The Monmouth inquirer., 1924-10-02
ANCIENT puDlAr OF CROWNS.
Many Have Undergone This Expert.
ence, Others Still Underground.

Many Have Undergone This Expert.
ence, Others Still Underground.
st. Olafs crown. with which King
Haakon was invested at Drondheim
in obedience to the demands both of
the National Constitution and of popu
lar sentiment in the land of his adop
ton, has undergone many strange
vicissitudes since the days. more than
1000 years ago. when it surmounted
the leonine names Of the earliest
Christian rulers Of Norway. It has
been lost, stolen and carried off
among the spoils Of war by foreign
invaders. 1t has, ON several occa
sions, been almost destroyed by IRE;
has been shipwrecked. and has been
buried.
The latter, indeed, is an experience
to which most Of the older crowns OF
Europe have, at one time or another
been subjected. The burial has usu-
ally been for purposes Of conceal
meRt, and there are several notable
instances where those who have thus
hidden this most important of all the
emblems of sovereignty have died
without revealing their secret. which
remains, to this day. an unraveled
mystery. Many, indeed, are the chap.
ters of fascinating romance contained
in the history of these European
crowns. two. at least, of which have
been buried in America
It is interesting TO cali attention
to this Just at q time when the
searches pursued throughout many
years for two of the missing crowns
of England seem to be on the eve OF
a successful issue. One is the crown
Of King Edward the Confessor. which
was worn in turn by King Harold by
William the ConQueror, by his son,
Rufus, by Richard Occur de Lion OF
Crusader fame and by King John,
whose principal claim to a place in
the history is to be found in the fact
that ne granted that Magma Charta
which is the basis of the English
Constitution, and that he lost the
crown of Alfred the Great with the
scepter, the orb. the Sword of State,
and all the other insignia Of royalty
In his disastrous Journey from Kings
Lynn across the Wash on the east
coast Of England. He was overtaken
by the tide and by a terrible storm
in the Wash, narrowly escaped with
his life, and when, some days later,
q search was made. no trace Of the
missing treasures could be found.
II was taken for granted that they
had been swept out to sea by the
storm. But this presumption now ap-
pears to have been erroneous. For
the discovery Of superb silver cup,
bearing the name and sypher Of King
John, near Gedney Drove End, on the
border OF the Wash. has not only
served to demonstrate the fallacy OF
this belief, but also to indicate the
location of the missing treasures be
meath the sand, the mud and the
stones piled up over them during the
700 years that have elapsed since
their loss.
Americans are engaged in pursu'
ing the search for the other missing
crown of England, which was con
structed for the coronation OF King
Charles H., and which the notorious
Colonel Blood endeavored to steal dur
ing the reign Of the "Merrie Mon
arch" but which was eventually car
ried off by his brother, James H., to
France, along with other treasures,
when deprived Of bis throne and com
PEELED to seek refuge at ST. German,
The much-vaunted hospitality OF
I,ouis XIV. of France to his exiled
brother-sovereign was not Of such an
altogether chivalrous and generous
character as has been asserted James
was more of prisoner-of-state than
an honored and Welcome guest, and IS
shown by letters and memoirs OF thar
epoch, published in recent years, nor
only to have cruelty resented the re-
etrictions and the lack Of liberty to
which he was subjected by LIE Grand
Mornarque. but also to have been I'M
bued with a wholesome distrust ana
even dread Of the thoroughly unscru'
puious Bourbon King. He realized
that were Louis to become aware that
he had brought him some forty cases
Of treasure, to the tune Of SlOOoO,OO0-
comprising vast quantity of jewels
and the Charles II. crown, His Gallo
Majesty would not only put stop TO
the pension grudgingly paid to the ex-
lied sovereign Of st. German, but
would likewise take immediate steps
10 possess himself Of the valuables in
question. That King James had this
treasure in his possession is an his
toricai fact That he neither dis
posed Of 1t, nor was robbed thereof,
is equally wen established. But what
has become of it is matter Of specu-
lation-