Card of the Day: The Crown of Scotland

I accidentally skipped a card in the Churchman Cigarette Silver Jubilee series from 1935. And, now, Bertie is angry with me. Unfortunately, it was the Crown of Scotland that I missed. So, let’s hop back for a moment and have a look at it.


The Crown of Scotland is the crown used at the coronation of the monarchs of Scotland. The crown that is known today is actually a redesign of the original crown which was remade in its for King James V of Scotland in 1540. It is considered the oldest of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. The original crown was made around 1503.

In January 1540, King James V commissioned the royal Scottish goldsmith, John Mosman, to refashion the Crown. As it was, the crown was delicate after poor repairs over the previous 30 years, and a 1539 inventory showed even further damage than expected, including the loss of one fleur-de-lis. John Mosman completely dismantled the original crown, removing its many gems and pearls. The gold was melted down and, then, 41 ounces of gold mined was added.

The redesigned crown was constructed of solid gold with four fleur-de-lis alternating with four strawberry leaves. As is typical of the crown of a King, it consists of four arches which are adorned with gold and red oak leaves. A golden monde, painted blue with gold stars at the apex of the arches is surmounted by a large cross decorated in gold and black enamel with pearls. Twenty-two jewels, including garnets, rubies and amethysts, along with another twenty semi-precious stones and sixty-eight Scottish freshwater pearls are set in the crown.

The original lining was purple and ermine and was ordered by James V from tailor Thomas Arthur of Edinburgh to fit inside the crown. The bonnet has been replaced several times. James VII ordered the color of the bonnet to be changed to red as it remains today, having been replaced in 1993.