Crown that was used for coronation of monarchs of Scotland
Crown of Scotland
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Country
| Scotland
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Made
| 1540
(remade from previous version)
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Owner
| Charles III
in right of
the Crown
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Weight
| 1.6 kg (3.5 lb)
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Arches
| 4
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Material
| Scottish gold and silver
[1]
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The
Crown of Scotland
(
Scots
:
Croun o Scotland
,
Scottish Gaelic
:
Crun na h-Alba
) is the centrepiece of the
Honours of Scotland
. It is the
crown
that was used at the
coronation
of the
monarchs of Scotland
, and it is the oldest surviving crown in the
British Isles
and among the oldest in
Europe
.
A crown must have been made during the reign of
Robert the Bruce
or his son,
David II
, as David was
anointed
and crowned, as were all the subsequent
Stewart
kings. It was probably this new crown that was remodelled into the current crown. Remade in its current form for
James V
in 1540, the crown was last used in a coronation to crown
Charles II
in 1651. Until
1707
the crown was present at the opening of each term of the
Parliament of Scotland
as a symbol of royal authority. The crown has been present at each Opening Ceremony of the
Scottish Parliament
since 1999.
Made of solid gold and
silver
, the crown weighs 1.6 kilograms (3.5 lb) and is decorated with 69 Scottish freshwater
pearls
and 43
gemstones
.
[2]
Stylised versions of the crown appear upon the version of the
royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
used in Scotland and the Scottish
Royal Cypher
of
Charles III
.
The Crown of Scotland is kept on public display in the Crown Room at
Edinburgh Castle
.
Description
[
edit
]
The base of the Crown of Scotland is a
circlet
of solid
gold
set with 22 large
pearls
and the twenty
gemstones
from the old crown. These pearls and gemstones are set within frames with leaf-shaped sides and
silver
and
enamel
upper and lower sections. On the top edge of the circlet are forty gold half circles, with each half circle topped by an alternating sequence of twenty pearls, ten gold
fleurs-de-lis
, and ten gold
crosses fleury
. Each cross fleury features four pearls surrounding a central gemstone.
[3]
The circlet supports the four solid gold arches from the old crown, each of which is decorated with gold and red-enamelled
oak
leaves. The arches are topped by a gold
monde
, which is enamelled blue and covered with small gold stars, and topped by a gold
cross pattee
, set off with black enamel, eight pearls and a large
amethyst
. James V's
royal cypher
'JR5' appears on the lower arm of the cross on top of the crown, enamelled in black.
[4]
The crown has a red
velvet
bonnet
, with four enamelled gold ornaments adorned with a pearl attached to it between the four arches.
[5]
History
[
edit
]
Origins
[
edit
]
The earliest known depiction of a Scottish monarch wearing a crown is from the reign of
Edgar
(1097?1107), who was depicted on his
Great Seal
wearing a crown and holding a sceptre and sword.
[6]
The first written reference to the Crown of Scotland dates from the
abdication
of
John Balliol
in 1296, when the Scottish regalia was described as consisting of a sceptre, sword, crown and ring. The crown and other regalia were seized by the army of
Edward I of England
in 1296 and taken to
England
.
[7]
Following his seizure of the throne in 1306,
Robert the Bruce
was crowned at
Scone Abbey
with a newly made circlet of gold.
[8]
The circlet was captured by the English after the
Battle of Methven
and taken to England and, although it has been claimed that the present Crown of Scotland incorporates the original circlet, there is no record of the circlet ever having been returned to Scotland and no clear evidence for this claim.
[9]
A new crown must have been made during the reign of Robert the Bruce or his son,
David II
, as David was
anointed
and crowned, as were all the subsequent
Stewart
kings, and it was probably this new crown that was remodelled into the current crown.
[10]
[11]
[12]
From the reign of Edgar until the reign of
James III
(1460?1488) the Crown of Scotland was depicted as a circlet or "open" crown surmounted by fleurs de lis around its rim.
[13]
The first evidence of a change in the form of the crown appears late in the reign of James III, with the king depicted on a silver coin of 1484 wearing an
imperial
or "closed" crown with four arches surmounted by a
monde
and cross The earliest illustration of the Crown of Scotland as an imperial crown dates from 1503 when
James IV
was depicted wearing an imperial crown in the
Book of Hours
commissioned for his marriage to
Margaret Tudor
.
[14]
The accuracy of this depiction of the crown has been questioned, as the artist lived in County of Flanders and would never have seen the crown. The Crown of Scotland most probably assumed the form of an imperial crown when it was remodelled in August 1532.
[15]
The existing crown was delicate and had been repaired in May 1532, and would be again the following year by
Adam Leys
.
[16]
Remodelled
[
edit
]
In January 1540, James V commissioned the royal goldsmith,
John Mosman
, to remodel the crown.
