The Regalia.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXVIII, Issue XXV, 21 June 1902, Page 1255

The Regalia.

Some description of the Corona tion regalia, the value of which is placed at something over £3,000,000. will not be out of place.

The Abbot and Monks of Westminster were, by authority of the foundation charter of Edward thr Confessor, the original custodians of the Regalia, and their first home was the ancient Treasury of England. a small vaulted chamber in the eastern cloister of the Abbey. In early times the Kings of Eng land usually carried their Regalia about with them, and wore thei crowns in battle on their helmets, but the losses and damage done in consequence of this custom became so great that, in the reign of Henry VIII., the Regalia were finally deposited in the Tower. The same Crowns. Orbs, and Seep tres have been used again and again for successive Sovereigns, but for each new ruler fresh Coronation robes have been made, the general design and adornment, however, remaining aproximately the same. The robes have of late been kept in the Robes Office in St. James’s Palace. The crowns now in the Tower consist of St. Edward's Crown, the Imperial Crown of Queen Victoria, the Crown of Mary of Modena, and the circlets or coronets of Mary of Modena, and the Prince of Wales. All of these are shown with the crimson velvet caps turned up with miniver, which are usually worn with them. Edward s Crown was made bv

Sir Robert Vyner, Royal Goldsmith to Charles 11.. after the pattern of an earlier crown, which was destroyed under the Commonwealth, in IMS. This is the official Crown of England; always appears at the Coronation. and will do so at the coming ceremony. It is a circlet of gold, bordered with pearls and studded with oval jewelled clusters, from the upper edge of which rise four erosses-patees and four fleurs-de-lys alternately.all thickly jewelled. From the tops of the four erosses-patees spring two flat arches of gold, edged with pearls and set with rectangular clusters of gems; these arches dip deeply at the point of intersection, and in the depression thus formed there is a sphere of gold with jewelled band and arch, having at th*top a jewelled Maltese cross, pointed at each of its upper extremities with a la rge pea rl.

Even the fact of the King and Queen having special Crowns mad ■ for the Coronation—as Queen Victoria did—would not prevent the use of St. Edward's Crown.

Queen Victoria's Imperial Crown, with which she was crowned according to precedent—such ornamental crowns having been so used for several previous Coronations—was made for Her Majesty in 1838 by Messrs. Rundell and Bridge. The jewels in it are mostly old ones, taken from earlier crowns, but some of them are newly supplied. There are three historic jewels in this crown: the large pierced spinel ruby that belonged to Edward the Black Prince, and was worn by Henry V. at Agincourt; the sapphire taken from the ring of Edward the Confessor; and the pierced Stuart sapphire from the crown of Charles 11.

A sphere and a Maltese cross both thickly encrusted with diamonds surmounts the whole; the cross bearing in its centre the beauliful sapphire of Edward the Confessor.

The Orb or Mound surmounted t> . a cross is the emblem of the domination of the Christian religion over

the world. It is carried in the rignt hand of the monarch at a partcu’ir stage <»f the Coronation ceremony, and it may be seen on the great seals of all our sovereigns since E 1ward the Confessor. If is only carried by a King or Queen regnant

The Larger Orb. now in the Tower, is a golden globe. 6 inches in diameter. with a jewelled band and arch, above which is a large faceted amethyst. 1A inches in height, serving as foot to a Maltese cross. 3 A inches high, which is thickly encrusted in jewels. It was made for Charles 11.. and has only been slightly altered since his time. The Lesser Orb. of a similar design but without rhe amethyst, w as made for M iry 11.. joint Sovereign with William 111. The sceptres are of two kinds—those with a cross at the top an ! those with a dove. The Royal Sceptre with the Cross is a rod of gold measuring 2 feet inches in length, the upper part of which is wreathed. The handle is richly ornamented with gold openwork studded with jewels and enamel work, and the head is decorative ly expanded into a form somewhat

resembling a crown, with arches inci scrolls of gold richly < name lied an»t Jewelled. On this superstructure rests a large faceted spherical amethyst with jewelled band and arch, carrying a Maltese cro-s covereu with diamonds. It was made for Charles li.. but has since been much altered ami enriched. This is used by the King at the Coronation. 'lhe Sceptre with the Dove wa* also made for Charles 11.. anti is of gold with jewelled ami enamelled knops nf delicate and beautiful workmanship. It measures 3 feet 7 inches in length. At the top is a sphere with jewelled barn! ami arch supporting a small cross on which rests a white enamelled dove with outspread wings. It is carried by rhe Sovereign at the Coronation. 'l'he Queen’s Sceptre with the ( ross was made for Mary Queen < f Mo-

dena, and is a rod of gold measuring 2 feet 10 inches in length. like the Royal Sceptre in general. but simpler and ornament d with diamonds only. The Queen's Sceptre with rhe Dove is of the same design as the last, but smaller. It was pr *’. ably made for .Mary 11. The grip is ornamented with open scroll w rk. jewelled. and enamelled dark blue with white dots. This sanie colouting shows on the upper knop. The sphere at the lop has a jewelled band and arch supporting a small cross on which is perched a white enamelled dove with < utspread wings. St. Edward's Staff is a rod f a o!d.

