The Scottish Royal Regalia, in the course of history, have passed
through many adventures, but perhaps none so daring as their escape
when the Cromwellian forces were advancing into the heart of
Scotland two years after the English Regalia had been destroyed by
the orders of the Protector. So in 1651 the Honours were removed for
safety to
Dunnottar Castle, a stronghold on the seaboard of
Kincardineshire. Here they were defended by George of Barras with a
meagre garrison of 40 men, a lieutenant, and two sergeants, but it
soon became evident that the Castle must eventually fall into the
hands of the invading army. The position was becoming desperate when
the Governor’s wife devised a scheme to save the Honours.
Her friend, Mrs Granger, whose husband was minister of the
neighbouring parish of
Kineff, succeeded in gaining admission to the
Castle accompanied by her maid carrying a distaff and bundle of
flax. When she returned, she was gallantly helped to mount her horse
by the English commander of the besieging forces, but little did he
realise that beneath her apron there was concealed the Crown of
Scotland and that the distaff had been replaced by the Sceptre and
the Sword of State. The very boldness and simplicity of the plot
ensured its success and the Honours of Scotland were saved.
They were secretly buried below the floor of Mr Granger’s church and
six months later
Dunnottar Castle fell. Bitter was the
disappointment of the besiegers on finding the Regalia gone. The
ex-Governor was heavily fined and he and his wife were put in
prison, but though Mrs Ogilvie gradually sank and died from the
effects of her treatment, she adjured her husband in her last words
never to reveal the secret entrusted to him.
For nine years they were kept in secrecy and safety, until they were
restored to King Charles II in 1660 and returned to
Edinburgh
Castle. The Regalia of Scotland, being thus fortunately preserved
and restored to the public, continued to be produced as formerly
during the sittings of the Scottish Parliament until the year 1707,
when the Act of Union put an end to these time-honoured customs.
The Regalia were then delivered to the Commissioners of the
Treasury, locked up in an oak chest in the Crown Room, secured under
bolt and bar, and left in silence and seeming oblivion for more than
a century.
At length in 1817 by the urgent efforts of Sir Walter Scott, the
Prince Regent, afterwards George IV, granted a warrant to the
Scottish Officers of State and to Sir Walter himself to open the
Crown Room and search for the Regalia. When the massive lid of the
chest was forced open, there lay the Honours of Scotland covered
with linen cloths, exactly as they had been left in the year 1707.
The Commissioners reported that the Regalia had in no way suffered
from their long confinement apart from being “tarnished and soiled
with dust.”
So after being secluded for over a hundred years, the Honours were
restored to the people of Scotland on 4th February 1818, and have
been open to public inspection since that date, except during the
period of the First and Second World Wars when they were removed to
a place of concealment.
Throughout the whole narrative of the siege of
Dunnottar Castle no
mention is made of the sword belt. Its very existence was forgotten
until, in 1790, it was discovered by Sir David Ogilvie, built into
the garden wall of the ancestral house of Barras. It eventually
passed to a descendant, the Rev. Samuel Ogilvy Baker, who graciously
restored it to its proper place along with the Scottish Regalia in
1892, over two centuries after the siege of
Dunnottar Castle.
Indeed, the immunity from destruction which has so marvellously
attended the Regalia of Scotland is one of the most noteworthy
features in their history.
The Scottish Crown Jewels are now (2012) on public display, along with the Stone of Destiny, at Edinburgh Castle
The ancient Scottish Crown, which to-day rests in the Crown Room of Edinburgh Castle, was remodelled by order of James V in 1540, but there is no precise evidence of its antiquity. Sir Walter Scott romantically declared that the alternation of 1540 was merely the addition of the arches and not an actual replacement of the substance of the Crown which he ascribed to the reign of Robert the Bruce. There is clear evidence that, at least in part, it possesses a greater antiquity and it may be of interest to mention that there is preserved in the National Library of Scotland a manuscript diary of Lord Fountainhall stating that “the Crown of Scotland is not the ancient Crown but was casten of new by James V.”
It consists, in its lower portion, of a circle of gold containing twenty-two large gems and twenty pearls, thirteen of which are of Oriental and seven of Scottish origin. The four golden arches of the Crown are ornamented with gold and red enamelled oak leaves, apparently of French workmanship, and at the point where the arches meet, there rests a celestial globe of gold, the sign of sovereign authority and majesty, which is enamelled in blue and ornamented with gilt stars. This again is surmounted by a large cross, decorated in gold and black enamel and adorned with an amethyst and fine Oriental pearls.
The Ancient Crown of Scotland
It is generally accepted that the gold of which the Crown is composed was obtained partly, if not entirely, from Scottish mines – probably from those of Crawford Moor, which were active about the time when the Crown was refashioned.
The beauty of the Crown was enhanced by a new bonnet, ermine, and cushion in preparation for the State Visit of Her Majesty on on 24th June 1953.
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The SceptreThe Sceptre, a rod of gilded silver, was presented by Pope Alexander VI to James VI in 1494 and remade in its present form by James V whose initials are engraved on its lower section. The head of the rod is flanked by dolphins between which are placed three small figures representing the Virgin Mary and Child, St James, and St Andrew. Above this group is a globe of rock crystal, and this again is surmounted by a small oval globe on the top of which is set a Scottish pearl. The Scottish Sword of StateThe Sword of State was presented by Pope Julius II to James VI in 1507. It is a fine specimen of craftsmanship and belongs to the period when the art of sculpture was reviving in Rome. The blade of the Sword is 3 feet 3 inches long and carries two gold-filled etchings of the Apostles Paul and Peter, once concealed by ornamental leaves which are now broken away. In the centre of the blade on each side there is also etched and filled in with gold the name of Pope Julius. Oak leaves and acorns, the emblem of Pope Julius, are heavily carved on the pommel and handle, and two dolphins, joined head to head, with their tails terminating in oak leaves and acorns, form the cross or traverse. |
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| The Sceptre of Scotland | The Scottish Sword of State |