THE ROYAL CROWNS
Crowns Worn in Battle--Helmets and Crowns combined--The
Development of Crowns--King Alfred’s Crown--King Harold’s
Crown--The Crown of William the Conqueror--That of William
II.--And of King Stephen--Henry I.’s Crown with Three
Fleurs-de-lys--The Crown of Henry III.--And those of Edward I.
and Edward IV.--The Crowns of Henry VI. and VII.--Henry VIII.’s
Crown, showing both Fleurs-de-lys and Crosses-patée--The
Signification of the Arches in the Crown--The Evolution of the
Cross-patée--The Second or State Crowns--The State Crown of
Charles II.--That of James II.--The State Crowns of George IV.
and William IV.--The Scottish Crown described--The Coronation
Ring of Charles I.--An Historic Cup--The Three Existing Crowns
of the Kings of England--St. Edward’s Crown, with which the
King is crowned--The Imperial State Crown--The Number of
Precious Stones in the State Crown--Its weight--The most
valuable and beautiful Crown in the World--The Imperial Crown
of India--Its inception--This Crown described--The Queen’s
Crowns--The Crown of Queen Mary of Modena--The Diadem of Queen
Mary of Modena--The Crown of Queen Mary, Consort of George
V.--The Prince of Wales’ Crown.
Crowns appear to have been at an early period worn by kings in battle,
in order that they might be easily recognised; and, although it is
quite possible that this outward sign of sovereignty may have marked
the wearer as being entitled to special protection by his own men, it
is also likely that it was often a dangerous sign of importance. Upon
the authority of their coins, the heads of the early British kings were
adorned with variously formed fillets and ornamental wreaths. Helmets
are also evidently intended to be shown, and on some of the coins of
Æthelstan the helmet bears upon it a crown of three raised points, with
a single pearl at the top of each (Fig. 1). Other coins bear the crown
with the three raised points without the helmet (Fig. 2). This crown
of three points, bearing sometimes one and sometimes three pearls at
the top of each, continued to be used by all the sole monarchs until
Canute, on whose head a crown is shown, in which the three points
develop into three clearly marked trefoils (Fig. 3). On the Great Seal
of Edward the Confessor the King is wearing an ornamental cap, which
is described by Mr. Wyon in his book about the Great Seals as bearing
a crown with three points trefoiled; but the impressions of this
Great Seal are so indistinct in this particular, that we cannot feel
justified in corroborating his opinion. On some of the coins, however,
of Edward the Confessor, an arched crown is very clearly shown, and
this crown has depending from it, on each side, tassels with ornamental
ends (Fig. 4).
[Illustration: FIG. 1. CROWN, WITH THREE POINTS, BEARING EACH A SINGLE
PEARL, ON HELMET. FROM PENNY OF ÆTHELSTAN.]
[Illustration: FIG. 2. CROWN WITH THREE POINTS, EACH BEARING ONE
PEARL. FROM HALFPENNY OF ÆTHELSTAN.]
[Illustration: FIG. 3. CROWN WITH THREE TREFOILS. FROM PENNY OF
CANUTE.]
In the list of the portions of English regalia which were destroyed
under the Commonwealth in 1649 (see p. 7) is found an item of great
interest, viz. a “goulde wyer worke” crown with little bells, which
is there stated to have belonged to King Alfred, who appears to have
been the first English king for whom the ceremony of coronation was
used; and it is remarkable that on several of the crowns on coins and
seals, from the time of Edward the Confessor until Henry I., little
tassels or tags are shown, which may indeed represent little bells
suspended by a ribbon.
[Illustration: FIG. 4. CROWN WITH ARCHES, PEARLS, AND PEARLED
PENDANTS. FROM PENNY OF EDWARD THE CONFESSOR.]
[Illustration: FIG. 5. CROWN WITH PEARLED ARCHES. FROM PENNY OF HAROLD
II.]
[Illustration: FIG. 6. CROWN WITH THREE POINTS BEARING EACH THREE
PEARLS. FROM GREAT SEAL OF WILLIAM I.]
On King Alfred’s own coins there is unfortunately nothing which can be
recognised as a crown.
On the coins of Harold II. a crown is shown with arches, apparently
intended to be jewelled, as is also the rim. There are also tassels
with ornamental ends at the back of the crown (Fig. 5).
