Card of the Day: The Legend of the Coronation Ring

The fortieth card in the 1935 Silver Jubilee Series by the Churchman Cigarette Company depicts the "Legend of the Coronation Ring" which is also known as the "Legend of St. Edward’s Ring" or the "Legend of the Confessor’s Ring."


The story of Saint Edward's ring was first printed in England by William Caxton, in the "Golden Legende.” As the legend goes, King Edward the Confessor was approached by a beggar, "a fayre old man." Since Edward was unattended and had neither money nor purse, the saintly King removed a ring from his own finger and gave it to the beggar.

Later, two English pilgrims, lost in the Holy Land, met "a fayre ancient man, wyth whyte heer for age,” who asked them who they were and where they were from. When he heard that they were lost English pilgrims, the old man offered assistance and led them to a majestic city where he offered them food and lodging.

The next morning, the old man traveled with the two pilgrims and led them to the right road. As they journeyed he took delight in the pilgrims’ talk of their saintly King, Edward. After awhile, the old man bid them farewell and said, " I am Johan, the Evangelist, and saye ye unto Edward, your kynge, that I greet him well." With that, he removed from his finger a gold ring which they were to give to their monarch on their return to their own country. The old man then vanished.

When the pilgrims returned to England, they took the ring to Edward, who at once recognized it as the one he had given to the venerable, old beggar.

Okely dokely.

This ring is thought to have been buried with Edward in his shrine in Westminster Abbey. Whether or not that’s true or if the ring survives is a matter of debate. Still, the legend of St. Edward's ring is commemorated in three places in the Abbey: over a gate leading into Dean's Yard, in the glass of one of the eastern windows, and on the screen which divides the Confessor's shrine from the Choir.

At some point, a new ring was fashioned which was used for the Coronation of Charles II. " The Wedding-Ring of England, pledge of the Marriage that is made between the King and his people," is placed on the third finger of the Sovereign's right hand during the Coronation.  A different ring with a violet-colored ruby was used for King James II.

A ring has been used in all English coronations since the Tenth Century. The Sovereign’s ring is meant as a symbol is faith which represents the new monarch’s marriage to the nation. During the coronation ceremony, the ring is blessed with two prayers by the Archbishop before being given to the sovereign who is meant to wear it on the right hand. Legend states that the tighter the ring fits, the longer and more successful the monarch’s reign will be. That was a good omen for Queen Victoria who, as we’ve discussed, had the ring jammed on the wrong finger during her coronation. It seems to have worked since her reign was—for now—the longest of any monarch.

Today, the Sovereign’s Ring used at the coronations was made for King William IV in 1831. This is the ring that has been used at the coronation of every succeeding monarch, with the exception of Queen Victoria whose tiny fingers couldn’t handle her uncle’s large ring. The current ring weighs 84.45 carats and is set with a large sapphire surrounded by diamonds. Five rubies are set on the sapphire in the form of a cross. The design represents the red cross of St. George and the blue flag of St. Andrew.

Queen Victoria’s ring was a smaller version of William IV’s coronation ring. Hers weighed 42.74 carats and was of a similar design--set with a large sapphire surrounded by 20 diamonds. Five rubies form a cross on top of the sapphire and 31 diamonds decorate the shank of the ring.

Card of the Day: The Head of the Royal Sceptre with the Cross

Certainly the most famous scepter in the British Crown Jewels, if not the world, this majestic rod features one of the most celebrated diamonds ever cut. It is known as the Sceptre with the Cross, St Edward's Sceptre, the Sovereign's Sceptre or the Royal Sceptre and was originally made for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661—as most of the Regalia seems to have been.

In 1905, the scepter was largely rebuilt and redesigned to accommodate the Cullinan Diamond—still one of the largest diamonds in the world along with its collection of other impressive gems. Properly called the Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa, the diamond weighs over 530 carats. The Cullinan I can be removed from the scepter and worn as a brooch—a very heavy brooch about the size of a fist. The Cullinan diamond was the largest diamond ever found in the world and was cut into 9 different pieces with the Cullinan I the largest among them.



