Chapter II: The Regalia

In Edward the Confessor’s Reign the Regalia kept at Westminster
under charge of the Abbot and Monks--Henry V. wears his
Crown at Agincourt--And Richard III. wears his at Bosworth
Field--Henry VII. recovers the Crown from a hawthorn bush--The
Treasure House at Westminster broken into--Removal of the Crown
Jewels to the Tower of London by Henry III.--The First Keeper
of the Regalia appointed by Henry III.--His Precedence and
Robes--The Pawning of the Crown Jewels--Charles I. disposes
of part of the Regalia to meet his necessities--Parliament
orders all Regal Emblems to be totally defaced and
destroyed--Estimated Value of the Crown Jewels thus sold or
defaced--King Alfred’s Crown broken up and sold for £248--“The
Old Combe of horne” worth nothing--Charles II. replaces the
Crown Jewels at a cost of £32,000--These are amongst those
now in the Tower--The Second or State Crown--The Regalia of
James II.--Its Additional Cost--Its History written by Francis
Sandford, Lancaster Herald--The Coronation Chair used since
the Reign of Edward I. in 1272--St. Edward’s Crown--Crown and
Diadem of Mary of Modena--The Black Prince’s Ruby--The Orb--The
Sceptres.

In the time of Edward the Confessor the Regalia, together with the other royal treasures, were kept in Westminster Abbey in a small room in the eastern cloister, which was in fact the “Treasury of England.” The Abbot and monks of Westminster, by the authority of the foundation charter of Edward the Confessor, had charge of the regalia and coronation robes; but this responsibility must frequently have been a light one, because in early days our kings were in the habit of carrying their regalia about with them. It may be remembered that in 1415 Henry V. wore his crown at the battle of Agincourt, on which occasion it is said to have saved his life from a blow struck by the Duc d’Alençon, though a part of it was chipped off. Again, Richard III. in 1485 wore the crown at Bosworth Field, on which occasion it was left hidden in a hawthorn bush, where it was found by Sir Reginald Bray. The crown being handy was at once used to crown the Earl of Richmond, who was there and then proclaimed Henry VII. by Lord Stanley. In memory of this, that monarch afterwards used as one of his badges a red-berried hawthorn bush, sometimes a crown being shown in it. Hence an old saying, “Cleave to the crown, though it hang on a bush.” Although the proper place of deposit for the royal treasure was at Westminster, yet in times of any special trouble or danger it was sent to the Tower of London for safety. In 1303 the Treasury at Westminster was broken into by a monk, and some articles of value stolen. With this warning, and after much moving backwards and forwards, it was at last considered that at Westminster sufficient care could never be taken of so valuable a collection, and the regalia were finally and permanently removed to the Tower during the reign of Henry VIII.

In Rymer’s _Fœdera_ there are numerous lists and inventories of the royal treasure of England, and in the reign of Henry III. for the first time there appears a regularly appointed Keeper of the Regalia. He had precedence next to Privy Councillors, and before the Judges, he wore a scarlet robe like that of a baron at the coronation, but with a crown embroidered on the left shoulder. He dined at the baron’s table at Westminster Hall, and had the high privilege of placing the King’s crown on his head, and again removing it at the opening of Parliament.

As might be expected, the Royal Treasury underwent many vicissitudes and spoliations at the hands of several of our kings. If Parliament would not grant supplies, kings still had great treasure that they could rapidly sell or pawn for ready money. Thus in 1623, when Prince Charles went to Spain to woo the Infanta, it is said that he took from the Tower treasure valued at £600,000. Two years later, when he was king, he fitted out a fleet, under his favourite the Duke of Buckingham, to carry on a war with Spain, and supplies not being obtainable from Parliament he parted with a large amount of treasure to finance the expedition. The treasure was pawned to Holland, with which country there was an alliance; but the result of the expedition was disastrous, and it does not appear that the treasure was ever redeemed. This was one of the earliest of the troubles between Charles I. and his Parliament.

In 1643 Charles turned the crown and sceptre into money, and in 1644 the Commons ordered the King’s plate in the Tower to be melted down and coined. The Lords, to their lasting credit, remonstrated against this, and declared that the workmanship was worth far more than the precious metals; but in 1649 the Commons, whose will of course was paramount, ordered the complete destruction of the regalia, then under the keepership of Sir Henry Mildmay, afterwards known as “the knave of diamonds.” The list of the regalia, as it existed at this time, was printed in _Archæologia_, vol. xv. p. 285, from the original manuscript.

On the 9th of August, 1649, it was ordered that the regalia should be delivered to the “trustees for the sale of the goods of the late king, who are to cause the same to be totally broken, and that they melt down all the gold and silver, and sell the jewels to the best advantage of the Commonwealth.”

