The State Crown of Mary of Modena is the
consort crown
A consort crown is a crown worn by the consort of a monarch for their coronation or on state occasions.
Unlike with reigning monarchs, who may inherit one or more crowns for use, consorts sometimes had special crowns made uniquely for them and ...
made in 1685 for
Mary of Modena, queen of England, Scotland and Ireland. It was used by future queens consort up until the end of the 18th century.
Originally set with hired diamonds, the crown is set with crystals for display in the
Jewel House
The Jewel House is a vault housing the British Crown Jewels in the Waterloo Block (formerly a barracks) at the Tower of London. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 and refurbished in 2012. Regalia have been kept in various parts of ...
at the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...
.
Mary also had a
diadem
A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty.
Overview
The word derives from the Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", from διαδέω ''diadéō'', " ...
, also in the Jewel House, and a
coronation crown
A coronation crown is a crown used by a monarch when being crowned. In some monarchies, monarchs have or had a number of crowns for different occasions, such as a coronation crown for the moment of coronation and a ''state crown'' for general u ...
, now owned by the
Museum of London
The Museum of London is a museum in London, covering the history of the UK's capital city from prehistoric to modern times. It was formed in 1976 by amalgamating collections previously held by the City Corporation at the Guildhall Museum (fou ...
.
Description
The gold crown originally had 523 small diamonds, 38 large diamonds, and 129 large pearls. These have been replaced with quartz crystals. It is tall and weighs .
The crown is decorated with
crosses pattée and
fleurs-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol.
The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...
and has four
half-arches, surmounted with a
monde
A ''monde'', meaning 'world' in French, is an orb located near the top of a crown. It represents, as the name suggests, the world that the monarch rules. It is the point at which a crown's half arches meet. It is usually topped off either w ...
and cross pattée.
Origin
![Mary of Modena Kneller](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Mary_of_Modena_Kneller.jpg)
Traditionally, when a king is married, his wife is crowned as queen at their coronation ceremony. In 1649, the monarchy was abolished after a long civil war between
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
and his Parliament, and the
Crown Jewels were either sold or turned into coins by
the Mint. 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.
[Mears, et al., p. 25.]
![Mary of Modena's Diadem](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Mary_of_Modena%27s_Diadem.png)
Three pieces of headgear were made for the queen: a
diadem
A diadem is a type of crown, specifically an ornamental headband worn by monarchs and others as a badge of royalty.
Overview
The word derives from the Greek διάδημα ''diádēma'', "band" or "fillet", from διαδέω ''diadéō'', " ...
to wear in procession to
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...
, a coronation crown for the crowning, and a
state crown to wear upon leaving the Abbey.
[Rose, pp. 36–37.] 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. 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.
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, and is also on display at the Tower of London.
It is tall and weighs .
Her empty coronation crown was acquired from a private dealer by the
Museum of London
The Museum of London is a museum in London, covering the history of the UK's capital city from prehistoric to modern times. It was formed in 1976 by amalgamating collections previously held by the City Corporation at the Guildhall Museum (fou ...
in 1956. It had been sent to the
Crown Jeweller
The Crown Jeweller is responsible for the maintenance of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, and is appointed by the British monarch. The current Crown Jeweller is Mark Appleby, who was appointed in 2017.
History
The post was created in 1843 ...
s,
Rundell & Bridge
Rundell & Bridge were a London firm of jewellers and goldsmiths formed by Philip Rundell (1746–1827) and John Bridge (baptized 1755–1834).
History
When Edmond Walter Rundell, nephew of Philip Rundell, was admitted as a partner in 1804, th ...
, for maintenance work in the 19th century, but was never returned to the Royal family.
Originally, the crown weighed and was set with 419 diamonds, 46 large pearls, 7 rubies, 7 sapphires, and 2 emeralds.
[Twining, p. 158.]
Usage
The crown was subsequently used by queens regnant
Mary II and
Anne
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
; and by queens consort
Caroline of Ansbach and
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...
.
In 1831, the crown was judged to be too theatrical and in a poor state of repair, and so
another crown was made for the new queen,
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
, house = Saxe-Meiningen
, father = Georg I, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
, mother = Princess Louise Eleonore of Hohenlohe-Langenburg
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Meiningen, Saxe-Meiningen, Holy  ...
.
[Keay, p. 137.] However, it is possible that Adelaide was crowned using one of Mary of Modena's crowns.
See also
*
Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
The Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, also known as The Queen Mother's Crown, is the crown made for Queen Elizabeth to wear at her coronation alongside her husband, King George VI, in 1937 and State Openings of Parliament during her hu ...
*
Crown of Queen Mary
The Crown of Queen Mary is the consort crown made for Mary of Teck in 1911.
Mary bought the Art Deco-inspired crown from Garrard & Co. herself, and hoped that it would be worn by future queens consort. It is unusual for a British crown because ...
*
Crown of Queen Alexandra
The Crown of Queen Alexandra was the consort crown of the British queen Alexandra of Denmark. It was manufactured for the 1902 coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
Background
Queen Victoria's death in January 1901 ended 64 years ...
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{Crowns
1685 works
Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom
Mary of Modena
Mary of Modena