The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-05-05
THE COMING CORONATION.
HISTORY OF THE DI1DEMS TO
 BE PLACED
Upon the Heads of the King and Queen-Their Connection With Im- portant Epochs in British History.

It VIII, doubtless, occasion surprise to
 not few people to learn that at the
 coming coronation four if not five, dia-
 dems will be placed in succession upon
 the heads of King Edward and Queen
 Alexandra. Though the crowns in
 question are all comparatively modern
 in construction, the oldest dating no
 further back than 1861, yet, they are all
 magnificent in both design and orna-
 mentation. On the way to Westminster
 Abbey the king wears what Is called
 his Cap of Estate, composed of red vel
 vet. He removes this headgear on ar
 irving at the sacrarium, but replaces it
 upon his head during the sermon. The
 golden circlet worn by the queen cor
 responds to the kings Cap of Estate. It was originally manufactured for the
 consort of James IL, Mary of Modena,
 and is of an exceptionally chaste and
 beautiful design. It is alleged to have
 cost one hundred and ten thousand
 pounds. It is composed of a crimson velvet cap together with a richly jew eled rim, the upper edge consisting of a row of large pearls, rising into a point
 made by single diamond beneath a
 rich floral spray in gold open oak, and large rosettes of gold-work and dia- monds.
 The crown of England, which is, of course, the center of the whole ceremo- ny, is technically known as St. Ed wards crown. According to tradition, the crown of the great Alfred was ac- tually handed down from one sovereign to another being preserved either in the treasury at the abbey or, as in later days, at the Tower. Whether this be true or not, one thing is quite certain, that when in 1649 the commissioners of the Long Parliament arrived for the purpose of "totallie" destroying the re- galia, and all that savored of the de- tested monarchy, they proceeded first of all to compile an inventory in which the following curious items occur: King Alfred's crowne, of gold wyer- worke, sett with sight stones and two little bells of seventy nine and one-half ounces at three pounds per ounce, G24S los. 0d." Owing to the fact that the Confessor must presumably have been invested with this identical diiadem, it came to be also designated St. Ed wards crown and when in 1861 Charles II. set about restoring the havoc and ravages made twelve years previously, the new crown of England was at once styled by the old time-honored name From that date until now this crown has been placed upon the head of each successive sovereign by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and through some slight alterations have from time to time been made, 1t remains substantially the same kt,~A .1,s graced the brow of Charles II. It con- sists of circlet of gold adorned with rosettes of precious stones, set in ena- mel arabesques of white and red, the edges of the circlet being marked by rows of pearls, from which rise cross patees and f1eurs-de-lys alternat tely. From the four crosses spring two arch es of gold. crossing each other, and curving deeply downwards, being edged with pearls and bearing clusters of gems, set in arabesques of red and white. At the intersection of the arches there is placed a mound, enclosed by arch and fillet, and surmounted by a large cross-patee and inset with colored gems At the top of all there is large spheroidal pearl while from each arm of the cross there depends a pear shaped pearl Such, then, is the magni- ficent crown which will be solemnly placed upon King Edwards head by Archbishop Temple amid the thunders of cannons without and the cheers and plaudits of all within the abbey.
 As the ornament worn by the king is known as the crown of St. Edward, so that of the queen consort is termed the sof Hbat i+ extant at the time of the commonwealth | is abundantly clear, for a second entry in the Parliamentary inventory runs as follows: Queen Edith's crown for merly thought to be of massy gould, but 1 upon triall, found to be of silver gilt, l enriched with garnette, foure pearls, 1 saphires, and some old stones, p. ounce | sixty and one-half ounces, valued at | E16 0s. 0d.' Judging, however, by it's | appearance in the picture of Queen | Henrietta Maria, now in the National l Portrait gallery, the crown of Queen | Edith must have been of remarkably | peculiar shape. The necessity for SUD- 1 plying a new crown for the queen con- sort did not occur until 1885, when | Queen Mary of Modena's coronation l took place. A crown was then con- structed, not unlike St. Edwards crown in general appearance. It is, however no longer to be found among the rega- lia of England, for it was subsequently, broken up, the materials being used for other crowns A curioius story is rela- ted in the "Grevile Memoirs" in con- nection with Queen Adelaide at the time Of William TVS coronation
 Rode to Windsor to settle with the queen what sort of crown she would have to be crowned in She looked at the drawings, meant, appa- rently, to be civil to me in her ungra- clous way, and said she would have none of our crowns that she did not like to wear hired one, and asked me if I thought it was right she should. I said: Madam, I can only say that the late king wore one at his coronation' However, she said, I do not like it, and I have got jewels enough so 1 will have them made up myself The king said to me, Very well, then you will have to pay for the setting.' Oh, mo- she said I shall pay for it all myself
 As a matter of fact, the incident ter n, 4oJ in m orpmO hai,1o l