Card of the Day: The King’s Herbwoman

The King’s Herbwoman (or Herb Woman or Herb Strewer) was a ceremonial position most evident during the Coronation procession. As we look at the Silver Jubilee cards commemorating the 1935 celebration of King George V’s and Queen Mary’s twenty-five years on the throne, we get a glimpse at this custom which had long since fallen out of practice.

Typically, The Coronation Procession was led by the King's herb woman who was accompanied by six young attendants who strewed the path of the procession with herbs and flowers. Not only was this attractive to behold, but it served two practical purposes as well. It would scent the air as the horses stamped on the herbs and flowers. Let’s face it, the streets of London didn’t always smell so wonderful. And, secondly, the release of the aromas of certain plants was considered a way of protecting people from the threat of Plague. That thinking was rather flawed, but it was a nice idea.

The Herb Woman and her attendants would walk from the starting point of the procession (wherever the new monarch happened to be staying, this differed from coronation to coronation) to Wesminster Hall (now part of the Palace of Westminster) and then to Westminster Abbey for the Coronation itself.

These ceremonial ladies performed their office at the Coronation of each of the former Georges (I-!V), and were especially involved at the Coronation of George IV (seen in this card), where they wore matching wreaths upon their heads, and garlands of flowers about their dresses. The Coronation of George IV was the last occasion of the appearance of the Herb Woman and her girls. Upon the coronation of King William IV, his consort, Queen Adelaide, who was always determined to save money put a stop to the custom. Adelaide was wise to do this. Her husband’s brother and her father-in-law had done a splendid job of plunging the Empire into debt for their own personal pleasures. The Queen Consort wanted to show the people that more frugal times were ahead. While William IV was certainly more careful with funds than his predecessors, it wasn’t really until Queen Victoria’s reign that the family debt began to be erased.