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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. C ROWNS 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). In the list of the portions of English regalia which were destroyed under the Commonwealth in 1649* is found an item of great interest, viz. a "goulde wyer * See p. 7.