William I., on his Great Seal, wears a crown with three points, at the
top of each of which are three pearls (Fig. 6), and on some of his
coins a more ornamental form of crown occurs, having a broad jewelled
rim and two arches, also apparently jewelled, and at each side are two
pendants with pearl ends (Fig. 7). William II. on his Great Seal has a
crown with five points (Fig. 8), the centre one being slightly bigger
than the others, and at the top of each a single pearl. At each side of
the crown are pendants having three pearls at the ends.
[Illustration: FIG. 7. CROWN WITH PEARLED ARCHES AND PENDANTS. FROM
PENNY OF WILLIAM I.]
[Illustration: FIG. 8. CROWN WITH FIVE POINTS EACH BEARING ONE PEARL,
WITH PEARLED PENDANTS. FROM GREAT SEAL OF WILLIAM II.]
[Illustration: FIG. 9. CROWN WITH THREE TREFOILS AND PEARLED ARCHES.
FROM PENNY OF STEPHEN.]
On some of the coins of Stephen a pretty form of crown is seen. It
has three fleurs-de-lys and two jewelled arches (Fig. 9). The arches
disappear from this time until the reign of Edward IV. On the Great
Seal of Henry I. the King wears a simple crown with three fleurs-de-lys
points, and two pendants each with three pearls at the ends (Fig. 10),
and after this the pendants seem to have been discontinued.
[Illustration: FIG. 10. CROWN WITH THREE TREFOILS AND PEARLED
PENDANTS. FROM GREAT SEAL OF HENRY I.]
[Illustration: FIG. 11. CROWN WITH THREE FLEURS-DE-LYS, ON HELMET.
FROM FIRST GREAT SEAL OF HENRY I.]
[Illustration: FIG. 12. CROWN WITH THREE FLEURS-DE-LYS, AND PEARLS
BETWEEN EACH. FROM PENNY OF EDWARD I.]
On the first Great Seal of Henry III. a crown with three fleurs-de-lys
is shown surmounting a barred helmet (Fig. 11), and Edward I. wore
a similar crown with three fleurs-de-lys, but having supplementary
pearls between each (Fig. 12); and this form lasted for a long time, as
modifications of it are found on the coins of all the kings till Henry
VII. On the third Great Seal of Edward IV. the King wears a crown with
five fleurs-de-lys, the centre one being larger than the others, and
the crown is arched and has a cross at the top (Fig. 13). Henry VI. on
his first between it and the French crown, which has the fleur-de-lys
only and surmounts the coat of arms of that country. The King himself
wears an arched crown, but the impressions are so bad that the details
of it cannot be followed.
[Illustration: FIG. 13. CROWN WITH FIVE FLEURS-DE-LYS, AND ORNAMENTAL
ARCHES WITH CROSS AT THE TOP. FROM THE THIRD GREAT SEAL OF EDWARD IV.]
[Illustration: FIG. 14. CROWN WITH THREE CROSSES-PATÉE AND PEARLS
BETWEEN THEM. FROM THE FIRST SEAL FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF HENRY VI.]
[Illustration: FIG. 15. CROWN WITH CROSSES-PATÉE ALTERNATE WITH
FLEURS-DE-LYS, WITH ARCHED MOUND AND CROSS AT THE TOP. FROM GREAT SEAL
OF HENRY VII.]
Henry VII. on his Great Seal uses, as ornaments for the crown,
crosses-patée alternate with fleurs-de-lys, and also arches with an orb
and cross at the top (Fig. 15); and, on some of his coins, he reverts
to the three fleurs-de-lys with points between them, arches being
still used, with the orb and cross at the top (Fig. 16). An ornamental
form of crown bearing five ornamental leaves alternately large and
small, with arches, orb and cross at the top (Fig. 17), occurs on the
shillings of Henry VII. On the crowns of Henry VIII., as well as upon
his Great Seals, the alternate crosses-patée and fleurs-de-lys are
found on the rim of the crown, which is arched, and has an orb and
cross at the top, and this is the form that has remained ever since
(Fig. 18). So we may consider that the growth of the ornament on the
rim of the crown has followed a regular sequence from the points with
one pearl at the top, of Æthelstan, to the trefoil of Canute; the
arches began with Edward the Confessor, and the centre trefoil turned
into the cross-patée of Henry VI. The fact that the remaining trefoils
became eventually fleurs-de-lys is probably only a natural expansion of
form, and does not appear to have had anything to do with the French
fleur-de-lys, which was adopted at a later period as an heraldic
bearing for an entirely different reason. The royal coat of arms of
England did bear for a long time in one of its quarterings the actual
fleurs-de-lys of France, and this, no doubt, has given some reason to
the idea that the fleurs-de-lys on the crown had also something to do
with France; but, as a matter of fact, they had existed on the crown of
England long anterior to our use of them on the coat of arms, as well
as remaining there subsequently to their discontinuance on our royal
escutcheon.
