CROWNS OF ENGLAND.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1160, 22 June 1911, Page 11

CROWNS OF ENGLAND.

— ; St. Edward's and Qoeea , Edith's. At tho Coronation four, if not five, diadems will be placed in succession upon the heads of King George and Queen Mary. Though tho crowns in question are all comparatively modern in construction, the oldest dating no further back than 1601, yet they are all magnificent in both design and ornamentation. Oil the way lo Westminster Abbey tho King wears what is called his Cap of Estate, composed of red velvet. Ho removes this headgear on arriving at the lacrarium, but replaces it upon his head during the sermon. Tho golden circlet worn by the Queen corresponds to the King's, Cap of State. It was originally manufactured for the Consort of James 11,- Mary of Modena, and is of an exceptionally chaste and beautiful design. It .is alleged to have cost ,£IIO,OOO. It is composed of a crimson velvot cap, together with a richly-jewelled rim, the upper edge' consists of a row of large pearls, rising into a point made by a 6inglo diamond, , beneath a rich floral spray, in gold open oak, and large rosettes of gold work and diamonds. The crown of England, which is, of course, the centre of the whole ceremony, is technically known as. St. Edward's Crown. According to tradition, the crown of the great-Alfred was actually handed down from one Sovereign to another, being preserved either in tho Treasury at .tho Abbey, or, in later days, at the Tower. A Curious Inventory. Whether this bo truo or not, one thing is quite certain, that when, in 1649 the Commissioners of the Long Parliament arrived for the purpose of "totallie" destroying the Regalia and all that savoured of the detested monarchy, they proceeded first of all to compile an inventory, in which the following curious items occur:—"King Alfred's crowne, of gold . gyerworke, sett with slight stones and 2 little. bells of 7910z. at .£3 per ounce, ,£24S 10s: Od." Owing to the fact that, the Confessor must presumably have been invested with this identical diadem, it came to be also designated St. Edward's C'rown; and when in IC6I Charles II set about restoring tho havoc and ravages made twelve years previously, the new Crown of England was at once styled by tho old time-honoured name. From "that date until now this crown has been placed upon the.head of each successivo Sovereign by the Archbishop' of Canterbury, and though some slight alterations have from time to time been made, it remains substantially , the same ornament as that which first of all graced tho brow of Charles 11. It consists of a circlet •of gold adorned with rosettes of precious stones, set in enamel arabesques of white and red, the edges of the circlet are marked by rows of pearls, from -which rise cross-patees and flours-de-lys alternately. From the four crosses spring two arches of gold, crossing each other, and curving deeply downwards, being edged with pearls and bearing clusters of'gems, set in arabesjjues of red and white. At the intersection of the arches there is placed-a mound, enclosed by arch and fillet, and surmounted by a large cross patee and inset with coloured gems. At tho top of all there is a largo spheroidal pearl, while from each arm of the cros9 there depends a pear-shaped pearl. Such then is the magnificent crown which will be solemnly placed udou Kintr George's head by the Archbishop of Canterbury, amid the thunders of cannon without and the cheers and plaudits of all' within the Abbey. The Queen's Crown, As the ornament worn by the King is known as the Crown of St. Edward, so that of the Queen Consort is termed the Crown of Queen Edith. That it was extant at the time of the Commonwealth is abundantly clear, for a sccond entry in the Parliamentary inventory runs as follows: —"Queen Edith's crown, formerly.'.thought to be r of- massy gould.'butupoir?triaH, found to be' of -silver gilt, enriched with' garnets, foure pearls, sapphires, and some old stones, p. oz 50.\0z., valued at MB os. 9d." Judging, However, by its appearance in the picture of Queen Henrietta Maria, 1 now in the National Portrait Gallery, the crown of Queen Edith must havo been of a remarkably peculiar shape. The neccss'ty for supplying a new crown for tho Queen Consort did not occur until 1685, when Queen Mary of Modena's Coronation took place. A crown was then constructed, not unlike St. Edward's Crown in general appearance. It is, however, no longer to be found among the Regalia of England, for it was subsequently broken up, , the materials being used fftr other crowns. A curious story is related in the "Grevillo Memoirs" in connection with Queen Adelaide, at the time of William IV's Coronation. "Kodo to Windsor to settle with tho Queen what sort of crown she would have to be crowned in. . . . She looked' at the drawings, meant apparently, to be civil to me in her ungracious way, and said shb would have none of our crowns, that sho. did not like to wear a hired one, and asked me if I thought it was right she should. I said, 'Madame, I can only say that the lata King wore one at his Coronation.' However, sho said, 'I do not like it, and I have got jewels enough, so I will havo • them made up myself.' The King said to me. 'Very well, then you will have to pay for the setting.' 'Oh, no/ she said, 'I shall. pay for it all myself.'" As a matter of fact the incident terminated in no crown being constructed at; all, one being supplied for tho occasion by 'Kandell and Bridge. Crowns of Slate. The Crowns of St. Edward and Queen Edith are only worn' until the conclusion of the Coronation service. The King and Queen then retire to the Chapel of St. lldward, behind the High Altar, and there exchange these national diadems for what are termed the Crowns of State, preparatory. to tho final procession.. That worn by Queen Mary of Modeuaraay still be eeen in the Tower, though it has beeu largely altered, most probably some four years later; for Queen Mary 11, at her joint Coronation with William 111. It is composed of gold, set with diamonds and pearls. The Crown of State used by the actual regnant Sovereign has, however, loeen altered and broken up times without number. Manufactured afresh for Charles I, it was slightly altered for James 11, taken to pieces, for''Queen Anne, altered yet again for George'l, George 11, and Georgo 111, till finally, at George IV's Coronation an entirely new crown was made (though tho old jewels were utilised). The value,of this beautiful crown is said to have .been estimated at -£150,000; while it weighed five and a half pounds. When Queen Victoria ascended the Throne her uncle's crown was found to be too. large. Accordingly a new State crown was manufactured," composed partly of the old gems and partly of others furnished by command of her Majesty. Probably it is without exception the most splendid and elegant crown ever worn by an English Sovereign. It consists of a richly-jewelled band, from which rise alternate Maltese crosses and flcurs-de-lys. Tho upper portion of the crown is composed of four Imperial arches, suspended from which are four ■ pear-shaped pearls with rose diamond cups. At tho top of all stands a great mound with a cross,' having a rose-cut sapphire for its . centre, surmounting it. Altogether it contains 277 pearls, 2785 diamonds, 5 rubies, 17 sapphires, and 11 emeralds. Among them is found a sapphire taken from the famous ring of tho Confessor, supposed to give its ' owner tho power of blessing crampings.