Announcing the names of the Salisbury Peregrine Chicks

And the names are in for Salisbury Cathedral’s four peregrine chicks.

The naming of the Salisbury peregrine falcon chicks was put to the public vote. You can read about that in our earlier article here.

A total of 1,584 people voted for the chicks’ names, which were specially drawn from the field of medicine and public health to  celebrate the work done by the Sarum South team who ran mass vaccination clinics in the cathedral from January until May, and all the other NHS teams involved in the vaccine rollout.

Where can you find links to the live peregrine webcams? Here.

In previous years the adult peregrines have also been named – Sally, and Sebastian in 2017, Fiona and Bruce in 2019, when the Antiques Roadshow came to the Cathedral Close and this year is no different

So what are the names?

FLO for Florence Nightingale, the ‘lady with the lamp who used her knowledge of statistics to drive healthcare reform

• 748 votes, Female, Colour ring TND, Weight at ringing – 830g

ELIZA for Dr Elizabeth Garret Anderson, who smashed the medical glass ceiling in 1865, becoming the first female doctor registered in Britain. She went on to found the first teaching college for female doctors and was the first female dean or head of a British medical school

• 310 votes, Female, Colour ring PHJ, Weight at ringing -780g

XANDER for Sir Alexander Fleming, the Scottish microbiologist and physician who revolutionised the treatment of bacterial infections when he discovered penicillin in 1928

• 407 votes, Male, Colour ring TVD, Weight 530g

TEDDY for Dr Edward Jenner, who created the first vaccine in 1796 after observing that local milkmaids who caught cowpox never developed smallpox. He inoculated his gardener’s son with cowpox, and despite numerous exposures to smallpox, the boy never developed the infection.

• 320 Votes, Male, Colour ring PTJ, Weight at ringing – 520g

And the names of the mum and dad?

MARY for Mary Seacole, a Jamaican born ‘doctoress’ and a contemporary of Florence Nightingale. Mary applied to join the nursing team being sent to the Crimea by the War Office but when she was rejected, raised independent funds, travelled to the battlefield and set up the ‘British Hotel’ where she cared for and nursed wounded soldiers.

JAMES for James ‘Africanus’ Beale Horton, a 19 century Sierra Leonean who won a British War Office scholarship to study medicine at Kings College, London and in Edinburgh. He was commissioned as a staff-assistant surgeon in West Africa, one of the first Africans to become a British military officer, and subsequently became one of the first political thinkers to openly campaign for self-government for the West African colonies.

Gary Price, Salisbury Cathedral’s Clerk of Works, who announced the names said:

“It’s great that so many people participated in the vote and have taken such an interest in our peregrines. Around 188,000 people have watched their every move on our webcams, and soon they will be treated to the sight of them fledging, after which visitors to the Close will be able to watch them soaring overhead, as they are taught how to hunt by their parents – an awesome sight.”

The four chicks will remain on the Cathedral Tower balcony for about another week or so, flapping their wings to strengthen them ahead of fledging. The fact that the balcony railing is relatively high is advantageous. It means that by the time they get up there, they are well prepared for their first flight. The youngsters will stay around the Cathedral for at least month after fledging, honing their skills and preparing to strike out on their own.

All the news about the cathedral peregrines can be found here.