Llywelyn's coronet
Encyclopedia
Llywelyn's coronet is a lost treasure of Welsh history. It is recorded that Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Wales
and Lord of Aberffraw
had deposited this crown and other items (such as the Cross of Neith
) with the monks at Cymer Abbey
for safekeeping at the start of his final campaign in 1282. He was killed later that year. It was seized alongside other holy artifacts in 1284 from the ruins of the defeated Kingdom of Gwynedd
. Thereafter it was taken to London and presented at the shrine of Edward the Confessor
in Westminster Abbey
by King Edward I
of England
as a token of the complete annihilation of the independent Welsh
state.
had been presented with a coronet by Henry III of England
on his accession to the throne of Gwynedd in 1240. However, on the occasion of their first meeting Dafydd is described as already wearing a coronet. Some academics state that there were several coronets and among those seized in 1282 was the "Coron Arthur", an older native Welsh treasure, that may have been forged as far back as the reign of Owain Gwynedd
(1137–1171) or perhaps earlier, as the princes of Gwynedd sought to consolidate their position as the primary rulers of Wales.
Llywelyn's successor was his brother, Dafydd, who claimed Llywelyn's title of Tywysog
as Tywysog Cymru or Prince of Wales
. His reign was extremely brief; he was killed not long after his brother, without ever having been able to reclaim the precious items from Cymer Abbey.
's jewel account for that regnal year (12 Edward I), the crown was recoated in gold plating to make it look more impressive (which suggests that it may have been made of iron). It was then presented at the shrine of Edward the Confessor
in Westminster Abbey
as the "Coron Arthur," or the Crown of King Arthur
. The coronet, alongside the English Crown Jewels
, was kept in Westminster Abbey until 1303 before they were all re-housed in the Tower of London
after it and the English Crown Jewels were all temporarily stolen. It is widely thought that Llywelyn's Coronet was destroyed alongside most of the original English crown jewels
in 1649 by order of Oliver Cromwell
; however, an inventory taken by the new republican administration prior to the destruction of the crown jewels makes no mention of this coronet.
There is some confusion as to whether Llywelyn's coronet is what was referred to by some chroniclers as the "crown" or "jewel" of Arthur or if this was a separate more treasured artifact. Little is known of the royal regalia of the native Welsh kings and princes. Some historians do not believe they even wore coronets until the late 12th century, when attempts were made by the rulers to centralise their governments and reinforce their rule.
was crowned in 1404 at the Welsh parliament or Cynulliad held at Machynlleth
— but with whose crown? It is possible that this was either another pre-conquest dynastic coronet, similar to Llywelyn's, and potentially the crown of the Kings of Powys known as the Crown of Elisig. Alternatively, it could have been one that was made specifically for the occasion. Another possibility is that Llywelyn's crown, which had been stolen in 1303 alongside the English Crown Jewels, had not been returned with the rest of them, and thus escaped destruction by Cromwell. This fact may have been covered up to avoid further embarrassment. If it is true, then this crown would probably have been "lost" at the fall of Harlech Castle
in 1409 or may be still hidden in Glyndŵr's undiscovered final resting place.
In more recent times reconstructed Welsh regalia known as the Honours of the Principality of Wales
have been cast for symbolic use during the investiture ceremony of the eldest son of the King of England. The design of these coronets, established in 1672 by King Charles II of England
, features "Crosses and flowers de Liz with one Arch and in the midst a Ball and cross". The coronet made in 1911 for the investiture of the future King Edward VIII as Prince of Wales strictly adheres to the style clarified in the 1672 royal warrant. The version created in 1969 for the investiture of the current Prince of Wales (the 1911 Crown was still in the possession of the Duke of Windsor
in France) has deviated from the classic designs and was made using modern methods. Both coronets are now kept at the National Museum Cardiff
.
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
and Lord of Aberffraw
Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
had deposited this crown and other items (such as the Cross of Neith
Cross of Neith
The Cross of Neith was a sacred relic believed to be a fragment of the True Cross which had been kept at Aberconwy by the kings and princes of Gwynedd, members of the Aberffraw dynasty who established the Principality of Wales. They believed it afforded them and their people divine protection...
) with the monks at Cymer Abbey
Cymer Abbey
Cymer Abbey is a ruined Cistercian abbey near the village of Llanelltyd, just north of Dolgellau, Gwynedd, in north-west Wales, United Kingdom.- History :It was founded in 1198 and is now in the care of Cadw...
for safekeeping at the start of his final campaign in 1282. He was killed later that year. It was seized alongside other holy artifacts in 1284 from the ruins of the defeated Kingdom of Gwynedd
Kingdom of Gwynedd
Gwynedd was one petty kingdom of several Welsh successor states which emerged in 5th-century post-Roman Britain in the Early Middle Ages, and later evolved into a principality during the High Middle Ages. It was based on the former Brythonic tribal lands of the Ordovices, Gangani, and the...
. Thereafter it was taken to London and presented at the shrine of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
by King Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as a token of the complete annihilation of the independent Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
state.