The list is as follows:--

“A true and perfect Inventory of all the plate and jewells
now being in the upper Jewell-house of the Tower, in the
charge of Sir Henry Mildmay, together with an appraisement
of them, made and taken the 13th, 14th, and 15th daies of
August 1649:

“The Imperial crowne of massy gold, weighing 7 lbs. 6 oz.,
valued at £1,110 0 0

“The queenes crowne of massy gold, weighing 3 lbs. 10 oz. 338 3 4

“A small crowne found in an iron chest, formerly in the
Lord Cottington’s charge (from other accounts this appears
to have been the crown of Edward VI.) 73 16 8

“---- the gold, the diamonds, rubies, sapphires, etc. 355 0 0

“The globe, weighing 1 lb. 5¼ oz. 57 10 0

“Two coronation bracelets, weighing 7 oz. (with three
rubies and twelve pearls) 36 0 0

“Two sceptres, weighing 18 oz. 60 0 0

“A long rodd of silver gilt, 1 lb. 5 oz. 4 10 8

“The foremention’d crownes, since y^e inventorie was taken,
are accordinge to ord^r of parm^t totallie broken and
defaced.

“_The inventory of that part of the regalia which are now
removed from Westminster Abbey to the Jewel House in the
Tower._

“Queene Edith’s crowne, formerly thought to be of massy
gould, but, upon trial, found to be of silver gilt;
enriched with garnetts, foule pearle, saphires and some odd
stones, poiz. 50½ oz., valued at £16 0 0

“King Alfred’s crowne of goulde wyer worke, sett with
slight stones, poiz. 79½ oz. at £3 per oz. 238 10 0

“A goulde plate dish, enamelled, etc. 77 11 0

“One large glass cupp, wrought in figures, etc. 102 15 0

“A dove of gould, sett with stones, and pearle, poiz. 8½
oz., in a box sett with studs of silver gilt 26 0 0

“The gould and stones belonging to a collar of crimson and
taffaty, etc. 18 15 0

“One staff of black and white ivory, with a dove on the
top, with binding and foote of goulde 4 10 0

A large staff with a dove on y^e top, formerly thought to
be all gould, but upon triall found to be, the lower part
wood within and silver gilt without 2 10 0

“Two scept^{rs} one sett with pearles and stones, the upper
end gould, the lower end silver. The other silver gilt with
a dove, formerly thought gould 65 16 10½

“One silver spoone gilt, poiz. 3 oz. 0 16 0

“The gould of the tassels of the livor cull’d robe,
weighing 4 oz., valued at £8, and the coat with the neck
button of gould, £2, the robe having some pearle, valued at
£3, in all 13 0 0

“All these according to order of Parliament are broken and
defaced.

“One paire of silver gilt spurres, etc. 1 13 4”

This list is very interesting, showing as it does that considerable care was taken of the ancient regalia, for King Alfred’s crown of wire work is mentioned as well as that of Queen Edith.

The ancient coronation robes destroyed at the same time are catalogued and valued as follows:--

“One common taffaty robe, very old, valued at £0 10 0
“One robe, laced with goulde lace 0 10 0
“One livor cull^{rd} silk robe, very old and worth nothing 0 0 0
“One robe of crimson taffaty sarcenett, valued at 0 5 0
“One paire of buskins, cloth of silver and silver stockings,
very old, and valued at 0 2 6
“One paire of shoes of cloth of gold, at 0 2 6
“One paire of gloves embroid^{ed} w^{th} gould, at 0 1 0
“Three swords with scabbards of cloth of goulde, at 3 0 0
“One old combe of horne, worth nothing 0 0 0
--------
Total in the chest £4 10 6”
--------

The comb was probably used for rearranging the King’s hair after the anointing, and though then worth nothing now would be considered priceless.

In looking at the values of these articles, it must not be forgotten that money was worth at least five times more in the time of the Commonwealth than it is now; but even taking this into consideration, it is evident that in the valuation made by the officers of the Commonwealth they were influenced possibly by a certain dislike to the emblems of royalty, and not improbably actuated with a desire to place good bargains within reach of their friends.

The coronation of Charles II., after several delays, was eventually celebrated on the 23rd of April, 1661, and very probably among the reasons for its postponement was the fact that there were no regalia with which to complete the ceremony. An order was accordingly given to the royal goldsmith, Sir Robert Vyner, to provide new regalia made after the old fashion, and some interesting particulars on the subject are to be found in the account of the coronation, by Sir Edward Walker, Garter Principal King of Arms, in a manuscript entitled _The Preparation for His Majesty’s Coronation_, first published in 1820. Sir Robert Vyner’s receipt for payment for these articles, dated 20th June, 1662, still exists, and he acknowledges having received from the Royal Treasury £21,978 9s. 11d., for--

“2 Crowns. 2 Sceptres. A Globe of gold sett with diamonds,
rubies, saphires, emeralds, and pearls. St. Edward’s staffe.
The Armilla. The Ampull.”

