THE CORONATIONS
“_Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon king; and
all the people rejoiced and said: God save the king, Long live the
king, May the king live for ever._”—1 Kings i. 39, 40.
The greatest and most important ceremonies which have taken place in
Westminster Abbey are, of course, the Coronations of our Kings and
Queens, and so we will speak first of this most interesting part of the
Abbey history.
Such a wonderful succession of coronations has never been seen in any
other building in the world. Ever since 1066 our sovereigns have been
crowned close to the spot where Edward the Confessor was first buried,
and where the Saxon Harold and Norman William stood more than 800 years
ago.
[Illustration:
[_D. Weller_.
CORONATION CHAIR, WITH SWORD AND SHIELD OF STATE.
]
Dean Stanley tells us that the coronation-rite of the Kings of Britain
is the oldest in Europe, and that the inauguration of Aidan, King of the
Dalriadic Scots, by St. Columba, in the sixth century, is the oldest
ceremony of the kind in Christendom. It is good for us to remember these
days of old, for it helps us to understand much better what is going on
now, and teaches us the meaning of many of the solemn services and
ceremonies of Church and State.
The Coronation Service has been slightly changed, of course, from time
to time, but its chief parts are much the same as they were when William
the Conqueror was crowned at Westminster in 1066. From very early times
the coronations had been partly religious and partly civil ceremonies,
and had taken place in a church, the day chosen being either a Sunday or
some high festival, like Christmas Day, Whitsunday, or a Saint’s Day.
The Saxon Kings were usually crowned in Winchester Cathedral. Canute was
crowned at St. Paul’s.
Before speaking of any of the old Westminster Coronations, it will be a
good plan to describe, very shortly, what is done at Coronations in our
own day. We will take the little book of the “Form and Order for the
Coronation of King Edward and Queen Alexandra,” and see what it says.
To begin with, the Sacred Oil for the anointing of the King was
consecrated in the Confessor’s Chapel, and then placed on the altar. The
Litany was said, and a hymn was sung as the clergy, carrying the
Regalia, went down to the west door to meet the King and Queen.
When the King and Queen came into church the choir sang an anthem
beginning with the words: “I was glad when they said unto me, We will go
into the house of the Lord.”
The Westminster scholars have for long years had the right of acclaiming
the King and Queen at the Coronations, and their shouts of “Vivat Regina
Alexandra,” “Vivat Rex Edwardus,” were heard in the anthem as the
sovereigns, first the Queen and then the King, walked up the Abbey.
At Coronations a great platform, called the Theatre, is put up, and
covers a wide space in front of the high altar. On this platform the
Coronation Chair (King Edward’s Chair, as it is called) is placed, and
also the thrones. Here all the principal people stand, and here the
whole great ceremony is performed.
When the King and Queen reached this platform the Archbishop of
Canterbury turned to the people, and asked for what is called the
Recognition, that is to say, he asked whether the people of England were
willing to accept the King, and to do him homage. They answered by
shouting out: “God save King Edward.”
The Regalia were then placed on the altar, and the Archbishop began the
Communion Service. After the Creed the actual Coronation began. The King
first took the solemn Oath to observe the statutes, laws, and customs of
the land, and to cause “law and justice, in mercy, to be executed in all
his judgments.” He also promised to maintain and preserve the Church of
England as by law established. The King then kissed the Book of the
Gospels, and signed the Oath. The Archbishop then began the beautiful
hymn “Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,” sung as a prayer for the
blessing of the Holy Spirit on the King and Queen. After the hymn, the
King, sitting in the Coronation Chair, on the Stone of Scone, was
solemnly anointed with the Holy Oil. Then the Lord Great Chamberlain
girt the King with the Sword of State, and after that the Sub-Dean of
Westminster, acting for the Dean, put on him the Imperial Robe, and the
Archbishop presented him with the Orb. The King then received the Ring,
as a sign of kingly dignity, and then the two Sceptres,—the sceptre with
the cross and the sceptre with the dove.
After this came the putting on of the Crown itself, which was brought by
the Sub-Dean and placed on the King’s head by the Archbishop. The people
again shouted “God save the King”; the peers put on their coronets; the
trumpets sounded, and the great guns at the Tower were fired off.
The Archbishop then presented the Holy Bible to the King, saying these
beautiful words: “Our Gracious King, we present you with this Book, the
most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is wisdom; this is the
royal law; these are the lively oracles of God.”
