Crown of Scotland
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The Crown of Scotland was made in its modern form for King James V of Scotland in 1540. It is part of the Honours of Scotland, the oldest set of royal regalia in the United Kingdom.
[edit] Manufacture
The crown manufactured for James V was refashioned from an older, lighter, damaged crown by the royal goldsmith, John Mosman in 1540. It has two arches (or four half-arches), on which a golden monde sits, topped off by a cross.
It is made mainly of gold and contains 22 gemstones and 20 precious stones taken from the older crown. It weighs 1.64 kg (3 lb 10 oz).
[edit] Usage
The crown was first worn by James V to the coronation of his second wife, Mary of Guise as queen consort at Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh, in the year of its manufacture. It was subsequently used in the coronations of the child monarchs Mary, Queen of Scots in 1543, and her son James VI in 1567. It was used for Scottish coronations of Charles I in 1633 and Charles II in 1651. No subsequent Scottish monarchs were crowned.
Having destroyed the ancient English Crown Jewels, Oliver Cromwell sought to destroy the Honours of Scotland but the Honours were buried in a secret location until the Protectorate fell and the monarchy was restored in 1660.
In the absence of a resident Scottish monarch after James VI had inherited the throne of England, the Honours were taken to sittings of the Parliament of Scotland to symbolise the sovereign's presence and the Royal Assent to legislation.
After the Act of Union of 1707, which merged the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England to form the Kingdom of Great Britain the Honours were locked away in Edinburgh Castle where they remained all but forgotten in a chest until 1818. Since 1819 they have been on display in the Crown Room of Edinburgh Castle.
The crown was formally brought to the first meeting of the modern Scottish Parliament in 1999.
[edit] External links
- Royal website
- The Honours of Scotland
- An internet picture from the official web site of "The Royal House of Stewart", which shows, on the left, the Crown of Scotland with the velvet cap removed
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