[Illustration: FIG. 16. CROWN WITH THREE FLEURS-DE-LYS, AND TALL
POINTS BETWEEN THEM, WITH MOUND AND CROSS AT THE TOP. FROM GROAT OF
HENRY VII.]
[Illustration: FIG. 17. CROWN WITH FIVE ORNAMENTED TREFOILS, ARCHED,
WITH MOUND AND CROSS AT THE TOP. FROM SHILLING OF HENRY VII.]
[Illustration: FIG. 18. CROWN WITH CROSSES-PATÉE AND FLEURS-DE-LYS
ALTERNATE, ARCHED, WITH MOUND AND CROSS AT THE TOP. FROM CROWN OF HENRY
VIII.]
The cross-patée itself may possibly have been evolved in a somewhat
similar way from the three pearls of William I., as we often find
the centre trefoil, into which, as we have seen, these three points
eventually turned, has a tendency to become larger than the others; and
this difference has been easily made more apparent by squaring the ends
of the triple leaf.
With regard to the arches over the crowns, indicating independent
sovereignty, although now and then arches of some kind seem to have
been used, particularly by Edward the Confessor, Harold, William I.,
Stephen, Edward IV., and Richard III., it was not until Henry VII. that
the arches became regularly added.
The arches used by Henry VII., Henry VIII., Edward VI., and Mary
I., were two complete curves or segments of circles, crossing over
the top and rising from opposite crosses-patée. Elizabeth added two
additional arches, of similar size and character, rising from opposite
fleurs-de-lys, and James I. and Charles I. followed her example.
When, however, Charles II. commissioned Sir Robert Vyner to make
him two new crowns, although in the main they were to “retayne the
old fashion” of those destroyed by the Commonwealth Government, he
reverted to the old number of two arches only, rising from opposite
crosses-patée, and this form has been continued until the crown of
India was made for George V., having the four arches as first used by
Queen Elizabeth.
As well as the official crowns of England, which have just been
described, there has often been in recent times a second or state
crown, and this, although it has in general design followed the pattern
of the official crown, has been much more elaborately ornamented, and
in it has been set and reset some of the historic gems possessed by our
nation. The fact that these state crowns have in turn been denuded of
their jewels, accounts for the fact that the old settings of some of
them still exist.
[Illustration: FIG. 19. THE STATE CROWN OF WILLIAM IV.]
Charles II.’s state crown is figured in Sir Edward Walker’s account of
his coronation, but the illustration of it is of such an elementary
character that little reliance can be placed on it: the actual setting
of this crown, however, was the property of the late Lord Amherst
of Hackney, and the spaces from which the great ruby and the large
sapphire--both of which are now in King George V.’s state crown--have
been taken, are clearly seen. James II.’s state crown, which is very
accurately figured in Sandford’s account of his coronation, and some of
the jewels of which are still in the Tower, also had this great ruby as
its centre ornament. In Sir George Nayler’s account of the coronation
of George IV., there is a figure of his so-called “New Crown,” the
arches of which are composed of oak-leaf sprays with acorns, and the
rim adorned with laurel sprays. The setting of this crown also belonged
to the late Lord Amherst of Hackney, and so does another setting of a
small state queen’s crown, the ownership of which is doubtful. William
IV. appears to have had a very beautiful state crown, with arches of
laurel sprays and a cross at the top with large diamonds. It is figured
in Robson’s _British Herald_, published in 1830 (Fig. 19).
