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Those given Coronation roles will be at the heart of this historic ceremony, but of course the entire nation will have its part to play in events up and down the country, in what promises to be a weekend to remember. Of course, there was only one man standing out in full ceremonial splendour on the day, but in a mark of respect for the momentous occasion, the male guests watching King Charles III’s Coronation put their best feet (and suits) forward too. Those chosen showed evidence that their claim related to a historic customary service performed at previous Coronations.
Perry, Edward. Gift Plate from Westminster Hall Coronation Banquets. Apollo. Double Coronation Number, LVII, no.340, (1953): 198-200. Those chosen showed evidence that their claim related to a historic customary service performed at previous Coronations .The names of 13 individuals and organisations who will play important historic ceremonial roles in the Coronation of Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort on May 6 have been announced. King Charles is studious in his approach to his wardrobe, and that sentiment carried through into how the men lining up in Westminster Abbey interpreted the expansive dress code. “National dress, morning coats or lounge suits” was the official line, the latter a rather antiquated (but entirely correct) way to describe what you or I know as the standard corporate suit, and while some opted for this less formal approach, the majority of men favoured the full majesty of morning dress. Participants announced refer to the 13 roles that are subject to historic claims for the Coronation Service In addition, those chosen to take on the roles proved that they are the established office holders, descendants of a relevant family or relevant owners of land to perform the task.
Second, there are those who claim a duty as an appanage to a title, among them the bearers of the three swords. Although the cup and cover are typical for the form at this date, and the armorials and inscription are standard for the 1680s, the 'Chinoiserie' flat chased decoration of figures supporting the canopy is of particular significance. Further research may demonstrate that the canopies used at James II's Coronation were of'cloth of gold' woven in China. Increased interest in Chinoiserie was inspired by the publication of recent travels in China by Johannes Nieuhof (1618-1672). His account of 'An Embassy from the East-India Company of the United Province, to the Grand Tartar Cham, Emperour of China 1665' , was first translated into English in 1669. (3) V&A:W.7-1991. The footstool is of beech, stained and gilded with cover of red silk velvet trimmed with meal thread fringe; supplied by Bailey and Saunders for the Coronation of King George IV, British, 1821 The Jewel House Delivery Book records the delivery of the silver ornaments for the canopies. (6) Three days before the Coronation, Sir Benjamin Bathurst received 'Twelve Large Canopy staves, crowned with silver 6 for his Majties & 6 for her Majties Canopy', weighing in all 369 ounces and 10 penny weights. Bathurst also received '8 gilt Bells' for 'each Canopy' with a combined weight of 61 ounces and 15 penny weights.Other recorded examples of silver recycled from coronation bells and stave mounts include a tankard made for the senior baron Tobias Cleve, who represented Sandwich after the Coronation of Charles II (now in the collection of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, London); and a punch bowl and ladle by London goldsmiths George Boothby and William Fordham, made following George II's Coronation, belonging to the Corporation of Hastings. (9) The tankard is inscribed, 'This Pott was made of ye Silver of ye Canopie when King Charles ye 2d was Crowned, Aprill 23d 1661'. The Hastings punch bowl is inscribed as follows: The Lord Great Chamberlain – One of the Officers of State, the Lord Great Chamberlain had traditionally played a major role in Coronations. For the Coronation in May, the Lord Great Chamberlain will take part in the investing of The King with the regalia - the Crown Jewels. Finally, there are those who claim that they must perform a duty owing to their tenure of land by grand serjeanty. Numbered amongst such people are the lords of various manors, and those who claim the offices of grand almoner, chief butler, chief cupbearer, panneter, lardiner, napier and king's champion. Butler, Robin. The Albert Collection. London, 2004: no.374. Baines, J. Manwaring. 'The Cinque Ports and Coronation Services'. Hastings Museum Publication, No.18, 3rd edition, 1968: 12. The stave mount is an inch in diameter and 3 ft 8 in long. The taste for Chinoiserie reflects the growing importance of European trade with China following the foundation of the London-based East India Company in 1600. By the 1670s the establishment of a trading base off Fujian resulted in large-scale shipments to England of admired Chinese goods. Such trade fostered a European market for furniture japanned in imitation of true oriental lacquer. Bed hangings and curtains of imported Chinese silk damasks created appropriate settings for such exotic possessions. By 1688, John Stalker's & William Parker's 'A Treatise of Japaning and Varnishing' was published to appeal to the growing taste for professional and amateur japanning. It was appropriately dedicated to Mary, Countess of Derby, Lady of the Bedchamber to the new Queen Mary II, daughter of James II and his first wife Anne Hyde. Chinoiserie was an appropriately exotic visual language for furnishings associated with the monarch. (5)
Two of the barons, members of the same family, Cresheld and Gawden Draper, combined their share - probably one stave mount and one bell - which were melted down to make this commemorative cup and cover. As the combined weights of one mount and one bell were just under 36 ounces, and the cup and cover weighs just over 16 ounces, it is possible that two cups were made, one for each member of the family who attended the coronation. However, only one is known today. Although the James II Coronation Cup is currently displayed in the V&A's New Acquisitions Gallery it will return to the Whiteley Silver Galleries for display with the coronation bells in 2010. It is hoped that in due course, a small touring exhibition of Coronation silver may be arranged, including this exciting new acquisition, to be shown in museums in the Cinque Ports of Dover, Hastings and Sandwich. Endnotes Baines, J. Manwaring. 'The Cinque Ports and Coronation Services'. Hastings Museum Publication, No.18, 3rd edition, 1968. Figure 5 - Engraving Showing the Canopy Held Over Mary of Modena from Francis Sandford, The History of the coronation of James II, London, 1687. V&A: National Art LibraryThe caption to the engraving in Sandford's publication reads, 'A canopy of Cloth of Gold to be born over the KING by Eight of the Sixteen Barons of the Cinque-Ports (two to a Staff) with Silver Bells gilt at each Corner of the said Canopy, viz. four in all (It was born by 16 of the 32 Barons of the Cinque Ports)'. In addition, those chosen to take on the roles proved that they are the established office holders, or the holders of the relevant title or land to perform the task."The International Genealogical Index. Cresheld Draper (d.1693) originally from Crayford, Kent was MP for Winchelsea from 1678 to 1687. He married Sarah Gauden of Clapham, Surrey, in 1665. She was the daughter of Sir Dennis Gauden of Mayland, Essex. All claims were considered by the Coronation Claims Office, within the Cabinet Office, which took advice from senior legal, ceremonial and ecclesiastical experts. C - Records created, acquired, and inherited by Chancery, and also of the Wardrobe, Royal Household, Exchequer and various commissions
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