[17]
Mosman dismantled the old crown, removing the four arches and all the gemstones and pearls. The circlet of the old crown was melted down, and Mosman added 41 ounces of
Scottish gold
mined at
Leadhills
in
Lanarkshire
.
[18]
Mosman created a new circlet and decorated it with the gemstones and pearls from the old crown, added the four arches, the monde and cross. James V ordered a purple and ermine bonnet from tailor
Thomas Arthur
of Edinburgh to fit inside the crown.
[19]
James VII
ordered the colour of the bonnet be changed to red in 1685. The bonnet has been replaced several times, and the present bonnet was made in 1993.
[20]
16th and 17th centuries
[
edit
]
The crown was first worn in the year of its re-modelling by James V to the
coronation
at
Holyrood Abbey
of his second wife,
Mary of Guise
, as
queen consort
. It was subsequently used in the coronations of the infant monarchs
Mary, Queen of Scots
in 1543 and
James VI
in 1567. In the absence of a resident Scottish monarch following the
Union of the Crowns
in 1603, the
Honours of Scotland
were carried to sittings of the
Parliament of Scotland
in Edinburgh to symbolise the
monarch
's presence and the
royal assent
to legislation. The crown was used at the
coronation
of
Charles I
at the
Holyrood Abbey
in 1633, and of
Charles II
at
Scone
parish church in 1651. The subsequent monarchs of Scotland only took the Scottish coronation oath, and were never crowned in Scotland. During the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
, having already destroyed the
English Crown Jewels
,
Oliver Cromwell
sought to destroy the Scottish Regalia. However, the Honours of Scotland were secretly buried at
Dunnottar Castle
,
Aberdeenshire
, until Charles II was restored in 1660.
18th and 19th centuries
[
edit
]
Following the
Act of Union
of 1707, which united the
Kingdom of Scotland
and the
Kingdom of England
to form the
Kingdom of Great Britain
, and having no ceremonial role to play in the proceedings of the new
Parliament of Great Britain
in
London
, the Honours of Scotland were locked away in
Edinburgh Castle
. There they remained all but forgotten in a chest until 1818, when a group of people including
Sir Walter Scott
set out to find them. Since 1819 they have been on display in the
Crown Room of Edinburgh Castle
from where they are removed only for state occasions; the first in 1822 when presented to
George IV
, at the
Palace of Holyroodhouse
during his visit to Edinburgh, (the first visit to Scotland by a reigning monarch since Charles II in 1651).
20th and 21st centuries
[
edit
]
On 24 June 1953, following her
coronation
at
Westminster Abbey
, the Crown of Scotland was carried before
Elizabeth II
in a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to
St Giles' Cathedral
where the Honours of Scotland were presented to the monarch during a National Service of Thanksgiving.
The Crown of Scotland has been present at the royal opening ceremonies of the modern
Scottish Parliament
, including the first in 1999,
[21]
and the official opening of the new
Scottish Parliament Building
at Holyrood in 2004.
[22]
On such occasions the crown, carried by the
Duke of Hamilton
, the hereditary bearer of the Crown of Scotland, immediately precedes the monarch in the custom of the ancient opening ceremonial procession known as the
Riding of Parliament
.
The Crown of Scotland was placed upon the coffin of Elizabeth II as she lay-at-rest in St Giles' Cathedral from 12 to 13 September 2022.
[23]
In July 2023 the Crown was presented to
Charles III
at a
national service of thanksgiving
at St Giles' Cathedral.
[24]
Appearance in heraldry
[
edit
]
As well as appearing in the
Royal coat of arms of the UK used in Scotland
, the crown appears in the version of the UK royal arms used by the
Scotland Office
, and also appeared in the arms used by the former
Scottish Executive
.
Stylised versions of the crown appear upon Scottish version of the
Royal Cypher
of
Charles III
and upon the badges of the
Royal Regiment of Scotland
,
The Royal British Legion Scotland
, the
Scottish Ambulance Service
,
Police Scotland
and, (as part of the
crest
of the
Royal Arms
), upon the logos of the
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
,
RCAHMS
, and
General Register Office for Scotland
.
A version of the crown is used upon
Royal Mail
premises, vehicles and Scottish
pillar
,
lamp
and
wall
boxes, and a metal insert plate showing the Crown of Scotland also appears on model K6
red telephone boxes
in Scotland.
From 1927 until its abolition in 1975, the arms of
Kincardineshire
County Council featured the crown, together with the sword and sceptre, above an artist's rendering of Dunnottar Castle, to mark the county's status as the 17th-century hiding place of the Honours of Scotland during the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
.
[25]
The Crown of Scotland also appears on maritime flags, including the
Blue Ensign
of vessels belonging to
Marine Scotland
(Compliance Division), and upon the
burgees
of certain royal yacht clubs in Scotland including, for example, that of the Royal Scottish Motor Yacht Club.
