Chapter I: The Coronation

The Coronation of Kings from the Time of Æthelred II.--The
Coronation Book of Richard II.--The Ordering of the
Ceremony--The Emblems of Royalty: the Crown, the Ring, the
Sceptres--Origin of the Sceptre--The Priestly and Military
Co-ordination in the Ceremony--The Orb and its meaning--The
Sword and Spurs, which are the Military Emblems--Coronation
of Charles II.--Of William and Mary--And of George IV.--His
Coronation Book cost £238,238--The Cap of Maintenance of
George IV., and that of Queen Elizabeth--Coronation Precedents
followed to this day.

There are many authorities for the order of the coronations in England to be found at the British Museum, in the Bodleian Library at Oxford, and in the muniment-room at Westminster Abbey, and in all material points they resemble each other very closely. From the time of Æthelred II., in the tenth century, down to the latest coronation, the leading features have been the anointing, the vesting, the crowning, and the presentation of the sceptre; and it is remarkable also that in most of these ceremonials there is mention of a second or state crown. The most concise and complete account of the ceremony of coronation is to be found in a little vellum manuscript now preserved in the muniment-room at Westminster Abbey, and known as the _Liber Regalis_. The order given in this book is supposed to have been used at the coronation of Richard II., although it is probably a compilation from an earlier manuscript, and appears to have been written about 1350. The order generally, as given in the _Liber Regalis_, is, after certain preliminary formalities--

The Anointing.

Then after much delay and careful ablutions, which were very elaborate and tedious, came the vesting with the royal garments--

1. The Colobium Sindonis, always a simple linen garment.

2. The Tunicle or Dalmatic, described as “Tunica talaris cum ymaginibus, cum caligis, sandariis et calcaribus,” _i.e._

3. Shoes, buskins and spurs. Then comes

4. The Sword, and

5. The Stole or Armilla, “iste quidem armille in modum stole circa collum et ab utraque scapula usque ad compages brachiorum erunt dependentes,” from which it appears that the stole was not worn crossed but hanging straight down on each side.

6. The Imperial Mantle, “Pallium regale quadrum cum aquilis aureis.” These eagles have retained their place on the imperial mantle ever since, but they are described as of gold, whereas now they are silver; and although the dalmatic is said to have had designs upon it, there is no detailed mention of them.

Next the sovereign is endued with the actual emblems of royalty,

The Crown;
The Ring;
The Sceptres.

There are two kinds of sceptres mentioned: the first with a cross, to be held in the right hand, “Deinde dabitur ei sceptrum in manu dextra, quod quidem sceptrum aureum est, in cujus summitate crux parua collocatur.” The other, bearing a dove, is to be held in the left hand, “Post modum tradatur ei uirga in manu sinistra, que quidem uirga aurea est habens in summitate columbam auream”; and it is interesting to note that in Sir George Hayter’s picture of the coronation of Queen Victoria, she is represented as holding both these sceptres exactly in this manner, the only important difference being that the dove at the top of the sceptre in her left hand is white instead of gold as described. The _Liber Regalis_ has three full-page illustrations, but too much reliance cannot be placed on any of the representations of the regalia which occur in illuminated manuscripts, as it was easy for the illuminator to follow his own fancy, as he undoubtedly often did. Indeed, even when previous coronations are described and illustrated, the mediæval artists having no idea of antiquarian accuracy, their illustrations serve only as indications of the fashions obtaining at the actual time of writing.

In the ceremony of coronation the double character of the sovereign is shown very clearly--the priestly character, however, preponderating over the military. The ceremonies of the anointing and the sequence of prayers used closely resemble the procedure at the consecration of a bishop, and the vestments are, if not quite the same, at least analogous to those worn by a bishop. The colobium sindonis may be taken for the alb or rochet, the dalmatic is common to both, as are the stole and the ring; and the imperial mantle, “four-square,” takes the place of the cope. The sceptre is probably derived from the shepherd’s staff, through the crozier of a bishop; it may, however, be a survival of the ceremonial spear which appears to have been presented to kings at their coronations among several nations of antiquity. The crown in the same way corresponds with the mitre of a bishop. The orb alone, which has been used by all our kings since Edward the Confessor, appears, so far as can be traced, to stand alone as an emblem of independent sovereignty, and has no connection with either a priest or a soldier.

The military emblems are the sword and spurs. In all the earlier coronation ceremonies smaller insignia were also used; the most important of which were the buskins, the sandals, and the gloves, but these have now fallen into disuse.

A valuable book concerning the coronation of Charles II. was written by John Ogilvy. It is called _The Entertainment of His Most Excellent Majestie Charles II. in his passage through the City of London to his Coronation_, etc., printed in London in 1662. The procession plates are by Wenceslaus Hollar, and they are very carefully and accurately drawn. The King is shown under the canopy, carried by the barons of the Cinque Ports, and wears on his head only the royal cap of crimson velvet, turned up with miniver.

Sandford also gives careful and valuable representations of the different parts of the coronation procession.

The coronation of William and Mary stands quite alone in the history of our coronations, as, during their reign as joint sovereigns, we possessed an actual King and an actual Queen. William declined to be Regent, and Mary refused to accept the crown, except with her husband, so it became in fact necessary that they should become joint sovereigns. This, of course, necessitated the making of a new orb, the smaller one now in the Tower. On their Great Seal they are represented as each having one hand upon a large orb; and in a print in the Bagford collection in the British Museum, dated 1689, and called the “Protestants’ Joy,” William and Mary are shown sitting under one canopy, each crowned and bearing a sceptre-fleury in the right hand, and an orb with a cross in the left.

The next important book concerning the coronations of our kings was that issued under the authority, and by the care of, Sir George Nayler, Garter King of Arms, published in London in 1839, and illustrated magnificently by several artists--Stephanoff and others. The official cost of the book was £238,238, and it is an account of the coronation of George IV., July 19th, 1821, which was the most magnificent that has ever been held in England. Some £5,000 were allowed to Sir George Nayler by the Government towards the cost of this splendid work, but even including this, as well as the fees paid by several peers for their portraits, the book is said to have been a financial failure. It not only shows the manner in which the various items of the regalia were carried in the procession, but the details of the official costume of the peers are so carefully reproduced that it may be fairly considered the best existing authority on that subject also. The Dean of Westminster is shown as carrying what is called the “New Crown,” the setting of which was in the possession of the late Lord Amherst of Hackney. The cap still remaining within it is of blue velvet. As a general rule, the caps of English peers and sovereigns have been of crimson or royal purple velvet, but in the case of this state crown of George IV., and in that of Queen Elizabeth, the colour has been blue. It may be added, however, that the only authority existing for the blue cap in a crown of Queen Elizabeth’s is a charming little book that was bound for her about 1570 in crimson velvet and adorned with enamels on gold, and which now forms part of the “Old Royal” Library in the British Museum. In the centre of the upper side of this book there is a golden diamond-shaped plaque, on which is enamelled a red rose, ensigned with a royal crown having a blue cap. It cannot be said that this is an absolute authority, but in Queen Elizabeth’s time the art of heraldry was much more exact than it is now, and it seems unlikely that so great a difference as that between blue and red would have been lightly made, especially on a book evidently intended for the Queen’s own use.

The coronation of kings and queens of England to this day follows with great exactitude the precedents initiated or evolved in former reigns. These are set forth in full detail in Appendix B.