After this came the Benediction. The King was then led to his throne,
and received the homage of all the princes and peers, the Prince of
Wales being the first to do homage to his father. When that splendid
ceremony was over the Queen was crowned by the Archbishop of York. As
Queen Alexandra was Queen-Consort, she did not sit in King Edward’s
Chair, as of course Queen Victoria did, but she knelt at the altar-step
to be crowned. As she was led to her throne she made a deep obeisance to
the King, who rose and bowed to her.
The actual Coronation being finished, the Archbishop proceeded with the
Communion Service, and the King and Queen received the Holy Communion,
which was administered to them by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the
Dean of Westminster.
At the end of the service the “Te Deum” was sung, and the whole assembly
cheered as the King walked down the Abbey, in his Royal Robe and Crown,
and bearing the Sceptre and Orb.
This is an outline of the Coronation Service of King Edward VII, and it
is especially interesting because, in spite of some few small changes,
it shows us what the Coronations of our Kings have been like ever since
the Confessor’s days. It may be well just to explain what is meant by
the word “Regalia,” because the history of the Regalia carries us back
to times even before Edward the Confessor, as Offa, King of the
Mercians, is said to have placed the Regalia and Coronation Robes in the
church at Thorney Isle. We should notice that the Regalia, that is, the
crowns, sceptres, and orbs, had Anglo-Saxon names. The King’s crown was
called the crown of Alfred, or of St. Edward; the Queen’s crown was
called the crown of Editha, wife of Edward the Confessor. The sceptre
with the dove was a remembrance of the peaceful days of the Confessor’s
reign, after the Danes were driven out. The Coronation oath used to be
taken on a copy of the Gospels which was said to have belonged to
Athelstane. The orb appears in the famous Bayeux tapestry, showing that
it must have been used in Saxon days.
Now let us turn for a little to some of the Coronations of particular
Kings. As we have seen, the Saxon Kings were usually crowned at
Winchester, as Edward the Confessor himself was.
The first Coronation to take place in the great church founded and built
by the Confessor was that of Harold the Saxon, son of Earl Godwin, and
brother-in-law of the Confessor. There was much anxiety in the country
about the succession, and Harold was crowned at Westminster in great
haste and confusion the day after the Confessor died, and the very day
of his funeral, January 6th, 1066.
The next coronation was indeed different, for many things had happened
in England meanwhile. As we all know, William Duke of Normandy, cousin
of Edward the Confessor, had claimed the throne of England by right of
inheritance. He had sailed over to England, had defeated and slain
Harold at the Battle of Hastings (or Senlac), and was now King. When we
remember that Charlemagne was crowned Emperor in St. Peter’s at Rome by
Pope Leo III on Christmas Day, A.D. 800, it makes it all the more
interesting to think that the day chosen for the Conqueror’s Coronation
was also Christmas Day. He stood there in the Abbey, close to the grave
of the Confessor, having on one side of him the Saxon Aldred, Archbishop
of York, and on the other the Norman Bishop of Coutances. Archbishop
Stigand, of Canterbury, had fled.
In the church were many of the Saxon people of London, and mixed with
them were a number of Normans. Outside, the Norman horsemen kept guard.
When the people began to acclaim the King in the usual English fashion,
the Norman soldiers did not understand what was going on, and thought it
was a riot. Being afraid of what might happen, they set fire to some of
the thatched buildings near the Abbey. The crowd rushed out in alarm,
leaving William alone in the church, with the bishops and other clergy.
A terrible tumult followed, and even the Conqueror trembled. The rest of
the Coronation was hurriedly finished, Archbishop Aldred making William
promise to defend the Saxons before he would put the crown on his head.
The Conqueror, like the Saxon Kings before him and the Norman Kings
after him, used to appear in church on the great festivals wearing his
crown.
From this time onward the Coronations always took place in Westminster
Abbey. All the Regalia were kept in the Treasury at Westminster until
the time of Henry VIII, and some of them until the time of the
Commonwealth. It was part of the duty of the Abbot of Westminster to
instruct and prepare the King for his Coronation. Further, it was
settled by Lanfranc, the first Norman Archbishop of Canterbury, that the
Archbishop of Canterbury, and not the Archbishop of York, was to have
the right to crown the King.
