--Previous Message-- : Yes aigrette, i think it's the Tudor Crown : Royal navy, wore by naval officers. : : : : " The naval crown (made up of alternate : sterns and topsails) can be traced back to : the Romans when a crown ornamented with a : design of the 'rostra' or beak heads was : awarded for bravery and was known as the : 'Rostral Crown'. : It can be seen on certain British Naval : medals at the end of the sixteenth century. : One of the earliest examples of the Naval : crown in, practically its present form, is : that which appears above the Arms of : Greenwich Hospital dating from about 1700. : The decoration, however, is wholly of square : sails without the interspersed sterns." : [National Maritime Museum web-site] : : : : : 2005/06/30 - Festival of the Sea - : Porthsmouth : :