There is one other crown of great interest which, since the time
of James Sixth of Scotland and First of England, forms part of the
regalia. This is the crown of Scotland, which is among the most ancient
pieces of state jewellery which exist in the Kingdom.
Edward I., after his defeat of John Baliol in 1296, carried off the
crown of Scotland to England, and Robert Bruce had another made for
himself. This in its turn, after Bruce’s defeat at Methven, fell into
Edward’s hands. Another crown seems to have been made for Bruce in
1314, when he was established in the sovereignty of Scotland after
Bannockburn, and the present crown probably consists largely of the
material of the old one, and most likely follows its general design. It
has, however, much French work about it, as well as the rougher gold
work made by Scottish jewellers, and it seems probable that the crown,
as it now is, is a reconstruction by French workmen made under the care
and by the order of James V. about 1540. It was with this crown that
Mary Queen of Scots was crowned when she was nine months old.
[Illustration: FIG. 20. THE SCOTTISH CROWN.]
In 1661 the Scottish regalia were considered to be in danger from
the English, and were sent to Dunnottar Castle for safety. From 1707
until 1818 they were locked up in a strong chest in the crown-room
of Edinburgh Castle, and Sir Walter Scott, in whose presence the box
was opened, wrote an account of them in 1819. The crown consists of a
fillet of gold bordered with flat wire. Upon it are twenty-two large
stones, set at equal distances--_i.e._ nine carbuncles, four jacynths,
four amethysts, two white topazes, two crystals with green foil behind
them, and one topaz with yellow foil. Behind each of these gems is
a gold plate, with bands above and below of white enamel with black
spots, and between each stone is a pearl. Above the band are ten
jewelled rosettes, and ten fleurs-de-lys alternately, and between each
a pearl. Under the rosettes and fleurs-de-lys are jewels of blue enamel
and pearls alternately. The arches have enamelled leaves of French work
in red and gold upon them, and the mount at the top is of blue enamel,
studded with gold stars. The cross at the top is black enamel, with
gold arabesque patterns; in the centre is an amethyst, and in this
cross and in the corners are Oriental pearls set in gold. At the back
of the cross are the letters I. R. V. (James Rex V.) in enamel work. On
the velvet cap are four large pearls, in settings of gold and enamel
(Fig. 20).
Generally, the Scottish work in gold is cast solid and chased, the
foreign work being thinner and repoussé. Several of the diamonds are
undoubtedly old, and are cut in the ancient Oriental fashion, and many
of the pearls are Scottish. It is kept in Edinburgh Castle with the
rest of the Scottish regalia. None of the other pieces at all equal it
in interest, as with the exception of the coronation ring of Charles
I. they are of foreign workmanship, or, at all events, have been so
altered that there is little or no original work left upon them.
[Illustration: FIG. 21. THE CORONATION RING OF CHARLES I.]
The coronation ring just mentioned is, however, worthy of special
remark, for these rings are usually kept as the personal property of
the sovereigns for whom they were made. It formed part of the bequest
of Cardinal York to George III., and is very interesting because,
although a ring has formed part of the coronation jewels from the
earliest times, this is the only existing one which is the property
of the nation. It was, moreover, evidently intended originally to be
used by different people, as it is jointed like a bracelet with a very
long spring to the snap, and is capable of fitting fingers of different
sizes (Fig. 21). It consists of a pale ruby with red foil behind it,
engraved on which is a couped cross, enclosed in a circle of twenty-six
table diamonds, set close and foiled at the back.
The coronation ring of William IV. is a sapphire set with a cross of
five rubies, four rectangular and the centre one square. The stones
probably represent the red cross of St. George upon the blue ground
of the flag of St. Andrew. Surrounding the sapphire are fourteen
brilliants, and other diamonds are set at the junction of the bezel and
the ring. The sapphire is 0.6 inch at its greatest diameter. The ring
was worn by Edward VII. and by George V. (Fig. 22).
Queen Victoria’s ring is copied on a small scale from the ring of
William IV. It is of gold set with a cabochon sapphire just over half
an inch at its greatest diameter. The sapphire has on it a cross
of five rubies, four rectangular and one square, all enclosed in a
framework of twenty-four small brilliants. There are other diamonds at
the junction of the bezel (Fig. 24).
