CORONATION PLATE IN THE ABBEY.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11347, 9 August 1902, Page 12

CORONATION PLATE IN THE ABBEY.

The following interesting account has been supplied from official quarters of the Coronation Plate to be used in Westminster Abbey on the great occasion:— It has been customary to adorn the sanctuary of Westminster Abbey upon each Coronation, massive gold and silver : gilt plate forming no small portion of this ornamentation. On this occasion the plate will be partly supplied from the sacristy of Westminster Abbey and. partly from the Royal Chapel. The plate to deck the high altar belongs to the Abbey, and is very beautiful, au_ough it cannot lay claim to great age, for all the Abbey plate was either stolen or melted down during the troubled times of the Commonwealth. Still there are some beautiful large plain chalices, without ornamentation, which date from 1661. There are also three alms-dishes, the largest' of which is of magnificent design, two silver-gilt flagons, and several outer flagons and chalices which found their way into the sacristy during the Restoration or the Revolution, and two splendid high altar candlesticks of the same period. Further, there are tJhe cross and flower vases presented by the Earl of Rosebery in honour of the marriage of his daughter to Lord Crewe. These will be placed upon the high altar, and this does not complete the tale. Along the south side of the sacrarium there is a curious tomb containing the remiains of Queen Anne of Cleves. For some time past it has been customary to use this tomb ait the celebrations of the Holy Communion for the purpose of a credence-table. It i_ about sixteen feet in length, and it will form on this occasion the front portion of the Royal box. At the Coronation service this ledge will support the massive plate belonging to Buckingham Palace and the Chapel Royal Of St. James's Palace, together with some of tbe plate which was formerly used at the Chapel Royal, Y» nitehall. Mention must be made of the great almsdish belonging to the Chapel Royal of St. James's Palace. This, wonderful dish • is about 3ft in height. It is said to date from the reign of Charles 1., and it is valued at £10,000. One remarkable point about it is the wonderful representation of tbe Last Supper that is engraved in its centre.. Before leaving the subject of the plate one must touch on the Coronation paten and chalice. It ia presumed that these vessels were manufactured in order to supply the place cf the ancient chalice of Edward the Confessor, which was administered to the King and Queen Consort at the time of their Coronation and consecration as a token of their conjugal unity. This celebrated chalice, according to the accounts which have descended to modern times, appears to have been made of stone, probably of agate,' engraved with curious emblematic signs. However, it has long vanished from sight, and its place has been supplied by two vessels which are kept at St. James's Palace and reserved for the sole purpose of communicating the King and Queen at the time of their Coronation. ITnlike most of the- sacred vessels with which we are familiar to-day, this paten and chalice are made not of silver gilt but of pura gold. Among the other eoelesiastical adjuncts of the Coronation service which fall under the heading of "plate," o;ie may include the oblations nude by the King and Queen at the time of the offertory at the high altar. On Thursday King Edward! will offer a solid wedge "of gold, v*_ich will weigh something like a pound, .while the Queen's offertory will be of a mark of gold. As to the pbte of a more secular description, this no longer plays so important a part as it did in the rimes when the Coronation banquet was a recognised portion of the great solemnity of crowning an English monarch. At the rime of this, banquet quite a largo number of cups made of precious metal had tb be provided, in order that certain definite services might be rendered by such personage* as tha Kind's Champion, itfie tflrd J&yor of Loxrfon, the ;

in bis capacity of Earl of. Arundel. Hence the piateVhieh will be seen on Thursday will present but a meagre appearance, both in quantity and quality, when compared: with the magnificent dishes, flagons, patens, chalices, and candlesticks over the high altar. They may be reduced, in fact, to certain perquisites connected with the great officers of State and certain members of the College of Heralds. The latter institution numbers, apart from the Earl Marshal, some thirteen representatives, but the inclusion of the various heralds from the Colleges of Ana at Edinburgh and Dublin will somewhat swell the number. All the members of the English Col!ege of Heralds are entitled to wear what are termed "collars," the quality ©f the material varying according to the rank of its possessor. For instance, in the case of the four pursuivants the collar is made of plain silver. With the six heralds it is partly gilt and partly white, while the three Kings-at-Arms —Garter, Norroy, and Clarenceux — wear collars of gilt. The Kings-_t-Arms are actually entitled to wear crowns, placing them upon their heads at the moment of their Sovereigns Coronation, and also gold chains and badges, while Garter Kinga. Arms is further entitled to a sceptre, or rod, composed partly of silver, partly of gold. Of the four great officers of State, two —the Lord High Constable of England and the Earl Marshal of England—carry staves. That of the former is made of silver, the ends being made of gold, enamelled with the King's arms and his own, and weighing something like twelve ounces. The staff of the Earl Marshal is a trifle more elaborate, in that it is made of gold, enamelled black at each end, engraven with the King's arms and his own, and weighs about fifteen ounces. Last of all com© the two ushers, Black Rod for England, Green Rod for Scotland. Both of these carry their rods, on which is an adornment entitled the "garniture," which in the case of Green Rod is made of silver, in the case of Black Rod of gold lace.