The next Coronation of special interest is that of Henry III, the King
who built the present Abbey Church. When Henry succeeded to the throne
in 1216, after the sad and unfortunate reign of his father, King John,
London was in the hands of the Dauphin of France, Prince Louis. Henry,
therefore, could not be crowned at Westminster, and was first crowned at
Gloucester, by the Bishop of Winchester, not with the crown, but with a
chaplet or garland. It will be remembered that King John’s baggage and
treasures, with the Regalia, had been swept away by the tide as he was
crossing the Wash.
[Illustration:
[_W. Rice, F.R.P.S._
NORTH AMBULATORY, WITH TOMBS OF HENRY III. AND EDWARD I.
]
It was not until Whitsunday 1220 that Henry was solemnly crowned in the
Abbey by Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury. He was the last King
to be crowned in the Confessor’s Norman Church. The day before his
Coronation he had laid the foundation-stone of the Lady Chapel, that
beautiful chapel which once stood where Henry VII’s Chapel now stands.
Edward I was in the Holy Land when his father died, and therefore was
not crowned until the year 1274, when he and his beloved Queen, Eleanor
of Castile, were crowned together,—the first King and Queen who had been
jointly crowned. At this Coronation five hundred great horses, which had
been ridden by the princes and nobles, were let loose among the crowd
for any one to catch who could.
The Coronation of Edward I brings two very interesting things to our
mind. These two things are, first, that Edward I was the King who
brought the Stone of Scone from Scotland to England; and secondly, that
it was he who ordered the present Coronation Chair to be made. This
Coronation Chair, which was made in 1307 to contain the Stone of Scone,
is perhaps the most precious thing in all the Abbey, excepting the
Confessor’s shrine.
Some beautiful old stories are told about the Stone of Scone. One of
these stories says that it was the Stone on which Jacob laid his head in
Bethel when he had the wonderful vision of angels ascending and
descending on the ladder which reached from earth to heaven. The sons of
Jacob are said to have taken this sacred stone with them into Egypt,
whence it was carried in after years to Spain, and then to Ireland,
where it was used at the coronations of the Irish Kings. It was placed
on the sacred hill of Tara, and was called “Lia Fail,” or the “Stone of
Destiny.” If a true King sat upon it to be crowned, the stone made a
noise like thunder, but if the King elect was only a pretender the Stone
was silent. One story tells us that the Stone was carried across from
Ireland to Scotland about 330 B.C., by Fergus, the founder of the
Scottish monarchy, and that it was placed, first at Dunstaffnage, and
then at Iona. In A.D. 850 it was brought by Kenneth II to Scone, where
it was enclosed in a wooden chair, as it now is at Westminster. The
Kings of Scotland, from Malcolm IV to John Baliol, sat on the Stone to
be crowned. Edward I himself is said to have been crowned King of
Scotland on the Sacred Stone of Scone after he had defeated John Baliol
at the Battle of Dunbar in 1296. Whether this was so or not, Edward I
carried off the Stone and the Scottish Regalia to Westminster, and
placed them near the Confessor’s shrine.
In the last year of his reign Edward I ordered a chair to be made in
which the Stone was to be enclosed, and in which the Kings of England
were to sit to be crowned. In this very chair every English sovereign
has been crowned, from Edward II to Edward VII. It has only once been
taken out of the Abbey, and that was when it was taken into Westminster
Hall for the inauguration of Cromwell as Lord Protector of the Realm on
December 16th, 1653.
In Edward III’s reign the Scots tried very hard to get the Stone back
again, and the King, who wished to content them, very nearly allowed
them to have it. But the people of London would not hear of such a
thing, and, as an old writer says, “would not suffer the Stone to depart
from themselves.”
We must now speak of some other Coronations. Richard II’s Coronation was
very splendid, and the ceremony was so long and tiring that the King,
who was still quite a boy, fainted from fatigue. Two interesting
ceremonies began at this Coronation. One was the first appearance of the
“Champion,” as he was called. The Champion was a knight who threw down
his glove as a challenge to any one who disputed the King’s claim to the
throne. The last appearance of the Champion was at the Coronation of
George IV, in 1820, so this curious old custom lasted for more than four
hundred years.
