CHAPTER III
THE REGALIA—_continued_
The Jewelled State Sword—The most valuable in the world—The emerald worth £2700—The sword described—The King offers it to the Church and redeems it for 100 shillings—The sword lost and found—The Sword of State—Carried before the King—The sword described—The three swords of Henry VIII—“Defender of the Faith”—The Sword Spiritual—The Sword Temporal—“Curtana,” or the Sword of Mercy—St. George’s golden spurs—The Bracelets—Bracelets worn by King Saul as well as Babylonian and Assyrian monarchs—The Coronation rings—The King’s ring—The Queen’s ring—Queen Victoria’s ring—Charles II’s Coronation ring—Coronation ring of Edward the Confessor—James II’s monde—Model of the Koh-i-Nur—Model of the Cullinan Diamond—Chisel and hammer.
THE Jewelled State Sword is the most beautiful and valuable sword in the world. To illustrate its value it may be mentioned that one stone alone, a square emerald set at cross of the hilt, is worth at least £2700, and this is only one of scores of precious stones which adorn this Sword. The grip is one mass of diamonds, which give so brilliant an effect that the beautiful designs are almost lost to sight; these are, however, when looked closely into, oak leaves and acorns. These may be, as in the State Crown, emblematic of Charles II and his oak tree, though perhaps, and more prophetically, an emblem of old England: the mighty oak that built her ships, and through them made her what she is in this year of grace.
At the head of the hilt of the Sword is a large and very valuable diamond, which has on its four sides four large rubies, and below these two rows of large emeralds and diamonds. The “quillions,” as the cross-piece between the hilt and the blade is called, is encrusted with a mass of small diamonds, so thickly set that the gold beneath is scarcely visible. At the extremities of the quillions are lions’ heads beautifully modelled and also formed entirely of small diamonds set close together.
The blade of the Sword is of Damascus steel of the very finest temper, and is in itself of great value. The scabbard is of dull gold ornamented throughout its length with jewels, both large and small. At the upper end is a cross formed of a sapphire, a ruby, two diamonds, and a yellow sapphire; this latter a rare and valuable stone. This rich cross is enclosed with laurel sprays of diamonds. Looking down the scabbard we see first the Rose of England, portrayed by a ruby set thickly round with diamonds. Then comes the Thistle of Scotland, fashioned out of rubies, emeralds, and diamonds; and next the Shamrock of Ireland, appropriately formed of emeralds alone. These three devices are thrice repeated as the scabbard fines away to a point. Between the devices are crossed golden sprays of laurel and palm leaves. On the “chape” or butt end of the scabbard appear again oak leaves and acorns formed of small diamonds. At the extreme tip is a large and very beautiful turquoise, oblong in shape, and set around with diamonds.
Naturally a sword of this magnificence is meant more for display on State occasions than for use on the field of battle; indeed, from a swordsman’s point of view, it would be quite impossible to firmly grip a hilt made of diamonds and other angularly cut stones. The scabbard and jewels are not ancient, whatever the history of the blade may be, having been made for the Coronation of George IV, just one hundred years ago. Since that reign this has been the Sword which the King at his Coronation hands to the Archbishop of Canterbury as symbolising that he places his Sword at the service of the Church. Happily for the financial stability of the empire, it is arranged between Church and State that after each Coronation the Keeper of the Jewel House is empowered to redeem the said Sword by paying to the Archbishop the apparently inadequate recompense of 100 shillings.
The Sword was rarely used except at coronations, and not being carefully guarded as it now is, got lost or mislaid in the reign of Queen Victoria, possibly because a queen has no use for a sword. For some decades this priceless weapon disappeared entirely, and then was only accidentally found at the back of an old disused cupboard. How truly British, both friends and semi-friends, will alike exclaim! Doubtless numbers of people had seen the box containing it, but as this box closely resembles an ordinary gun case, it was probably taken for one and left undisturbed. In this box, which looks like a gun case, are the emplacements for two swords. One is for the Jewelled Sword, but what lay in the other is not recorded—possibly a less ornate weapon for the King’s ordinary use when in uniform. This latter has disappeared probably amongst the cast-off accoutrements of some bygone monarch.
