St. Edward's Crown
Encyclopedia
St Edward's Crown was one of the English Crown Jewels and remains one of the senior British Crown Jewels
, being the official coronation crown
used in the coronation
of first English, then British, and finally Commonwealth realm
s monarchs. As such, two-dimensional representations of the crown are used in coats of arms, badges, and various other insignia throughout the Commonwealth realms to indicate the authority of the reigning sovereign.
, the crown's design includes a base, with four crosses pattée
alternating with four fleurs-de-lis
, within which is a velvet cap with ermine border and two arches above and surmounted by a cross, all set with 444 precious stones. Formerly the latter were hired for each coronation and then detached, leaving only the frame. However, in 1911 the jewels were set permanently. A number of changes were made for the respective coronations of James II (a new monde) and William III (the base being changed from its original circular form to a more natural oval one). The crown was also made slightly smaller to fit the head of George V, the first monarch to be crowned with St. Edward's Crown in over 200 years. The crown was, however, carried in procession at other coronations at which it was not actually worn.
Queen Victoria and King Edward VII
chose not to be crowned with St Edward's Crown because of its weight of 4 lb (1.81436948 kg) and instead used the lighter Imperial State Crown
. St. Edward's Crown was placed on the coffin of Edward VII for his lying-in-state and funeral in 1910.
(from whom the present crown takes its name) was worn by him at Christmas
in 1065. This may itself have incorporated material from a crown of Alfred the Great
. In 1066, on Christmas Day, St Edward's crown was reputedly used in the coronation of King William I
in token of his inheritance by right rather than conquest. It was used subsequently for the coronations of William Rufus (1087), Henry I (1100), Stephen (1135), Henry II (1154), Richard I (1189 and 1194), and John (1199).
In 1216, at the first coronation of King Henry III
, a chaplet was employed instead of the crown. From this it was inferred by the German historian Reinhold Pauli
that the original St Edward's Crown had been among the crown jewels lost by King John. However Arthur Penrhyn Stanley
maintained that the original crown and regalia survived until 1642, and were kept in the Treasury of Westminster until the time of King Henry VIII
. The same crown was reputedly used in 1533 for the coronation of Anne Boleyn
. Destroyed by Oliver Cromwell
's order during the English Civil War
, the crown was re-created in 1661 for the coronation of King Charles II
.
, its two-dimensional representation has come to be utilised throughout all the Commonwealth realm
s as an indication of each country's respective royal authority, thus appearing on coats of arms
, badges for military and police units, and logos for government departments and private organizations with royal associations. In this use, it replaced the Tudor Crown by the command in 1953 of Queen Elizabeth II. Such use of the crown is only by the personal permission of the sovereign.
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...
, being the official coronation crown
Coronation crown
A coronation crown is a crown used by a monarch when being crowned. In some monarchies, monarchs did not wear the one crown but had a number of crowns for different occasions; a coronation crown for the moment of coronation, and a state crown for general usage in state ceremonial...
used in the coronation
Coronation of the British monarch
The coronation of the British monarch is a ceremony in which the monarch of the United Kingdom is formally crowned and invested with regalia...
of first English, then British, and finally Commonwealth realm
Commonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
s monarchs. As such, two-dimensional representations of the crown are used in coats of arms, badges, and various other insignia throughout the Commonwealth realms to indicate the authority of the reigning sovereign.
The present form
The present St Edward's Crown contains much of the crown made in 1661 for the coronation of King Charles II. Constructed of solid goldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, the crown's design includes a base, with four crosses pattée
Cross pattée
A cross pattée is a type of cross which has arms narrow at the centre, and broader at the perimeter. An early English example from the start of the age of heraldry proper A cross pattée (or "cross patty", known also as "cross formée/formy") is a type of cross which has arms narrow at the...
alternating with four fleurs-de-lis
Fleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
, within which is a velvet cap with ermine border and two arches above and surmounted by a cross, all set with 444 precious stones. Formerly the latter were hired for each coronation and then detached, leaving only the frame. However, in 1911 the jewels were set permanently. A number of changes were made for the respective coronations of James II (a new monde) and William III (the base being changed from its original circular form to a more natural oval one). The crown was also made slightly smaller to fit the head of George V, the first monarch to be crowned with St. Edward's Crown in over 200 years. The crown was, however, carried in procession at other coronations at which it was not actually worn.
Queen Victoria and King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
chose not to be crowned with St Edward's Crown because of its weight of 4 lb (1.81436948 kg) and instead used the lighter Imperial State Crown
Imperial State Crown
The Imperial State Crown is one of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.- Design :The Crown is of a design similar to St Edward's Crown: it includes a base of four crosses pattée alternating with four fleurs-de-lis, above which are four half-arches surmounted by a cross. Inside is a velvet cap...
. St. Edward's Crown was placed on the coffin of Edward VII for his lying-in-state and funeral in 1910.
Earlier forms
The original crown of St Edward the ConfessorEdward 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....
(from whom the present crown takes its name) was worn by him at Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
in 1065. This may itself have incorporated material from a crown of Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
. In 1066, on Christmas Day, St Edward's crown was reputedly used in the coronation of King William I
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
in token of his inheritance by right rather than conquest. It was used subsequently for the coronations of William Rufus (1087), Henry I (1100), Stephen (1135), Henry II (1154), Richard I (1189 and 1194), and John (1199).
In 1216, at the first coronation of King Henry III
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...
, a chaplet was employed instead of the crown. From this it was inferred by the German historian Reinhold Pauli
Reinhold Pauli
Reinhold Pauli was a German historian of England, born in Berlin. He studied much in England, and became professor of History at Göttingen. He wrote Life of King Alfred, History of England from the Accession of Henry II to the Death of Henry VII, Pictures of Old England and Simon de Montfort....
that the original St Edward's Crown had been among the crown jewels lost by King John. However Arthur Penrhyn Stanley
Arthur Penrhyn Stanley
Arthur Penrhyn Stanley was an English churchman, Dean of Westminster, known as Dean Stanley. His position was that of a Broad Churchman and he was the author of works on Church History.-Life and times:...
maintained that the original crown and regalia survived until 1642, and were kept in the Treasury of Westminster until the time of King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. The same crown was reputedly used in 1533 for the coronation of Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
. Destroyed by 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....
's order during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, the crown was re-created in 1661 for the coronation of King Charles II
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...
.
Use at coronations
Although always regarded as the "official" coronation crown, in fact only a minority of monarchs have actually been crowned with St. Edward's Crown. These were Charles II (1661), James II (1685), William III (1689), George V (1911), George VI (1937) and Elizabeth II (1953). All other English/British monarchs were crowned with other crowns: Mary II and Anne with small diamond crowns of their own, George I, George II, George III and William IV with George I's new state crown, King George IV with a large new diamond crown, and Victoria and Edward VII with Victoria's 1838 Imperial State Crown.Symbolic version
Though the physical St Edward's Crown is property of the Queen in Right of the United KingdomMonarchy of the United Kingdom
The monarchy of the United Kingdom is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories. The present monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 6 February 1952. She and her immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial and representational duties...
, its two-dimensional representation has come to be utilised throughout all the Commonwealth realm
Commonwealth Realm
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
s as an indication of each country's respective royal authority, thus appearing on coats of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
, badges for military and police units, and logos for government departments and private organizations with royal associations. In this use, it replaced the Tudor Crown by the command in 1953 of Queen Elizabeth II. Such use of the crown is only by the personal permission of the sovereign.