Mercers' Maiden
The Mercers' Maiden
The Mercers’ Maiden is the symbol and coat of arms of the Company. She first
appears on a seal in 1425. Her precise origins are unknown, and there is no written
evidence as to why she was chosen as the Company’s emblem.
She is often depicted wearing the fashions of any given period because she was
not formally granted as a coat of arms until 1911.
Over many centuries she has graced letterheads, legal documents, furnishings,
and property of the Company. Maiden ‘property marks’, usually crafted out of stone,
often adorned the exterior walls of buildings belonging to the Company, and are
still common sights in London.