[26]
From 1968 to 2008, the reverse of the
Five pence coin
, minted for circulation throughout the United Kingdom, featured the Royal Badge of Scotland ? a thistle surmounted by the Crown of Scotland.
The crown, as a component of the Royal Badge of Scotland ('A Thistle Royally Crowned'), appeared on a 'Regional' series of pre-decimal definitive Royal Mail stamps from 1958 to 1970.
In 2003 a new crown was made for the
Lord Lyon King of Arms
, modelled on the Crown of Scotland.
[27]
This crown has removable arches (like one of the late
Queen Mother
's crowns) which will be removed at coronations to avoid any hint of
lese-majeste
.
[28]
Gallery
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
The Honours of Scotland
, Official website of the British Royal Family.
- ^
Chris Tabraham,
The Honours of Scotland: The Story of the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny
(Edinburgh: Historic Environment Scotland, 2019), pp. 50-54.
- ^
Chris Tabraham,
The Honours of Scotland
(Edinburgh, 2019), pp. 50-54.
- ^
Alexander Brook, 'Technical Description of the Regalia of Scotland',
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries
, 24 (1890), p. 61.
- ^
Chris Tabraham,
The Honours of Scotland
(Edinburgh, 2019), pp. 50-54.
- ^
Chris Tabraham,
The Honours of Scotland
(Edinburgh, 2019), p. 17.
- ^
Chris Tabraham,
The Honours of Scotland
(Edinburgh, 2019), pp. 19-22.
- ^
Chris Tabraham,
The Honours of Scotland
(Edinburgh, 2019), p. 22.
- ^
Chris Tabraham,
The Honours of Scotland: The Story of the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny
(Edinburgh, 2019), p. 25.
- ^
Colm Macnamee,
Robert Bruce: Our Most Valiant Prince, King and Lord
(Edinburgh, Birlinn, 2018), p. 271.
- ^
Dunbar, Sir Archibald H.,
Scottish Kings — A Revised Chronology of Scottish History 1005?1625
, Edinburgh, 1899, pp. 146?7
- ^
Chris Tabraham,
The Honours of Scotland
(Edinburgh, 2019), pp. 25-26.
- ^
Chris Tabraham,
The Honours of Scotland: The Story of the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny
(2019), p. 44.
- ^
Chris Tabraham,
The Honours of Scotland: The Story of the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny
(2019), p. 44.
- ^
Chris Tabraham, 'The Honours of Scotland: The Story of the Scottish Crown Jewels and the Stone of Destiny', (2019), p. 49.
- ^
Chris Tabraham,
The Honours of Scotland
(Edinburgh, 2019), p. 49: Andrea Thomas,
Princelie Majestie, the court of James V
(Edinburgh: John Donald, 2005), p. 262.
- ^
Charles Burnett
, 'Outward Signs of Majesty', Janet Hadley Williams,
Stewart Style, 1513?1542
(Tuckwell, 1996), p. 293.
- ^
Chris Tabraham,
The Honours of Scotland
(Edinburgh, 2019), p. 50:
James Balfour Paul
,
Accounts of the Treasurer
, vol. 7 (Edinburgh, 1907), p. 278.
- ^
James Balfour Paul,
Accounts of the Treasurer
, vol. 7 (Edinburgh, 1907), p. 285.
- ^
Chris Tabraham,
The Honours of Scotland
(Edinburgh, 2019), p. 54: Alexander Brook, 'Technical Description of the Regalia of Scotland',
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries
, 24 (1890), p. 63.
- ^
"The Scottish Parliament Parliamentary News Release"
. Archived from
the original
on 21 June 2009.
- ^
"The Scottish Parliament Media Briefing Note"
. Archived from
the original
on 19 May 2006.
- ^
"Crown of Scotland to be placed on Queen's coffin while it lays-at-rest"
.
The Scotsman
. 12 September 2022
. Retrieved
12 September
2022
.
- ^
"King Charles receives Scottish crown jewels"
.
BBC News
. 4 July 2023
. Retrieved
5 July
2023
.
- ^
"The Coat of Arms of Kincardineshire"
.
- ^
"The Royal Scottish Motor Yacht Club"
.
- ^
"Lord Lyon gets his crown back"
.
The Scotsman
. 13 July 2003
. Retrieved
25 February
2018
.
- ^
"Offers of Arms: Kings, Heralds and Pursuivants"
.
- ^
"Queen Elizabeth II and Scotland"
.
National Records of Scotland
. NRS. 31 May 2013
. Retrieved
24 July
2019
.
External links
[
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]
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- Extant monarchies in
bold
- Former or historical
sovereign states
shown in
italics
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