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Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and The Personal Jewel Collection of Elizabeth II

LUCRARE DE ATESTAT LA LIMBA

ENGLEZ

[Author name]

Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and The Personal Jewel Collection of Elizabeth II

Crown Jewels of the

United Kingdom and
The Personal Jewel
Collection of
Elizabeth II

[Author name]

Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and The Personal Jewel Collection of Elizabeth II

Why I chose this

topic...?

[Author name]

Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and The Personal Jewel Collection of Elizabeth II

Table of contents
1.
History of
Crown Jewels of the United
Kingdom
2.
What
includes Crown Jewels of the
United Kingdom

[Author name]

Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and The Personal Jewel Collection of Elizabeth II

n the United Kingdom, the Crown Jewels are a collection of more than 100 historic
ceremonial objects, including the regalia and vestments worn by the sovereign at his
or her coronation ceremony. The collection is made up of crowns, sceptres, orbs,
swords, rings, spurs, trumpets, plates, candlesticks and the royal robes, as well as

many other priceless objects. Although part of theRoyal Collection, held in trust by Queen
Elizabeth II for her successors and the nation, it does not belong to the monarch personally.
The jewels are housed in the Jewel House at the Tower of London, a vault designed for
up to 20,000 people a day to see the 23,578 diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. A
number of items are still used at coronations, State Openings of Parliamentand royal
christenings. Many pieces, like the trumpets and banqueting plate, have fallen out of use, and
some were only designed to be used once, such as the Imperial Crown of India and the ring
made for Queen Victoria's coronation in 1838.

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Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and The Personal Jewel Collection of Elizabeth II

1. History of Crown jwels

of the United Kingdom
Early history
The earliest known use of regalia in England was discovered by archaeologists in 1988
in Deal, Kent, and dates to between 200 and 150 BC. A crown, sword, scabbard, brooch and
ceremonial shield were found inside the tomb of the Mill Hill Warrior. A later dig in a field
atHockwold cum Wilton, Norfolk, revealed a large number of circlets and a bronze crown
with depictions of human faces. Following the conquest of Britain by the Roman Empire in
43 AD, crowns and other symbols of authority continued to be used by the governors of
Britain.
By the 5th century, the Romans had withdrawn from Britain, and the Angles and
the Saxons settled. A series of new kingdoms began to emerge. One of the methods used by
regional kings to solidify their authority over their territories was the use of ceremony
and insignia. The tomb of an unknown king (evidence suggests it is Rdwald of East
Anglia) provides a unique insight into the regalia of a pre-Christian Anglo-Saxon king. Buried
with him is an ornate bronze helmet decorated with faces and set with garnets. The king was
also buried with a sceptre, a decorated sword and a shield.
Restoration to present day
The British monarchy was eventually restored in 1661 after Cromwell's death, and in
preparation for the coronation of Charles II, new jewels were made based on records of the
lost items. The new regalia was made by Sir Robert Vyner at a cost of 12,184 as much as
three new warships. The Coronation Chair had been retained and used for Cromwell's
installation as Lord Protector. A few other pieces, such as the Coronation Spoon, were
returned to the king.
Around this time, the jewels went on public display at the Tower of London. A 77year-old custodian named Talbot Edwards would take the regalia out of a cupboard and show
it to visitors for a small fee. The arrangement was ended in 1671 when Colonel Thomas
Blood, an Anglo-Irish army officer loyal to Parliament, attacked the custodian. He and two
accomplices made off with a crown, sceptre and the Sovereign's Orb. They got as far as the

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Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and The Personal Jewel Collection of Elizabeth II

perimeter, where they were apprehended and taken into custody. Ever since, the Crown Jewels
have been kept under armed guard in a part of the tower known as the Jewel House.
Since the Restoration, there have been many additions and alterations to the regalia.
Starting with Charles II's successor, Queen Anne, gemstones would be hired for the
coronation and replaced with paste or crystal for display in the Jewel House, a practice which
continued until the early 20th century.
During World War II, the Crown Jewels were moved from the Tower of London to a
secret location. In 1990, The Sunday Telegraph, citing a biography of the French army
general, Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, by his widow, Simonne, reported that George VI hid the
most valuable diamonds and gemstones at the bottom of a lake near Windsor Castle, about
32 km (20 miles) outside London, where they remained until after the war. The only people
who knew of the hiding place were the king and his librarian, Sir Owen Morshead, who
apparently revealed the secret to the general and his wife on their visit to England in 1949.
In 2012, Martin Swift of Mappin & Webb was appointed as the Crown Jeweller,
responsible for the upkeep of the jewels.

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Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom and The Personal Jewel Collection of Elizabeth II

2. What includes Crown Jewels

of the United Kingdom
2.1