4 f*-t 1i inches in length, lipped with a steel puint. and having at the top a sphere and cross of geldIt is said that a piece of the ’.Toss is contained within the sphere.

The Great Sword of State has a velvet scabbard, ornamented with national heraldic badges and designs in bosses of metal work, and quillions in the shape of a lion and a unicorn. It is borne by the President of the Council at the lorouation.

St. George’s Spurs were made for Charles 11. They are of the “prick" pattern, and are richly wrought in gold. The Bracelets are of gold, and maybe the same as were made originally for Charles 11.. but, if so, they have been considerably worked upon since. They are 1J inches broad and

21 inches in diameter, and they have the national badges—the Rose. Harp. Shamrock, and Thistle, enamelled in colours upon them. The Golden Eagle or .Ampulla is said to be the same as was used for

containing the sacred cream at the Coronation of Henry IX . There is now little left, however. of the ancient work, except perhaps the screw at the neck. The bird has Wen provided with new wings, feet, and pedestal, probably by Sir Robert Vyner, and it has been newly chased all over. It was preserved from destruction in the seventeenth century by being kept at Westminster Abbey. It measures about 9 inches in height.

The Coronation Spoon is of silver gilt, and is thought to date fr< in the 12th century. It is 10 inches in length. The handle is ornamented with ehampleve scroll work and some pearls, and the bowl is divided bv a ridge down the centre. At the Coronation the Archbishop uses this spoon to dip his fingers in tor the anointing.

Bracelets have from earliest times been emblematical of Sovereignty, and were worn by the Kings of Babylon and Assyria. Even now, in Persia, only the Shah himself or his sons may wear them. They were used at the Coronations of various English monarchs, notably those of Richard 11.. Henry VIII.. Edward VI., Marv, and Elizabeth.

The bracelets which are at present among the Crown insignia are supposed to have been those made for Charles 11.. and are one-and-a-half inches in breadth, and two-and-a-half inches in diameter. They .ire of solid gold, lined with crimson vetvet. and bear the emblems of the three kingdoms and the fleur-de-lis of France in exquisite ehampleve enamel work. The Irish harp is in pale blue enamel, the rose of England in deep crimson, the thistle in pale greens and purples, and the fleur-de-lis in a rich deep yellow.

THE CORONATION CHAIR. The coronation chair, of which a picture appears elsewhere in this issue. is of considerablt historic interest. Known as the chair of St. Edward, it is an old-fashioned seat of hardwood, gaily painted, and was used in ancient days for the coronation of the Scottish kings. Edward 1.. known as Longshanks, brought it to England in 1296. after defeating the Scottish king. John Baliol. at Dunbar. Since then the chair has been kept in Westminster Abbey. I'nder the seat is a board supported by four lions. On this is the famous Jacob's stone, on which Jacob's head is said to have rested when he dreamed of seeing the ladder which reached to heaven. This stone was originally the royal chair of Ireland. It was called Fiafal. or the stone of fate. This stone is said to have been taken to Spain by Cathol. king of the Scots, but was brought back to Ireland by Simon Brech. leader of a band of Scots, about TOO B.C. The gods gave this stone to the Scottish people with the promise that a scion of their race should always reign over the land which retained possession of this relic. Sir Walter Scott tells us that Fergus, son of Eric, probably a descendant of Brech. was driven out of Ireland, and landed in 503 B.C. on the coast of Argyleshire, bringing the stone with him. Later it was brought

by King Kenneth of Scotland to Scone Castle, and the Scottish kings were crowned on it from that time till Edward I. destroyed the royal resilience of Scone and took the stone to London. The Scots formerly believed that it gave forth musical sounds when the rightful ruler seated himself upon it, but remained mute when a usurper was crowned. The

conveying of this stone to England was regarded as a national humiliation by the Scots, and in the treaty concluded between England and Scotland, in 1326, one of the conditions was the return of this ancient treasure. Edward 111. gave orders that it should be sent back. but for some unknown reason they were never obeyed. When James VI. of Scotland ascended the throne of England under the name of James I. the aforementioned prophecy seemed to have been fulfilled. The stone is undoubtedly a relic of remote antiquity. It is not. however, of meteoric origin, as many have maintained, but a block of red sandstone containing an unusual proportion of iron. It was once carved, gilded, and painted, but these decorations have entirely disappeared. In modern coronations it is covered with a goid cloth.