[Illustration: FIG. 22. THE CORONATION RING OF WILLIAM IV., EDWARD
VII. AND GEORGE V.]
[Illustration: FIG. 23. THE QUEEN’S RING WORN BY QUEEN ADELAIDE AND
QUEEN ALEXANDRA.]
[Illustration: FIG. 24. THE CORONATION RING OF QUEEN VICTORIA.]
The Queen’s ring was worn by Queen Adelaide and Queen Alexandra. It is
a ruby of just over half an inch at its greatest diameter, enclosed by
fourteen brilliants and has thirteen small rubies set round the outside
of the ring (Fig. 23).
Although it is not now part of the royal treasure, there is one
remarkable piece of plate existing which ought to be so: and a note
concerning it may perhaps not be out of place here, as it may to some
extent serve to show what magnificent works of art our sovereigns
once possessed. It is a splendid enamelled gold cup of the fourteenth
century which belonged to our kings from the time of Henry VI. until
James I., who gave it away. But if it is not now among the regalia it
is next thing to it, as it is the property of the nation, and forms
one of the chief ornaments of the wonderful “gold room” at the British
Museum. It is certainly one of the finest specimens of mediæval enamel
work existing. The cup originally was on a short stem, but under the
Tudors it was heightened, and the added piece bears characteristic
Tudor enamels in high relief. On the cup itself, the lid and the foot,
are shown in lustrous translucent enamel events in the life of St.
Agnes; round the edges of the foot and the lid were ornamental edgings
of gold and pearls, much of which is now gone; and the actual top,
which no doubt was very ornamental, is also gone.
The history of this cup has been carefully traced, and it formed part
of the treasure of France as well as of England; its actual beginning
is, however, still in mystery.
Having given this general account of the regalia in the past, we may
pass to the crowns and regal emblems now to be seen in the Jewel House
of the Tower of London.
THE KING’S CROWNS
The King has three crowns:--
(1) King Edward the Confessor’s Crown, also known as St.
Edward’s Crown.
(2) The Imperial State Crown.
(3) The Imperial Crown of India.
ST. EDWARD’S CROWN
The crown known as St. Edward’s Crown was made for the coronation of
Charles II. in 1662, by Sir Robert Vyner. It was ordered to be made as
nearly as possible after the pattern of the ancient crown destroyed
by the Commonwealth, and the designs shown in the works of Sir Edward
Walker and Francis Sandford, demonstrate that in essential form it is
the same now as then; indeed, the existing crown is in all probability
mainly composed of the same materials as that made by Sir Robert
Vyner. The crown consists of a rim or circlet of gold, adorned with
rosettes of precious stones, surrounded by diamonds. The centre gems of
these rosettes are rubies, emeralds and sapphires. From the rim rise
four crosses-patée, and four fleurs-de-lys alternately, adorned with
diamonds and other gems. From the tops of the crosses rise two complete
arches of gold, crossing each other, and curving deeply downwards at
the point of intersection. These arches are considered to be the mark
of independent sovereignty. They are edged with rows of silver pearls,
and have gems and clusters of gems upon them. From the intersection of
the arches springs a mound of gold, encircled by a fillet from which
rises a single arch, both of which are ornamented with pearls and gems.
On the top of the arch is a cross-patée of gold, set with coloured gems
and diamonds. At the top of the cross is a large spheroidal pearl, and
from each of the side arms, depending from a little gold bracket, is a
beautifully formed pear-shaped pearl. The crown is shown in the Tower,
and has inside it a crimson velvet cap, turned up with miniver, which
is worn with it.
This is the crown of England, and is the one with which the king is
crowned when he ascends the throne.
THE IMPERIAL STATE CROWN
This beautiful piece of jewellery was originally made by Rundell and
Bridge for Queen Victoria in 1838. Many of the gems in this crown are
of very ancient origin, whilst others can count their age by centuries
or even by decades. The weight of the crown is 39 oz. 5 dwt. It
consists of a circlet of open work in silver, bearing in the front the
second largest portion of the Star of Africa, and on the reverse side
the great sapphire from the crown of Charles II. which was bequeathed
to George III. by Cardinal York, with other Stuart treasure, among
which were also several old diamonds which are still set in this crown.
