HUMOURS OF THE CORONATION

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 108, 8 May 1937, Page 27

HUMOURS OF THE CORONATION

In spite of practice, utter confusion overtook Earl Talbot aj; the Coronation. It seems that Earl Taibot set out on horseback...to "pace '.Westminster Hall, as was the custom'of Lord High Stewards, and what actually happened drew yells of laughter from thfe' onlookers, writes W. J. Passingham. in "A History of the Coronation."

Days of.practice' in" the !art of backing his horse. out 'of the HaH, so that Earl Talbot'fi back should not be turned to the Rd^al table, caused the animal to enter th£ Royal presence backwards. The horse "insisted on travelling backwards all the time, while the audience roared their loudest'and several ladies present had to be escorted from the Hall in hysterics. ■

According . to ; . Mr. Passingham, the Coronation of King George 111 was a glorious muddle, and after recording the incident of the "backing" horse quoted above, :Mr.-Passingham says:—

Far. more serious were the mistakes made by the Earl of. Effingham, the Deputy Earl.Marshal, whose repeated blunders "caused endless confusion and general amusement.- ■ Parts' of the Regalia were found to be missing when the Coronation ceremony began. The Earl Marshal forgot the Canopy and the State Chairs. . He even mislaid the Sword of State. The Lord Mayor of London offered his own sword as a substitute, but the- missing Canopy delayed the. entire proceedings until noon.; ■ Such was the confusion that the ceremony-occupied six hours, • although^ the Sermon was cut down to a bare fifteen minutes. ... »

Bui the climax of the day came with tfie Coronation Banquet. In the gene. rai confusion a.quarrel arose between Lord Talbot/the Lord High Steward— who by this time was nearly crazy with anxiety—and the Barons of the Cinque Ports, the Knights of the Bath, and the Aldermen of London. No-

body knew where to seat themselves. And soon there were- other quarrels taking place in all : parts of the Hall, [n some cases, these quarrels started a serious feud between families who had enjoyed lifelong, friendship;

The Aldermen of London, by. bully r tog the. frantic. Lord High- Steward, managed to obtain places at tables set apart for Peers of- the Realm.- -. For the unfortunate Knights of the Bath, however, there was ho place at all, and they were .ultimately'served in solitary grandeSir in the Court of Requests. The Barons of the Cihque Ports, taking their cue. from' the triumphant Aldermen, hemmed Lord Talbot into- a corner and bullied him unmercifully. Jt-was then that the Lord High Steward found his endurance at an end. -

"Attention!" he shouted. "If you speak to me as Lord High Steward, I can only say that there is no place reserved for you; if you address me as Lord Talbot, I am ready and willing to give you satisfaction in any "way you .thinlt fit." . ... ~.

The Barons did not press, for satisfaction, but scurried about the Hall seeking seats anywhere they could be found.

It says much for the tolerance and good nature of George the Third that he suffered such a scandalous mismanagement of affairs for so long without remonstrance. But the Eoyal patience came to'an end at last, and he complained sharply, .to the unhappy Earl of Efflngham about the appalling confusion going on-everywhere. This served only to increase the Earl Marshal's embarrassment, and he made a reply in keeping with the rest of his unpardonable blunders. '

"Ifis true, sir," he admitted miserably, "that there has been some neglect, but I have' taken car e that the next Coronation shall be regulated in the bc3t manner possible." • l • .

;aaaeaaaeeeegeeeeaeeeeeeas»flceaeaaeesssaaaaaaaeesacag