Mallards are one of the most common varieties of duck to be hunted for sport, although not in the UK. So, in 2001, when the Queen visited Jersey she was presented with two dead ducks as an act of homage from the Seigneur of Trinity they had to be imported from France. This was a tradition that goes back 800 years when the seigneurs of Jersey would pay tribute to the Duke of Normandy (William the Conqueror) and his successors whenever they visited the island. The ducks may, or may not, have been part of that evening's commemorative dinner.
for the letter J - Jersey
Lots of mallards near us, we even see them flying over. Great sheet
ReplyDeletePretty birds. The queen looked rather bemused by the gift, I wonder what she was thinking when touching the plate.
ReplyDeleteI like the mini sheet, however it would have been nice to have 3 stamps - the male, the female, and the ducklings.
ReplyDeletebeautiful sheet! but the traditions are sometimes really worth re-thinking...
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this mini-sheet and the article. It's weird to see the ducks looking almost alive on the plate like that.
ReplyDeleteI love the sheet more the stamp itself!
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