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Ring Superstitions: Regis
In the Eleemosyna Roll of 10th Edward III. we have the following entry: 'In oblacione domini Regis ad crucem de Gneyth in die parasceves apud Eltham, xxix. die Marcii v. s., et pro iisdem denariis reassumptis pro annulis inde faciendis per manus Domini Johannis de Crokeford eodem die v. s.' And in the following year: 'In oblacione domini Regis ad crucem de Gneyth in capella sua in pcho de Wyndesore die parasceves v. s., et pro totidem denariis reassumptis pro annuli inde faciendis v. s.' In the accounts of John de Ypres, 44th Edward III., the following entries are found: 'In oblacionibus Regis factis adorando crucem in capella sua infra castrum suum de Wyndesore, die parasceves in pretio trium nobilium auri et quinque solidorum sterling. xxv. s. In denariis solutis pro iisdem oblacionibus reassumptis pro annulis medicinalibus inde faciendis, ibidem, eodem die xxv. s.' The same entries occur in the 7th and 8th Henry IV.
In the 8th Edward IV. mention occurs that these cramprings were made of silver and of gold, as appears by the following entry: 'Pro eleemosyna in die parasceves c. marc., et pro annulis de auro et argento pro eleemosyna Regis eodem die,' &c. And a Privy Seal of the next year, amongst other particulars relates : ' Item paid for the King's Good Fryday rings of gold and silver xxxiii. 1. vi. s. viii. d.' Mention of these rings is also found in the Comptroller's accountsin the 20th Henry VII.
A MS. copy of the Orders of the King of England's Household, 13th Henry VIII., 1521-1522, preserved in the National Library at Paris (No. 9,986), contains the order of the Kinge's of England, touching his coming to service, hallowing y crampe rings, and offering and creeping to the crosse.' 'First, the King to come to the closett or to the chappell with the lords and noblemen wayting on him, without any sworde to bee borne before him on that day, and there to tarry in his travers till the bishop and deane have brought forth the crucifix out of the vestry (the almoner reading the service of the cramprings), layd upon a cushion before the high altar, and then the huishers shall lay a carpet before yt for the King to creepe to APPENDIX. the crosse upon and yt done, there shall be a fourme set upon the carpet before the crucifix, and a cushion layd before it for the King to kneele on; and the Master of the Jewell house shal be ther ready with the crampe-rings in a basin or basins of silver; the King shall kneele upon the sayd cushion before the fourme, and then must the clerke of the closett bee ready with the booke conteyninge y service of the hallowing of the said rings, and the almoner must kneel upon the right hand of the King, holding of the sayd booke; and when yt is done the King shall rise and go to the high altar, where an huisher must be ready with a cushion to lay for his grace to kneele upon, and the greatest Lord or Lords being then present shall take the basin or basins with the rings, and bear them after the King, and then deliver them to the King to offer; and this done, the Queen shall come down out of the closett or travers into the chappell with ladies and gentlewomen wayters on her, and creepe to the crosse ; and that done, she shall returne againe into her closett or travers, and then the ladies shall come downe and creepe to the crosse, and when they have done, the lords and noblemen shall in likewise.' A letter from Dr. Thomas Magnus, Warden of Sibthorpe College, Nottinghamshire, to Cardinal Wolsey, written in 1526, contains the following curious passage: 'Pleas it your Grace to wete that M. Wiat of his goodness sent unto me for a present certaine crampe ringges, which I distributed and gave to sondery myne acquaintaunce at Edinburghe, amongse other to M. Adame Otterbourne, who, with one of thayme, releved a mann lying in the falling sekenes in the sight of myche people; sethenne whiche tyme many requestes have been made unto me for crampe ringges at my departing there, and also sethenne my comyng from thennes. May it pleas your Grace therefore to shew your gracious pleasure to the said M. Wyat, that some ringges may be kept and sent into Scottelande, whiche, after my poore oppynnyon shulde be a good dede, remembering the power and operacyon of thame is knowne and proved in Edinburghe, and that they be gretly required for the same cause both by grete personnages and other.' Mr. Edmund Waterton thinks that the illuminated manual which Queen Mary used at the blessing of the cramp-rings, and which I have mentioned was in the possession of the late APPENDIX.
Cardinal Wiseman, was the same from which Bishop Burnet printed the formula. Mr. Waterton states that on the second leaf of the MS. the service for the blessing of the rings begins with this rubric: 'Certeyne Prayers to be used by the Quene's Heighnes in the Consecration of the Cramperings.'/ The next rubric is as follows: 'The Ryngs lyeing in one basin or moo, this Prayer shall be said over them,' &c. This is followed by the Benedictio Annulorum, consisting of several short formulæ or sentences. Then another rubric sets forth : 'These prayers beinge saide, the Queene's Heighnes rubbeth the rings betwene her hands, sayinge Sanctifica Domine Annulos, &c. 'Thenne must holly water be caste on the rings, sayeing, In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti, Amen. Followed by two other prayers.' Miss Strickland claims the blessing of the cramp-rings as the peculiar privilege of the Queens of England. But her argument falls to the ground when tested by collateral and official documents.
Mr. Waterton concludes his most interesting article on Royal Cramp-rings ('Archæological Journal, vol. xxi. pp. 103- 113) by stating that he has been unable to accompany the essay by the representation of any example, 'but I have never met with a specimen that could with any certainty be pronounced a royal cramp-ring, neither have I found any description of the rings made, as the entries state, from the gold and silver coins offered by the King on Good Friday, and then redeemed by an equivalent sum. Probably they were plain hoop-rings. In the will of John Baret, of Bury St. Edmunds, 1463, a bequest is made to "my Lady Walgrave" of a "rowund ryng of the Kynge's silvir." In another part of his will he bequeaths to "Thomais Brews, esquiyer, my crampe ryng with blak innamel, and a part silvir and gilt." And, in 1535, Edmund Lee bequeaths to " my nece Thwarton my gold ryng wt a turkes, and a crampe ryng of gold wt all." 'But there is no evidence to show that the second ring mentioned by John Baret was a royal cramp-ring; whereas it appears to me that the one bequeathed by Edmund Lee may have been one of the royal cramp-rings, for otherwise a more particular description would have been given.' APPENDIX.
An interesting account of the ceremonies of blessing cramp-rings on Good Friday, used by the Catholic Kings of England,' will be found in Pegge's 'Curialia Miscellanea' (Appendix No. 3, p. 164).
It is curious that in Somersetshire the ring-finger is thought to have the power of curing any sore or wound that is rubbed with it.