A THOUSAND YEARS AGO.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11347, 9 August 1902, Page 7

A THOUSAND YEARS AGO.

CORONATION OF EDWARD THE ELDER. The Coronation of King Edward the Elder, which took place at Kingston-upon-Thames on Whit-Sunday, 902, is a matter of great interest at the present time, said an English paper in May last, not only to the (Mayor and Burgesses of that ancient borough, but Ho the whole nation. As there is no record that King Alfred the Great was ever crowned, the Coronation of his son, Edward the Elder, commenced a series unbroken through a thousand years. The ceremony in June will be the fiftieth of its kind during that period, and may therefore be regarded as a Jubilee CoroDa'tion. Such a record is unequalled by any other nation in Europe. Edward the Elder's crowning took place upon the ancient Coronation Stone, upon which six other Saxon Kings were crowned, and which is still preserved, and can be seen erected in a prominent position in Kingston Market Place. From the records and chronicles we learn that as a general in his father's army, Edward the Elder distinguished himself as a brave soldier and as a clever diplomatists; and it was. to these two qualities that he owed his success as monarch, for by their exercise he was able, step by step, to bring a!! the other Kingdoms of England under his rule. It has been said of him by one writer, "It is only the unequalled glory of his father which has condemned this Prince, one of the greatest Rulers England ever beheld, to a smaller degree of popular fame than he deserved." But though the son of Alfred the Great, it did not follow that Edward succeeded to the throne, for he had first to be elected by the Witan, or House of Assembly, which met in the Moot Hail, ocenpying the site of the present Town Hall. In Edward's case, however, the Witan was unanimously in his favour, and he was crowned on the 18th of May, 902. The ceremony furnishes, in its simplicity, a strong contrast to the gorgeous pageantry that wiEt attend the crowning of his descendant this month, It took place in the old building formerly known as the Chapel

of St. Mary, which stood Ha. "»' site id* joining the present Cburch of All Sairite, Kingston-opon-Thames. There assembled all the nobles of has Kingdom of Wesset, and doubtless also the nobles of the friendly Kingdom of Mercia, - over which Edward's sister ruled as Queen, and there, sea&eU upon the Coronation Stone, the King was declared elected by the Witsai, was anointed by Plegmond, Archbishop of Canterbury, and took _he following oath:—----"In the name of the Most Holy Trinity, 1 promise, first, that the Church of God and all Christian people shall enjoy tree peace under my government; secondly, that I will prohibit all manner of rapine and injustice to men of every condition; thirdly, that in all judgments I will cans, equ&y to be united with mercy, that the most clement God may, through His. eternai mercy, forgive us aH. Amen." He was then crowned with the Royal Crown, and the remainder of the day was given over to feasting and merry-n__k_ng," wi__h sometimes extended to two or three days afterwards. The Coronation of Athelstan, Edward's successor, in 925, took place upon a raised platform in the centre of Kingston Market Place, "that the King might' be seen the better of the multitude." The chroniclers of the time gave little information as to the character of the feasting and merry-making. But we know that •the nobles and more prominent citizens were entertained at long wooden table., th* King sitting down with the guests. The chief features of the menu were various kinds of flesh meats, which were served on spits, from which each guest helped himself, wheaten bread, and mead, a beverage in the preparation of which honey was employed. The lower orders had swine's flesh and fish, with oaten bread and beer. Notions of etiquette were not then so rigid as taey are now, and it is chronicled at one King crowned at Kingston-upon-Thames subsequent to King Edward the Elder, that when he stole away from the banquetsnghal! he was followed and brought back forcibly by the Archbishop who anointed him. After a most prosperous reign. Edward tne -Elder died in 926 at Farringdon, in Berkshire, and was buried with his father in the Cathedral at Winchester. The ton* was rifled in 1538 at the dissolution of the Monasteries, when two small tablets, inscribed with the names of the two Kings, were found in the monument. The other Saxon Kings, who succeeded King Edward the Elder and were crowned at Kingston-upon-Thames were:—Athebtan, in 925; Edmund, in 941; Edred, in 948; Edwv, in 955; Edward the Martyr, in 975;" and Ethelred, in 978. The Royal Palace probably stood on the site of the present Free Public Library. It is claimed that the Kingston Coronation Stone is more ancient than that upon which, (Edward "VTI. will be crowned in June. At any rate, it appears to be clear that it was used for the Coronation of Saxon Kings 400 years before the Scone Stone was brought to Westminster by Edward I. When the Normans came and made London the seat of Government, the Stone was deposited in the Chapel of St. Mary, where it remained until 1730, when the Chapel fell down. The Stone was then placed near the Town Hall, and in course of time its historic associations became dim, and it came to be used as a step to assist Magistrates in mounting their horses when they returned after attending the Court of Assize. It was used in t-his manner for about fifty years, nntii, in 1850, its importance was discovered, and it was then placed in the prominent position it now occupies. It is mounted on a pedestal, in which coins of each ot the Saxon reigns are inserted, and tha names of the Saxon Kings are inscrib**, the whole being surrounded by seven stone pillars and an' ornamental iron railing of imitation Saxon workmanship.