The Sceptre with the Cross
Crown Copyright
Used with the Permission of the
Brtish Monarchy

 This Scepter symbolizes the temporal authority of the Monarch under the Cross. During the coronation, the Monarch holds the Sceptre with the Cross in the right hand and the Sceptre with the Dove in the left while the Archbishop of Canterbury places St Edward's Crown on his or her head.

The Cullinan I
Crown Copyright
Image courtesy of
The British Monarchy

King Edward VII
with the Sceptre with the Cross in 1902
Before the Addition of the Cullinan I
Samuel Luke Fildes
The Royal Collection

Card of the Day: The Royal Orbs

The Sovereign's Orb is depicted at the bottom.

Here’s some more of the Coronation Regalia as depicted by the Churchman Cigarette Company’s 1935 Silver Jubilee series of cards. This card depicts the two orbs in the Crown Jewels of Britain.


Of the two orbs, the most famous and frequently used is the one known as The Sovereign's Orb, which was made by Sir Robert Vyner for King Charles II. It is distinctive for the large amethyst, which is cut in facets which supports the cross patée. Six inches in diameter, it is outlined by fine pearls and sparkling gems set in borders of white and red enamel. The adornment includes large rubies, sapphires, and emeralds alternately, each surrounded by diamonds.

The Sovereign's Orb as it is today.
Crown Copyright
Image Courtesy of the Official Web Site of the British Monarchy

The cross above the large amethyst is punctuated in the center on one side by an emerald, and on the other a sapphire and is outlined by rows of diamonds. Three large diamonds dot the each arm. Between the base of the cross and the amethyst, a collar of small diamonds has been set and at the end of each of the upper arms of the cross, a large pearl has been placed.

The Orb is a religious symbol representing the Monarch's role as Defender of the Faith and as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. As part of the Coronation Ceremony, the Archbishop of Canterbury places the Orb in the Monarch's right hand. Later, the Orb is then placed on the altar, where it remains throughout the conclusion of the Coronation. At the end of the ceremony, the Monarch holds the Orb in the left hand, with the Sceptre with the Cross in the right hand, and the Imperial State Crown upon his or her head.

H.M. Queen Elizabeth II upon her Coronation in 1953.
She holds the Sovereign's Orb, the Sceptre with the Cross and wears
the Imperial State Crown.
Crown Copyright
Image Courtesy of the British Monarchy.

Card of the Day: The Ampulla and Spoon

As we continue our look at the Coronation Jewels and Regalia via the 1935 Churchman Cigarette Card series for the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary, let’s take a glance at two objects that we rarely get to see: The Ampulla and the Spoon.


The Ampulla was made around 1661 and is in the form of a golden eagle, some 8 inches high with a wingspan of 7.75 inches. This vessel holds the holy oil which is used to anoint the Sovereign during the Coronation Ceremony. In short, it’s a fancy gold spewer. The oil pours forth from the beak (there is a tiny hole in the bird’s throat to allow the flow of oil). The oil is poured into the spoon which we’ll examine in a moment.

Some historians believe that the eagle’s head is older than the body. This has been conjectured because the screw thread which attaches the head to the body seems to be of Fourteenth Century rather than Seventeenth Century design. There was another Ampulla, but Oliver Cromwell disposed of that one during the Commonwealth period. He caused a lot of trouble.

From the Web site of the English Monarchs

Now, to the spoon. The spoon is the oldest piece in the regalia, dating to the late Twelfth or early Thirteenth century. The spoon has been re-gilt twice throughout its existence, and four small pearls were added to the stem for the Coronation of Charles II in 1661. These, somehow were lost, and were replaced in 1689. The spoon is used to anoint the monarch’s head, palms and breast.

In 1649, when Cromwell was selling off the King's goods, Clement Kynnersley, a Yeoman of the Removing Wardrobe to Charles I, bought this spoon for 16 shillings, and upon the Restoration in 1660, he took up the same post with Charles II, triumphantly returning this object to the King. Today, both the Ampulla and the Spoon are on display at the Jewel House at the Tower of London.