Again, Richard II was the first King to be accompanied at his Coronation
by a body of Knights, the Knights who were afterwards called the
“Knights of the Bath.” It became the custom for the King to create a
number of Knights on the eve of his Coronation, and these Knights
accompanied him in his procession. Part of the solemn ceremony of
receiving Knighthood was the taking of a bath, as a sign of purity both
of body and soul.
The Knights of the Bath once used to be installed in Henry VII’s Chapel,
and the Dean of Westminster is always the Dean of the Order. However, no
Knights have been installed at Westminster for a long time past. Many of
the old banners of the Knights of the Bath still hang over the stalls in
Henry VII’s Chapel, just as the banners of the Knights of the Garter
hang in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor. On the backs of the stalls are
the coats-of-arms of the Knights, emblazoned on gilded metal plates.
But to return for a moment to the Coronation of Richard II. It has an
especial interest for Westminster, as the Abbey possesses a most
valuable book, called the “Liber Regalis,” which was drawn up by Abbot
Litlington, and which gives the whole order of the Coronation service.
This has been followed, more or less, at all the Coronations since that
time.
We must now pass over nearly two centuries, and pause to think of the
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth, remembering that it was she who finally
founded Westminster Abbey as a Collegiate Church, and who re-established
the School much on the present plan. Elizabeth’s accession was a very
happy event for her subjects, and there were great rejoicings
everywhere. Her Coronation was the last at which the ancient Latin
Coronation Mass was celebrated, and the Abbot of Westminster took his
part in the service for the last time. His place is now, of course,
taken by the Dean, or by the Sub-Dean, should the Dean be ill or unable
to attend. At Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation the Litany was said in
English, instead of in Latin, and the Epistle and Gospel were read in
both Latin and English, showing that, for the future, our own English
language was going to be used for our Church services.
At the Coronation of Charles I several things happened which people
considered unlucky, and as a sign that misfortunes were coming upon the
King. To begin with, Charles wore white instead of the usual red or
purple, and this was thought to be a bad omen, as if meaning that the
King was to be a victim, there having been some old prophecy of trouble
for a “White King.” Then the sceptre with the dove was broken, and as
the dove could not be mended without the mark being seen, a new dove had
to be made. In the later part of the day a shock of earthquake was felt.
All these things were regarded as signs of coming evil, and were no
doubt remembered in the sad days of the Civil War, and at the time of
the King’s imprisonment and death.
Westminster is a Royal foundation, and the old Royalist spirit always
remained strong there, especially among the boys of Westminster School;
and this in spite of the changes made at the Abbey by the Puritans
during the Commonwealth.
The famous Archbishop Laud, the friend of Charles I, was one of the
twelve Prebendaries of Westminster, and took the Dean’s place at Charles
I’s Coronation.
Charles II and James II were both crowned on St. George’s Day, the
festival of the Patron Saint of England.
William and Mary were crowned as joint sovereigns, Mary sitting in a
Chair of State made for the occasion, a chair which is now to be seen in
Henry VII’s Chapel. She also had the sword and other symbols of
sovereignty given to her, just as her husband, King William, had.
The Coronation of George IV is remembered partly for its magnificence,
but chiefly, perhaps, on account of the sad and foolish attempt to get
into the Abbey made by poor Queen Caroline, and the manner in which she
was turned away from the doors.
The Coronation of Queen Victoria brings us nearer to our own time, and
the thought of that day reminds us of the good Queen whose long life of
anxious work and responsibility began in her early girlhood. She took
upon her the cares of sovereignty at an age when most girls think mainly
of amusing themselves, and we all know how well she kept the solemn
promises made on her Coronation Day at the Abbey.
King Edward VII’s Coronation has already been described. That beautiful
and stately ceremony was all the more touching and impressive because of
the thankfulness of the people for the King’s recovery from a dangerous
illness, a feeling which made their gladness and enthusiasm all the
greater.
This short account of some of the Coronations will help to explain still
further how and why the Abbey has always held such an important place in
our national life. We see that the Norman, Plantagenet, Tudor, Stuart,
and Hanoverian sovereigns have all come here to be crowned, close to the
shrine of the last Saxon King, much in the same way as the French Kings
used to go for their coronations to the great cathedral at Reims, and as
the Tsars of Russia go to the Kremlin at Moscow.
We must now leave the Coronations, and turn to think of some of the
great people who are buried and commemorated in the Abbey.
[Illustration:
[_D. Weller_.
SHRINE OF KING EDWARD THE CONFESSOR.
]