Saint Edward the Confessor, late 14th Century

Badges depicting the crowned bust of a king seem to have become particularly popular from the late 14th century; the time when King Richard II was actively promoting Westminster Abbey’s cult of St Edward the Confessor. Edward had been extraordinarily pious in life and had gained a reputation for miraculous healing. Prior to the rise of the cult of St George, St Edward was regarded as England’s patron saint, alongside St Edmund.