At one end the Stuart sapphire is partly pierced, and though it is
not a thick stone, it is of a fine colour. The remainder of the rim is
filled in with rich jewel clusters, having alternately sapphires and
emeralds in their centres, enclosed in ornamental borders thickly set
with diamonds. These clusters are separated from each other by trefoil
designs also thickly set with diamonds. The rim is bordered above
and below with bands of large pearls, and above the rim are shallow
festoons of diamonds, caught up between the larger ornaments by points
of emeralds encircled with diamonds, and a large pearl above each.
On these festoons are set alternately eight crosses-patée and eight
fleurs-de-lys of silver set with gems. The crosses-patée are thickly
set with brilliants and have each an emerald in the centre, except that
which is in the front of the crown. This contains the most remarkable
jewel belonging to the regalia, a large spinel ruby of irregular
drop-like form, measuring about two inches in length, which belonged to
the Black Prince. (See p. 55.) Its irregular outline makes it possible
to recognise the place that it has formerly occupied in the older royal
crowns, and it seems always to have been given the place of honour.
In the centre of each of the very ornamental fleurs-de-lys is a ruby,
and the rest of the ornamentation on them is composed of rose diamonds,
large and small. From each of the crosses-patée, the upper corners of
which have each a large pearl upon them, rises an arch of silver worked
into a design of oak leaves and acorns. Probably this feature in the
crown relates to the escape of Charles II. in the oak tree at Boscobel
on September 8th, 1651. These leaves and the cups of the acorns
are all closely encrusted with a mass of large and small diamonds,
rose, brilliant and table cut; the acorns themselves being formed of
drop-shaped pearls of large size. From the four points of intersection
of the arches at the top of the crown depend large egg-shaped pearls,
which according to the Tower traditions were once the earrings of
Queen Elizabeth. From the centre of the arches, which slope slightly
upwards, springs a mound with a cross-patée above it. The mound is
ornamented all over with close lines of brilliant diamonds, and the
fillet which encircles it, and the arch which crosses over it, are
both ornamented with one line of large rose-cut diamonds set closely
together. The outer lines of the arms of the cross are marked by a
row of small diamonds close together, and in the centre of each arm
is a large diamond, the remaining spaces being filled with more small
diamonds. The cross-patée at the top has in the centre a large sapphire
of magnificent colour set openly, which is said to have come out of the
ring of Edward the Confessor, which was buried with him in his shrine
at Westminster, and the possession of it is supposed to give to the
owner the power of curing the cramp. If this be indeed the stone which
belonged to St. Edward, it was probably recut in its present form of a
“rose” for Charles II., even if not since his time.
Not counting the Black Prince’s ruby, or the Stuart and Edward the
Confessor sapphires, this crown contains--
Four rubies,
Eleven emeralds,
Sixteen sapphires,
Two hundred and seventy-seven pearls,
Two thousand seven hundred and eighty-three diamonds.
The large Black Prince’s ruby has been valued at £110,000, but it is
indeed priceless historically.
When this crown is required by the King for the opening of Parliament
or like ceremonies, it is provided with a little box, lined with white
velvet, and having a sliding draw at the bottom with a boss on which
the crown fits closely, so that it is safe during its journey from the
Tower.
The velvet cap turned up with miniver, known as the cap of maintenance,
is kept with it.
This crown is the most valuable, and we may safely add the most
beautiful, in the world, worthy of a sovereign on whose Dominions the
sun never sets.
THE IMPERIAL CROWN OF INDIA
This crown has a somewhat curious history though entirely modern.
When it was decided in accordance with His present Majesty’s express
desire that he should travel to India, there to be crowned Emperor of
India, in the city of the Great Moguls, a question arose regarding the
crown to be used for the ceremony. Apparently, according to the laws
of England, the King is not allowed to take his crown out of England,
possibly an echo of those ancient days when kings of England frequently
temporarily disposed of their regal emblems to cover their present
necessities. Moreover, there were considerable risks by sea and land
which it was inadvisable that the historic crown of England should
incur. It was therefore decided to make a new crown to be named the
Imperial Crown of India.
