Crowns of Mary of Modena

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Crowns of Mary of Modena
Mary of Modena's Crown.png
The State Crown of Mary of Modena
Details
CountryUnited Kingdom
Made1685
Owner Charles III in right of the Crown
Weight700 g (1.5 lb)
Arches4
MaterialGold
CapPurple velvet with an ermine band
Other elementsSilver, pearls, diamonds
SuccessorsNuptial Crown of Queen Charlotte

The Crowns of Mary of Modena are two consort crowns and a diadem made in 1685 for Mary of Modena, queen of England, Scotland and Ireland. They were used by future queens consort and queens regnant until the end of the 18th century.

Contents

The state crown and the diadem are on display in the Jewel House at the Tower of London, while the coronation crown is owned by the Museum of London.

Origin

Traditionally, when a king is married, his wife is crowned as queen at their coronation ceremony. [1] In 1649, the monarchy was abolished after a long civil war between Charles I and his Parliament, and the Crown Jewels were either sold or turned into coins by the Mint. [2] The coronation of Mary of Modena and her husband, James II and VII, marked the first time a queen was crowned after the restoration of the monarchy, Charles II having been unmarried when he took the throne in 1660. [3]

Three pieces of headgear were made for the queen: a diadem to wear in procession to Westminster Abbey, a coronation crown for the crowning, and a state crown to wear upon leaving the abbey. [4] Made by Richard de Beauvoir, the state crown was covered in diamonds valued at £35,000, and the bill for hiring them was £1,000. [5] She paid for the crowns and diadem out of her own pocket, and also commissioned two new sceptres and a coronation ring for the ceremony. [6]

Description

The gold state crown originally had 523 small diamonds, 38 large diamonds, and 129 large pearls. These have been replaced with quartz crystals. It is 19 centimetres (7.5 in) tall and weighs 700 grams (1.5 lb). [4] The crown is decorated with crosses pattée and fleurs-de-lis and has four half-arches, surmounted with a monde and cross pattée.

Mary's diadem was set with 177 diamonds, 78 pearls, 1 sapphire, 1 emerald, and 1 ruby; it now contains artificial gemstones and cultured pearls. [3] It is 8 centimetres (3.1 in) tall and weighs 300 grams (0.66 lb). [4]

Originally, the coronation crown weighed 600 grams (1.3 lb) and was set with 419 diamonds, 46 large pearls, 7 rubies, 7 sapphires, and 2 emeralds. [7]

Diadem of Mary of Modena.png
The queen's diadem, circle or circlet
Coronation Crown of Mary of Modena.png
The queen's coronation crown
State Crown of Mary of Modena.png
The queen's state crown or 'rich crown'
The three crowns created for Mary's 1685 coronation, published in Francis Sandford's 1687 account of the coronation of James II and Mary [8]

Usage

The coronation crown was subsequently used by queens regnant Mary II and Anne; and by queens consort Caroline of Ansbach [9] and Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. [4]

The state crown was entirely remade for the coronation of Mary II, which included the addition of the Black Prince's Ruby for the occasion, [10] while her husband, William III, wore the State Crown of Charles II. [11] It was subsequently worn by Anne, by George I in preference to Charles II's state crown, perhaps because Mary of Modena's State Crown was easier to wear over a full-bottomed wig, and then by Caroline. [11] Although Queen Charlotte wore the coronation crown at her crowning, she used her own nuptial crown, given to her as a wedding gift by George III, as her state crown. [11] [a] In 1831, the state crown was judged to be too theatrical and in a poor state of repair, and so a new crown was made for Queen Adelaide. [12] However, it is possible that Adelaide was crowned using one of Mary of Modena's crowns at her coronation. [4]

The state crown and diadem are now on display at the Jewel House at the Tower of London. The empty coronation crown was acquired from a private dealer by the Museum of London in 1956. It had been sent to the Crown Jewellers, Rundell & Bridge, for maintenance work in the 19th century, but was never returned to the royal family. [4]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Now part of the Hanovarian regalia [11]

References

  1. ↑ Dixon-Smith, et al., p. 38.
  2. ↑ Keay, p. 43.
  3. 1 2 Mears, et al., p. 25.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rose, pp. 36–37.
  5. ↑ Olivia Fryman in Bird and Clayton, "Ceremony and Coronation", p. 100.
  6. ↑ Olivia Fryman in Bird and Clayton, "Ceremony and Coronation", p. 63.
  7. ↑ Twining, p. 158.
  8. ↑ Sandford, Francis (1687). The history of the coronation of the most high, most mighty, and most excellent monarch, James II, by the grace of God, king of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, defender of the faith, &c. and of his royal consort Queen Mary : solemnized in the collegiate church of St. Peter in the city of Westminster, on Thursday the 23 of April, being the festival of St. George, in the year of Our Lord 1685 : with an exact account of the several preparations in order thereunto, Their Majesties most splendid processions, and their royal and magnificent feast in Westminster-Hall : the whole work illustrated with sculptures . Retrieved 7 August 2025.
  9. ↑ Twining, p. 169.
  10. ↑ Jones, Edward Alfred (1908). The Old Royal Plate in the Tower of London. Oxford: Fox, Jones & Co. pp. 63–67. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Twining, Edward Francis (1967). European Regalia. London: B T Batsford Ltd. p. 62. ISBN   9780713407075 . Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  12. ↑ Keay, p. 137.

Bibliography

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