But, altogether, Sir Robert Vyner’s bill amounted to £32,000.

Sir Edward Walker goes on to say:--

“Because through the Rapine of the late unhappy times, all the
Royall Ornaments and Regalia heretofore preserved from age to
age in the Treasury of the Church at Westminster, were taken
away, sold and destroyed, the Comittee mett divers times not
only to direct the remaking such Royall Ornaments and Regalia,
but even to sette the form and fashion of each particular: all
which doe now retayne the old names and fashion, although they
have been newly made and prepared by orders given to the Earle
of Sandwich, Master of the Great Wardrobe, and S^r Gilbert
Talbott, Kn^t., Master of the Jewell House.

“Hereupon the Master of the Jewell House had order to provide
two Imperial Crownes sett with pretious Stones, the one to
be called St. Edward’s Crowne, wherewith the king was to be
crowned, and the other to be putt on after his Coronation,
before his Ma^{ties} retorne to Westminster Hall. Also

“An Orbe of Gold with a Crosse sett with pretious Stones.

“A Scepter with a Crosse sett with pretious Stones, called St.
Edward’s.

“A Scepter with a Dove sett with pretious Stones.

“A long Scepter, or Staffe of Gold with a Crosse upon the top,
and a Pike at the foote of steele, called St. Edward’s staffe.

“A Ring with a Ruby.

“A Paire of Gold Spurrs.

“A Chalice, and Paten of Gold.

“An Ampull for the Oyle and a spoone.

“And two Ingotts of Gold, the one a pound and the other a marke
for the King’s 2 Offerings.

“The master of the Great Wardrobe, had order also to provide
the Ornaments to be called St. Edward’s, wherein the King was
to be crowned, viz.:--

“All these were laid ready upon the altar in the Quier.

“Colobium Sindonis, w^{ch} is of fine Linnen, of fashion of
a Surplice with wide Sleeves. Supertunica, a Close Coate of
Cloath of gold reaching to the heeles, lined with Crimosin
Taffata, and guirt with a broad Girdle of Cloth of Gold to
be putt over the Colobium.

“Armilla of the fashion of a stole made of Cloth of Gold to
be putt about the neck, and fastned above and beneath the
elbowes with silke Ribbands.

“A Pall of Cloth of Gold in the fashion of a cope.

“A Shirt of fine Linnen to be opened in the places for the
anoynting. Over it another Shirt of red Sarcenet, and over that
a Surcoat of Crimson Satten, which was made with a Collar for a
Band, both opened for the anoynting, and closed with Ribbands.

“A paire of under Trowses, and Breeches over them, with
Stockings fastened to the Trowses, all of Crimson Silke.

“layed on y^e altar with the rest of the Ornaments.

“A paire of Hose or Buskins of Cloth of Gold. “A paire of
Sandalls of Cloth of Gold.

“A paire of Linnen Gloves.

“A Linnen Coyfe.

“A Silke Towell to be held before the King at the Comunion, by
the two Bishops.

“Three swords, viz^t. Curtana, and two others, with Scabbards
of Cloth of Gold.

“A Sword of State with a Rich Imbroydered Scabbard.”

The regalia and vestments as they now exist are mostly the pattern of those just described. There are, fortunately, with Sir Edward Walker’s manuscripts several drawings which, although they are somewhat elementary, are yet quite sufficient to show us that many of the designs then used, which were indeed themselves probably copies from some authority not now available, have been carefully preserved. The sceptre with the cross shows the upper part wreathed as it now is; the spurs, St. Edward’s staff, and the sceptre with the dove, differ but slightly from those now in the Tower; the dove is shown for the first time standing upon a cross. All these items are now materially the same as when they were made by Sir Robert Vyner. The sword of state is, however, different, as are also the three other swords; and the point of “Curtana,” the sword of mercy, is shown as being irregularly broken off instead of being rounded as now. The orb with the large amethyst under the cross, is probably the same as that now in the Tower with few alterations; St. Edward’s crown is the same in general design, but differs considerably in detail. Unfortunately, in Sir Edward Walker’s manuscript there are no figures given of the ampulla or the spoon used at the coronation of Charles II.

Most of our sovereigns have possessed a second crown, known as a crown of state, and the designs of these have often differed, though the same gems have found a place in each succeeding crown throughout the centuries.