The Sword of State which is carried before the King at the opening of Parliament is quite a different weapon. It is a long, two-handed sword, with a gold hilt and quillion, and is encased in a crimson velvet scabbard. The length of the blade alone is 32 in., and the breadth of the same about 2 in. This is the Sword with which the King knighted the Prince of Wales when he was created a Knight of the Garter. The quillion of the sword is formed of an elongated lion on one side, and a similarly maltreated unicorn on the other. On the hilt are raised representations of a portcullis, a fleur-de-lis, and a harp. On the pommel are a thistle, an orb, and other emblems. Down the scabbard are various designs in gold, such as portcullis, the lion standing on a crown, orb, and cross. Then more conspicuously the Royal arms of England, the double Tudor rose, the thistle of Scotland, the harp of Ireland, and the fleur-de-lis of France.
The remaining three swords in the Jewel House are of a set, and were sent to Henry VIII by the Pope as Defender of the Faith. Henry VIII, as we know, disagreed with the Pope over his first matrimonial venture, and throwing His Holiness overboard, so to speak, made himself sole head of the Church of England. This bold deed, though based on a personal matter, was the foundation of England’s greatness. The swords the King retained, as also the title, which is still born by English sovereigns, and appears on their coins to this day: “Georgius V. D.G. Britt: Omn: Rex. F.D. Ind. Imp:”. These three swords are named the Sword Spiritual, the Sword Temporal, and “Curtana,” or the Sword of Mercy. They are long, straight swords with broad blades of exactly similar pattern, but there is one curious difference between Curtana and the other two, for the blade of this sword has had about six inches of blade broken off, leaving a blunt point. This break and shortening are intended to portray the element of Mercy.
The Golden Spurs, known as St. George’s Spurs, which are one of the King’s military emblems now to be seen in the Tower, were made for Charles II by Sir Robert Vyner, and were copied from the pair that existed in former ages, and which were sold or melted down by the Commonwealth. They are of the pattern known as “prick” spurs, for instead of rowels they have one sharp point. The straps are of crimson velvet embroidered in gold.
Bracelets have long been a regal emblem, being old even when Saul, King of Israel, was slain and the Amalekite brought his crown and bracelet to King David. The Babylonian and Assyrian monarchs wore bracelets as one of the insignia of royalty, whilst at the present day the Shah is the only male person in Persia who has a right to wear a bracelet. What may be the exact significance of the bracelet is not clear; it may have none, and may in the course of ages have become by usage one of the insignia of a reigning monarch. The bracelets at present in the Jewel House were made by Sir Robert Vyner for Charles II from some ancient design, and are of solid gold. On them are enamelled designs representing the emblems of the three kingdoms, as well as the fleur-de-lis of France. They are lined with crimson velvet.
A recent addition to the Crown Jewels in the Tower are the Coronation Rings. These are the private property of their Majesties, who with their usual gracious forethought have sent them to the Tower so that all their subjects may see them. The Coronation Rings are three in number: the King’s Ring, the Queen’s Ring, and a special ring made for Queen Victoria and presented to her by her uncle, William IV.
The King’s Ring is not ancient, dating only to the reign of William IV, and is of a magnificence that makes it unsuitable for daily wear even by a king in these days. In the centre is a very large and valuable sapphire which could not now be bought for £1000. Lying over this, in the form of a cross, are four long, narrow rubies. Round the whole is a circle of diamonds. The general design is to represent the Cross of St. George on a blue shield, as it is in insignia of the Order of the Garter.
The Queen’s Ring is not so large or ambitious, and might be worn without being unduly pronounced on ordinary occasions. In the centre is a large rectangular ruby set around with diamonds. The ruby is one of remarkable beauty and considerable value.
