The ceremony is presided over by the Lord Mayor of London or the Master Merchant Taylor.
Object Name
Plaque
Materials
Glass, paper, wood
AssociatedObjectNumber
1987:190.1, 1987:190.3
Location
In Storage
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