Coron Arthur
The origins of the coronet are unclear. Some sources state that Dafydd ap LlywelynDafydd ap Llywelyn
Dafydd ap Llywelyn was Prince of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246. He was for a time recognised as Prince of Wales.- Descent :...
had been presented with a coronet by Henry III of England
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
on his accession to the throne of Gwynedd in 1240. However, on the occasion of their first meeting Dafydd is described as already wearing a coronet. Some academics state that there were several coronets and among those seized in 1282 was the "Coron Arthur", an older native Welsh treasure, that may have been forged as far back as the reign of Owain Gwynedd
Owain Gwynedd
Owain Gwynedd ap Gruffydd , in English also known as Owen the Great, was King of Gwynedd from 1137 until his death in 1170. He is occasionally referred to as "Owain I of Gwynedd"; and as "Owain I of Wales" on account of his claim to be King of Wales. He is considered to be the most successful of...
(1137–1171) or perhaps earlier, as the princes of Gwynedd sought to consolidate their position as the primary rulers of Wales.
- He (Edward) appropriated the most valuable and potent symbols of Welsh princely independence - Llywelyn's coronet, the matrix of his seal, the jewels and crown of Arthur, and above all the most cherished relic in Wales, the piece of the true cross known as Y Groes Naid (just as he removed the Stone of Scone from Scotland in 1296).
- R.R. Davies
Llywelyn's successor was his brother, Dafydd, who claimed Llywelyn's title of Tywysog
Tywysog
Tywysog , in modern Welsh, means "Prince", although historically it referred to a broader category of rulers. The feminine form is Tywysoges. The work Brut y Tywysogion is the Annals of the Princes of Wales and is a historical narrative of the deeds of the various rulers of the kingdoms, large and...
as Tywysog Cymru or Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
. His reign was extremely brief; he was killed not long after his brother, without ever having been able to reclaim the precious items from Cymer Abbey.
After annexation by England
According to King Edward IEdward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
's jewel account for that regnal year (12 Edward I), the crown was recoated in gold plating to make it look more impressive (which suggests that it may have been made of iron). It was then presented at the shrine of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
as the "Coron Arthur," or the Crown of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
. The coronet, alongside the English Crown Jewels
Crown jewels
Crown jewels are jewels or artifacts of the reigning royal family of their respective country. They belong to monarchs and are passed to the next sovereign to symbolize the right to rule. They may include crowns, sceptres, orbs, swords, rings, and other objects...
, was kept in Westminster Abbey until 1303 before they were all re-housed in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
after it and the English Crown Jewels were all temporarily stolen. It is widely thought that Llywelyn's Coronet was destroyed alongside most of the original English crown jewels
Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom
The collective term Crown Jewels denotes the regalia and vestments worn by the sovereign of the United Kingdom during the coronation ceremony and at other state functions...
in 1649 by order of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
; however, an inventory taken by the new republican administration prior to the destruction of the crown jewels makes no mention of this coronet.
Coronet of Owain Glyndŵr and later reconstructions
Mystery surrounds the identity and whereabouts of a possible second Welsh crown; the crown of Owain Glyndŵr. GlyndŵrOwain Glyndwr
Owain Glyndŵr , or Owain Glyn Dŵr, anglicised by William Shakespeare as Owen Glendower , was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales...
was crowned in 1404 at the Welsh parliament or Cynulliad held at Machynlleth
Machynlleth
Machynlleth is a market town in Powys, Wales. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads.Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". However, it has never held any official...
— but with whose crown? It is possible that this was either another pre-conquest dynastic coronet, similar to Llywelyn's, and potentially the crown of the Kings of Powys known as the Crown of Elisig. Alternatively, it could have been one that was made specifically for the occasion. Another possibility is that Llywelyn's crown, which had been stolen in 1303 alongside the English Crown Jewels, had not been returned with the rest of them, and thus escaped destruction by Cromwell. This fact may have been covered up to avoid further embarrassment. If it is true, then this crown would probably have been "lost" at the fall of Harlech Castle
Harlech Castle
Harlech Castle, located in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales, is a concentric castle, constructed atop a cliff close to the Irish Sea. Architecturally, it is particularly notable for its massive gatehouse....
in 1409 or may be still hidden in Glyndŵr's undiscovered final resting place.
In more recent times reconstructed Welsh regalia known as the Honours of the Principality of Wales
Honours of the Principality of Wales
The Honours of the Principality of Wales are the Crown Jewels used at the investiture of Princes of Wales. They include a coronet, a ring, a rod, a sword, a girdle, and a mantle....
have been cast for symbolic use during the investiture ceremony of the eldest son of the King of England. The design of these coronets, established in 1672 by King Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, features "Crosses and flowers de Liz with one Arch and in the midst a Ball and cross". The coronet made in 1911 for the investiture of the future King Edward VIII as Prince of Wales strictly adheres to the style clarified in the 1672 royal warrant. The version created in 1969 for the investiture of the current Prince of Wales (the 1911 Crown was still in the possession of the Duke of Windsor
Edward VIII of the United Kingdom
Edward VIII was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, from 20 January to 11 December 1936.Before his accession to the throne, Edward was Prince of Wales and Duke of Cornwall and Rothesay...
in France) has deviated from the classic designs and was made using modern methods. Both coronets are now kept at the National Museum Cardiff
National Museum Cardiff
National Museum Cardiff is a museum and art gallery in Cardiff, Wales. The museum is part of the wider network of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales...
.