It is a finely designed crown of the usual English pattern, with four
crosses-patée and four fleurs-de-lys alternately set on the upper rim
of the circlet. The circlet is of open work, with oval or circular
bosses of coloured stones, emeralds and sapphires alternately, the
centre stone being a remarkably fine cabochon emerald, separated by
diamond-shaped bosses of diamonds, and double trefoils filling the
spaces between. In the centre of the front cross-patée is a very
fine Indian ruby. A fine emerald is set in the lower part of each
fleur-de-lys and another very fine one in the centre of the cross-patée
at the top. All the rest of the stones are diamonds.
The arches over English crowns, whatever their number may have been,
have hitherto only pointed slightly upwards, been practically level at
their tops, or depressed in the centre, as are those of St. Edward’s
crown and the crown of the Prince of Wales.
In this new crown for the Emperor of India a new pattern for the arches
has been adopted, and it is nearly the same as that used for the crowns
of Queen Alexandra as well as that made for Queen Mary.
The arches are no longer complete, but are kept as half-arches, and the
continuous reverse curve, known architecturally as an ogee, has been
adopted. There are eight of these half-arches, one rising from the top
of each cross-patée, and one from the top of each fleur-de-lys. They
do not quite join at the top, but finish with small additional outward
curves which flatten slightly at their points, thereby allowing room
for some fair-sized brilliants to be set upon them. These projections,
which are close to each other, form a singularly effective collar for
the support of the rich mound and cross at the top. Each half-arch is
of open work, closely set with diamonds, and broadens out towards its
centre, narrowing sharply towards its upper end. The outline is evenly
kept all along, and the wreath within it is a graceful conventional
design of leaves and flowers.
It was made by Messrs. Garrard for the coronation of King George V. as
Emperor of India at Delhi in 1912.
THE QUEEN’S CROWNS
There are three queens’ crowns or diadems in the Tower:--
The Crown of Queen Mary of Modena, consort of James II.
The Diadem of Queen Mary of Modena, consort of James II.
The State Crown of Queen Mary, consort of George V.
THE CROWN OF QUEEN MARY OF MODENA
The crown that Queen Mary of Modena wore on her return to Westminster
Hall after her coronation is figured by Sandford. It is now in the
Tower. Though it may be accepted that it is the same crown, there are
alterations in the crosses and fleurs-de-lys which surmount the rim,
as well as in the cross above the mound; the main feature, however, of
the crown, the row of large diamonds round the rim, is the same in both
cases, as are the arches. The only gems used in the crown are diamonds
and pearls, and some of the diamonds are very large. It is probable
that the alterations and improvements which have been effected were
made for the queen at the coronation of William and Mary. The crown has
the crimson velvet cap turned up with miniver, which is kept with it.
THE DIADEM OF QUEEN MARY OF MODENA
It will be remembered that in one of the pictures of the coronation
procession of Charles II. going to be crowned, he wears only the velvet
cap of maintenance, and it seems that in many of these processions a
cap or circlet not actually a crown was worn as well, crowns themselves
being used on the return journey to Westminster Hall. In the Tower
we possess both the circlet or diadem and the crown that belonged to
Mary of Modena, and which she wore in her proceeding to, and on her
return from, her coronation. The diadem, the simpler of the two, is the
one she wore first. This diadem has along its upper edge a row of large
pearls, rising into a point in the front, with a single diamond at
its highest point. Beneath this is a rich floral spray, in thick gold
open work, elaborately modelled and chased, having large diamonds as
leaves and flowers. Beyond this spray, on each side, are a succession
of large rosettes, in open work of gold, with large diamonds in their
centres and small diamonds set all round them. This diadem is said to
have cost £110,000. There is no record of its having been used by any
queen except Mary of Modena, and it undoubtedly differs from the figure
of it given by Sandford; but as he shows certain of its peculiarities,
such for instance as the gold open work in clusters, and the single gem
in the front, it is just possible that, allowing freely for artistic
licence, he intends his figure to represent it even as it is now.
THE STATE CROWN OF QUEEN MARY, CONSORT OF GEORGE V.
This beautiful and light diamond crown was made for the coronation of
Queen Mary in 1911 by Messrs. Garrard, the Court Jewellers.
In the centre of the circlet is one of the lesser Cullinan diamonds of
square shape, and the rest of the ornamentation, in open work, consists
of diamond bosses of circular form divided by quatrefoils, each
composed of four fine single diamonds.