The third ring at the Jewel House is a small replica of the King’s Ring, and was bequeathed by William IV to the then Heir-Apparent to the throne, the Princess Victoria. A kindly thought on the part of the old King, knowing that a very large man’s ring would not be suitable for a young girl-queen. Unfortunately the jeweller was too much of a courtier, and made the ring so small that it caused Queen Victoria intense agony. The sapphire in this ring, though smaller, is so perfect as to be in value equal to the larger stone in the King’s Ring.
A much older Coronation ring than any of these is probably in existence. It belonged to Charles II, and was amongst the Stuart relics bequeathed to George III by Cardinal York. Where it is, or who owns it, is not known, for it must be remembered that these Coronation rings are the private property of each Sovereign and are at their disposal. It was therefore open to George III to give or bequeath it to whom he pleased.
Older far than any of these is the sapphire now in the cross paté on the summit of the King’s State Crown, which was in the Coronation ring of Edward the Confessor nearly 900 years ago. Perchance some future King will transpose the two sapphires as a matter of sentiment, replacing Edward the Confessor’s sapphire in the Coronation ring and transferring the sapphire now in that ring to the cross paté.
A typical example of the depredations to which the Crown Jewels were subject in less guarded days is shown in the Jewel House. This is a jewel which passed for long as a magnificent faceted aquamarine, in the shape of a monde or globe surmounted by a diamond cross, which figured first on top of the Crown of King James II. Many historians mention this stone with speechless admiration. Yet when a more critical age came to examine this precious stone, it was found to be nothing more valuable than a ball of coloured glass! Naturally when this discovery was made the ornament lost its place of honour on top of the King’s Crown, and is now shown only as a curiosity. Whether the original aquamarine had been disposed of by James II before his flight or sold in some long past reign by order of the King, or whether owing to slack guardianship it was removed through the connivance of the guardians and replaced by a worthless imitation, history does not relate. At any rate, an expert goldsmith and jeweller must have been in the secret for the making of an exact replica, and must have required prolonged possession of the model to work from. Probably, too, when the substitution was first discovered nobody cared to say much about it lest they themselves should be suspected of theft, or at least accused of criminal carelessness in its custody.
Amongst the Jewels may be seen a model of the Koh-i-Nur diamond as it was before being cut into the form of a brilliant. It was at that period set in an armlet with two lesser diamonds on either side, and could either thus be worn, or alternatively as an ornament in the turban, by the Eastern potentate who then owned the great diamond. This model is set in the original setting of gold, richly enamelled. The crimson silk cords ending in tassels of pearls and rubies, with which the armlet was furnished, are also shown in original. This model shows the curious conical shape the diamond then had from which its name, “The Mountain of Light,” was derived. A looking-glass set behind it enables one to see the beautiful enamels at the back of the setting.
Another model of great interest is that of the Cullinan diamond or the Star of Africa, exactly showing its size and appearance when first found. It is difficult to imagine a diamond of this size and appearance until we actually see the model. It will be found described amongst the greater gems in another place.
The Star of Africa was, it will be remembered, cut into four great portions, whilst numerous small pieces also resulted. This operation was performed at Amsterdam by the famous diamond-cutters, Messrs. Coster. The hammer and chisel with which this delicate operation was performed are kept in the Jewel House, and are most unlikely-looking instruments. The chisel is in the shape of a deep man’s comb without a handle, and is more like a wedge than a chisel, as generally understood. It is of hardened steel, yet not so hard but that it shows the marks where it struck the diamond. The hammer is equally unconventional, being a solid steel cylinder, like a short rod or truncheon. Apparently only three or four sharp blows opposite the natural cleavages were sufficient to break up the great rough stone into the four great Stars of Africa.
It is difficult by word of mouth, or with the pen, or even by illustrations, to give an adequate idea of the splendour and brilliancy of the Crown Jewels. They have to be seen to be adequately appreciated. This by the gracious permission of His Majesty the King it is possible for all, rich or poor, to achieve by visiting the Jewel House at the Tower of London. The poor can see them without toll or fee on what are known as “free days,” whilst the rich need only spend sixpence for the same privilege on “paying days.” If these chapters in any way help to give an added interest to their visit they will have amply achieved their object.