THE COST CORONATION IMMENSE SUMS REQUIrtED FOR THE RITE. The jewellers, robe makers, and Court costumiers of London will reap an abundant harvest from the Coronation of Edward VII. An authority, consulted by a representative of an English paper, estimater that the tradesmen of the West End would benefit to the tune of a million and a half. Three-quar-ters of this would be spent by private individuals, the rest by or on behalf of the Crown. The Coronation of George IV. cost the country a million of money: that is. the tax payers were practically mulcted in that sum. But Edward VII., with his natural dislike of all display and ostentation, has not, of course, indulged in the gorgeous extravagance of his predecessor. That the Coronation of George IV. transcended almost any other ceremonial of the kind that has taken place in this or any other country appears to be beyond doubt. Its impressiveness may be measured from the subjoined extract from a private letter written by a lady who was privileged to lx* present, and who was escorted by Sir Walter Scott: — “Here is the longest sheet I can find."’ she writes, “and were it ten times longer and had each of my ten fingers the pen of a Walter Scott busy at its point, a tenth part of all I have seen this day ten days would hardly suffice to tell.” At four o’clock on the morning of the Coronation of George IV. ten miles of carriages were already wending their way towards Westminster. In public and private expenditure the ceremonial cost close upon two and a half millions. James If. did not aspire to such colossal display. He was possessed with a desire to be ‘‘economical.’’ and «>n that score abandoned the Coronarion procession. Nevertheless, he unselfishly allowed more than £lOO.OOO to l>e spent in adorning the Queen for that grand occasion! In com parison, very modest indeed was the cost entailed at the Coronation of Wil’inm and Mary. However. £3703 15 5 had tc be spent in jewels for the Regalia. as the Master of the Jewel H< use naively reported that “though he had the Regalia in his ■ possession it had been dismantled of the jewels.” Genuinely economical was William IV. He actually suggested to Ear? Grey, the Prime Minister of that rime, that the Coronation should be dispensed with altogether. As it was. no ju-ocession took place, and the banquet was for the first time omitted. In connection with King Edward’s crowning all the nobles in the country will lie present at Westminster, wearing their coronets and full robes, with their resplendently bejewelled Orders. In many cases coronets would have to be purchased, for several comparatively newly made earls have not yet gone to the ex-

pense of purchasing these symbols of their high estate. An earl’s coronet costs from £3OO to £450.

To a greater extent new robes would be required- ranging in price from £6O to £5OO. The Royal robe of crimson velvet, furred with ermine and bordered with gold, will cost elose upon £lOOO. That of George IV. reached just double that sum. The late Queen’s crown was specially made, the precious stones being taken from the old crown, which did not fit her. The same plan has had to be adopted for the King.

FARTHING CORONATIONS. WHAT SIGHTSEERS PAID AT THE CROWNING OF EDWARD I. "I wish to hire a window overlooking the route of the Coronation procession.” wrote a provincial gentleman to a London agent some time before Christmas, “and am prepared to give £lO for the day.” ‘*l cannot get a window in a good position for less than £30.” was the agent’s reply. “That figure will be increased 50 per cent, by Christmas.” The demand for vantage points whence to view the great pageant set in early with grim earnest. A colonial millionaire signed a contract for three windows in the West-end at £5OO a window. These figures contrast strangely with the sums paid to view Coronation processions in the past. Half a farthing was the price of a seat to see the first Edward wend his triumphal way to the throne. A wave of prosperity appears to have swept through the land at the time of the succession of Edward IL. for as much as a whole farthing was cheerfully paid to view that monarch’s progress through rhe streets. Edward 111. must have felt a thrill of pride when he learnt that his subjects valued him at double the amount of his predecessor—that is. one halfpenny. But this record was in turn hopelessly beaten by Richard 11. People paid a penny to see him. though grumblers declared that “the show was not worth the money.” When Henry V. came to the throne people paid as much as twopence to cheer him on his way. People were extravagant with their money at Henry VHl.’s Coronation, when fourpence was demanded for a seat. When the great Elizabeth came to the throne, however, her subjects, in the exuberance of their loyalty and joy. paid another twopence. The historians of James I. dilate at great length on the growing wealth of the country, of which there could be no more striking evidence than the fact that thousands of people on the line of the procession paid 1/ each for seats.

Charles 11. found his subjects in the best of tempers, so much so. indeed.

that they paid half-a-crown to look at him as he passed—a generosity attributed to the relief felt at the riddance of the Roundheads. William and Queen Anne doubled this price, while the country quite lost its head over George 11.. and disbursed half a guinea. It was not until the accession of George IV. that anything like modem Coronation prices were reached, though they seldom exceeded £5 for a seat. Enormous sums were paid to witness the late Queen Victoria’s progress to Westminster; but those sums are quite moderate compared with the prices that seats have fetched on the present occasion.