St. Edward's Crown

Britain's Coronation Crown

Jul 17, 2009 Kim Rush

St. Edward's Crown has been used at the coronation of British sovereign since King Charles II.

The current St. Edward’s Crown is the second crown with that name. The original St. Edward’s Crown, which is believed to have been used to crown Edward the Confessor in 1043, was a diadem of gold set with small stones and two bells. It was broken up and melted by the order of Oliver Cromwell in 1649.

Use in Coronations

The current crown was made for Charles II in 1661. It is used to crown the new sovereign by the Archbishop of Canterbury, although it was not used in the actual crowning ceremony four times. George IV was crowned in 1820 with a newly designed Imperial State Crown, which was made for the occasion. This crown was also used to crown his brother, William IV, in 1830. This crown was later broken up and its jewels were used in the current Imperial State Crown for the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1837. Both Victoria and her son, Edward VII, chose to be crowned with the Imperial State Crown because it was lighter than the St. Edward’s Crown. During these coronations, the St. Edward’s Crown was carried in the coronation procession as a symbolic object.

Description of Crown

The St. Edward’s Crown weighs 4.96 pounds (2.23 kg). The crown is encrusted with nearly 440 precious and semi-precious stones, including sapphires, topazes, rubies, pearls, diamonds, and emeralds. The frame is made of gold and set with gems. The band, located at the bottom of the crown, is also made of gold and set with sixteen stones that are outlined with diamond clusters. Above the band rise four alternating crosses patée and fleurs de lis, all set with precious and semi-precious stones. The arches of the crown are bordered with silver pearls and set with gems and diamond clusters. The arches intersect, upon which sits a monde. The monde is a ball shaped object near the top of the crown. It is placed where the arches meet. The monde is topped by a cross patée which has drop-shaped silver pearls from each arm and is set with stones.

Inside the crown the Cap of Estate, which is made of purple velvet and edged with ermine. The Cap of Estate was sometimes used in the place of a royal crown. Henry VII introduced the custom of wearing his crown on top of it, possibly for greater comfort, in the fifteenth century.

St. Edward’s Crown is kept, along with the rest of the Crown Jewels, in the Jewel House at the Tower of London. It was last used at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952.

Sources:

The British Monarchy. “The Crown Jewels” (accessed July 17, 2009)

Butler, Colonel Sir Thomas. The Coronation Jewels and Coronation Ceremony. London: Pitkin Pictorials, 1992.

English Monarchs. "The Crown Jewels" (accessed July 17, 2009)

The copyright of the article St. Edward's Crown in UK/Irish History is owned by Kim Rush. Permission to republish St. Edward's Crown in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

St. Edward's Crown