Among a collection of Exchequer records was found an old bill, dated 23rd February, 1685, made out apparently to show the alterations necessary to be made to the existing Regalia for the coronation of James II.

“A List of the Regalias provided for His late Majesty’s
coronation (Charles II.) and are now in ye custody of S^r
Gilbert Talbot, Knight, Master and Treasr of his Matys Jewells
and plate, viz.:--

“Imprim. St. Edward’s Crowne, poiz. 82 oz. 05 dwt. 16 gr.
For ye addition of golde and workemanship £350 0 0
For ye loane of ye Jewells returned 500 0 0

“Item. One crowne of state, poiz. 72 oz. 01 dwt. 00 gr.
For ye gold, Jewells and workemanship 7,870 0 0

“Item. One sceptre with a dove, poiz. 34 oz. 03 dwt. 20 gr.
For ye gold, Jewells and workemanship 440 0 0

“Item. One other sceptre with a cross,
poiz. 32 oz. 11 dwt. 10 gr.
For ye gold, Jewells and workemanship 1,025 0 0

“Itm. One St. Edward’s Staffe, poiz. 45 oz. 8 dwt. 8 gr.
For ye gold and workemanship 225 6 2

“Itm. One Gloobe with a crosse, poiz. 49 oz. 7 dwt. 12 gr.
For gold, Jewells and workemanship 1,150 0 0

“Itm. One pair of Spurrs, poiz. 12 oz. 18 dwt. 0 gr.
For gold and workemanship 63 7 6

“Itm. Two armillas (bracelets), poiz. 6 oz. 12 dwt. 22 gr.
For gold and workemanship 44 18 6

“Itm. One ampulla or Eglet, poiz. 21 oz. 8 dwt. 0 gr.
For gold and workemanship 102 5 0

“Itm. The anointing spoon, poiz. 3 oz. 5 dwt. 0 gr.
For silver and workemanship 2 0 0

“Itm. One chalice and paten, poiz. 61 oz. 12 dwt. 12 gr.
For gold and workemanship 277 6 3
-------------
£12,050 3 5”
-------------

And there are other lists of things that have to be provided entirely anew. It is notable that the anointing spoon is again mentioned here as being made of silver.

The items of the regalia mentioned in this bill are illustrated in the _History of the Coronation of James II._, written at his command by Francis Sandford, Lancaster Herald, and printed in the Savoy in 1687.

This admirable account of the coronation ceremonies contains two large plates of the regalia. On the first plate are figured the vestments, and there are also detailed figures of the buskins, sandals and spurs, which are only in outline in Sir Edward Walker’s account. The ampulla and the spoon are figured for the first time, and appear to be exactly the same as they are now. The coronation chair is also shown with designs upon it that certainly do not exist at the present day. This chair, of course, is the one that all our kings have been crowned on at Westminster since Edward I. except Queen Mary I.; and, when Cromwell was installed Lord Protector, the chair was brought into Westminster Hall for the ceremony. The second plate contains figures of St. Edward’s crown and the Queen’s crown, a circlet worn by the Queen on her proceeding to her coronation, and two state crowns, to be worn by their Majesty’s after their coronation on their return to Westminster Hall--one for the King and one for the Queen.

St. Edward’s crown is shown substantially the same as it is now, but the setting of the gems is not quite so elaborate. The circlet worn by the Queen on her proceeding to her coronation, and her state crown, are now in the Tower, and are there described as having belonged to Queen Mary of Modena. But there are considerable differences between the illustrations of 1687 and the actual crowns now existing; and it seems not improbable that both these crowns have been remade. Some of the gems from the state crown of James II. now find a place in that of George V., notably the Black Prince’s ruby which forms the centre of the cross-patée on the front of the crown. At the top of this crown was a cross-patée on a mound, the mound being “one entire stone of a sea-water green known by the name of an agmarine.” This stone is cut in facets, and with the cross is still preserved in the Tower. The figure of the orb is nearly the same as it is now, “on the top whereof is a very large amethist of a violet or purple colour encompassed with four silver wires.” St. Edward’s staff is the same as now. The sceptre with the dove is probably the same as that now in the Tower. Then there are two sceptres with a cross: the first one, with the upper part wreathed, is probably that figured by Sir Edward Walker, and into the head of this was inserted the great Star of Africa by Edward VII. The second sceptre with the cross appears for the first time; it was doubtless made for Queen Mary, and is now in the Tower with slight differences. The Queen’s ivory rod, with a dove at the top, was also made for Queen Mary; and one of the larger plates, in the same book, shows King James and his Queen seated side by side, each crowned, and each holding two sceptres, one with a cross and one with a dove, so that with the exception of the holding of the orb, the Queen of James II. appears to have had equal ceremonial honour with his Majesty himself.