The circlet is surmounted by four crosses-patée and four fleurs-de-lys
as usual in English crowns, the Koh-i-Nur being set in the centre of
the front cross-patée.
The Elizabethan plan of having four complete arches over the top of the
crown is followed in principle, only that the arches are not actually
complete but halved, so that they are really eight half-arches of
reversed continuous curves, tapering upwards. In architecture this
form is known as an ogee arch. The half-arches, rising from the tops
of the crosses-patée and the tops of the fleurs-de-lys, are broad at
their bases and taper sharply upwards. Their outlines are marked by a
narrow fillet and the spaces between the fillets are each filled with
a graduated line of six brilliants. At their tops each half-arch has a
small additional outward curve, on the extreme end of which is a single
diamond.
The graceful design of ogee arches for closed crowns has often been
used abroad, especially in France, but until lately it has not been
used in England. The arches support an orb, mound or monde, with
a cross-patée above it, in the centre of which is set a beautiful
drop-shaped Cullinan diamond.
The device of an orb surmounted by a cross, which is only a version of
the royal orb itself (see p. 32) has long been used as a finial to all
English royal crowns. The cross, however, has gradually changed its
shape from the original Latin form to that of a cross-patée, probably
because this particular form has for a long time held the place of
honour as the centre ornament above the circlet on all the English
royal crowns. The design, as a whole, signifies the dominion of the
Christian Faith over the world.
THE PRINCE OF WALES’ CROWN
The eldest son of the sovereigns of England was originally called
the “Lord Prince.” Edward I., whose son Edward was born at Carnarvon
Castle, invested him with the principality of Wales. This young prince,
on the death of his elder brother Alphonso, became heir-apparent to the
throne, and since that time the title has been borne by the eldest son
of the sovereign. The eldest son of the King or Queen of England is
born Duke of Cornwall, and deemed of full age on his birthday, so that
he is entitled to the revenues of his Duchy. Since the Union he is also
Duke of Rothesay and Seneschal of Scotland from his birth, and at the
pleasure of the sovereign he is created by patent Prince of Wales.
The crown of the Prince of Wales, as eldest son of the King, is of
gold, and is ornamented with imitation gem clusters and pearls. From
the rim rise four crosses-patée and four fleurs-de-lys alternately, and
from two opposite crosses rises a single arch, dipping deeply towards
the centre. At the top is a mound of gold with imitation pearls,
and above this a cross-patée also with pearls. This crown is placed
before the Prince of Wales’ seat in the House of Lords when the King
opens Parliament. Before the Restoration of Charles II. the coronet
of the Prince of Wales had no arch, and it was by that king’s order
that the arch was added, thus making it a crown, with the mound and
cross-patée at the top. The coronets of sons, brothers, and uncles of
the sovereigns are exactly like that of the Prince of Wales with the
exception of the arch, which is not used in their case. The coronets of
the princesses of Great Britain are also without the arches, and two of
the crosses-patée are replaced by strawberry leaves. The crown is shown
at the Tower with the crimson velvet cap turned up with miniver, which
is worn with it.
As Prince of Wales, H. R. H. wears a separate coronet, which consists
of a circlet of gold ornamented with pearls and amethysts. Fixed upon
the circlet at intervals are four crosses-patée, alternating with
fleurs-de-lys. The crosses-patée and the fleurs-de-lys are pierced,
and within the outlines of the one run sprays of the Rose of England,
and of the other the Daffodil of Wales. The spaces between the
crosses-patée and the fleurs-de-lys are filled with rosebud sprays.
[Illustration: Plate I
ST. EDWARD’S CROWN]
[Illustration: Plate II
THE IMPERIAL STATE CROWN]
[Illustration: Plate III
THE IMPERIAL CROWN OF INDIA]
[Illustration: Plate IV
THE CROWN OF QUEEN MARY OF MODENA CONSORT OF JAMES II]
[Illustration: Plate V
THE DIADEM OF QUEEN MARY OF MODENA CONSORT OF JAMES II]
[Illustration: Plate VI
THE STATE CROWN OF QUEEN MARY CONSORT OF GEORGE V]
[Illustration: Plate VII
THE PRINCE OF WALES’ CROWN]