Coronation of George IV

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Coronation of George IV
King George IV in his coronation robes, by Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1821
Date19 July 1821; 202 years ago (1821-07-19)
LocationWestminster Abbey, London, England
Budget£238,000
Participants

The

King of the United Kingdom took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on 19 July 1821. Originally scheduled for 1 August of the previous year, the ceremony had been postponed due to the parliamentary proceedings of George's estranged wife, Queen Caroline
; because these failed to deprive Queen Caroline of her titles and obtain a divorce from the King, she was excluded from the ceremony. In accordance with George's lavish personal tastes, the coronation was the most extravagant ever staged and a number of the traditional elements of the ceremonial were conducted for the last time.

Background

George had acceded to the throne on 29 January 1820, on the death of his father, King

coronation of Napoleon and a tailor was dispatched to Paris to study the emperor's coronation robe.[3]

The ceremony was originally planned for 1 August 1820; however, on 5 June, George's estranged wife,

bill of pains and penalties into the House of Lords, "to deprive Her Majesty Caroline Amelia Elizabeth of the title, prerogatives, rights, Privileges, and Exemptions of Queen Consort of this Realm, and to dissolve the Marriage between His Majesty and the said Caroline Amelia Elizabeth" based on Caroline's alleged adultery.[4] These proceedings, which took on something of the nature of a trial, would obviously take some time and so there was a postponement of the coronation until 19 July 1821.[5] In the event, there was insufficient support for the bill which was abandoned in November,[4] so Caroline was simply written-out of the coronation ceremony.[6]

Preparations

To fund the coronation, the King was able to secure £100,000 from government funds and the rest came from the huge war reparations of 100 million French francs which had been forced on France by the Treaty of Paris in 1815. Preparation and furnishing Westminster Abbey and Westminster Hall cost £16,819, £111,810 was spent on jewels and plate, £44,939 on uniforms, robes and costumes, and £25,184 on the banquet. The total cost of the coronation was £238,000, the most expensive ever and more than twenty times the cost of the previous event in 1761.[7]

The organisation of the ceremonial was the responsibility of two of the

Anglican brother, Lord Henry Howard-Molyneux-Howard, to fulfil his role.[8]

Scaffolding was erected in the abbey to seat 4,656 guests, more than three times the number at the previous coronation.[9] Because of the limited space in the old Palace of Westminster, the interior of Westminster Hall had been subdivided by wooden partitions to serve as courtrooms and these all had to be demolished to create the large space required for the coronation banquet,[10] which required galleries for 2,934 spectators[11] and 1,268 diners seated at 47 tables, some of which had to be sited in other parts of the palace.[12] A temporary triumphal arch was erected at the north end of the hall in the style of a medieval castle.[13]

George IV with the train of his robe being carried by eight sons of peers and the Master of the Robes

In accordance with the vogue for Romanticism and with his own taste for flamboyant clothes, George insisted that the participants should dress in Tudor and Stuart period costumes. Peers were expected to provide their own clothing and a display of the required styles was staged at the College of Arms in June 1820 for the benefit of their lordships' tailors. The resulting outfits on the day, according to one report, "produced much amusement among the ladies"; but Sir Walter Scott enthused over the "gay and gorgeous and antique dress which floated before the eye".[14] George's personal coronation outfit cost more than £24,000; his 27 feet (8.2 m) red velvet robe was afterwards sold to Madame Tussaud for display in her wax museum, but was eventually rediscovered and has been used at every coronation since that of George V in 1911.[15]

Although many of the

George IV State Diadem, cost £8,000, while coronets for the royal dukes cost £4,000 and for the princesses, £2,000 each. In contrast, coronets for the extended royal family were produced for £40 each at the next coronation.[16]

Exclusion of Caroline

An artist's impression of Queen Caroline and Lord Hood being refused entry to the abbey by a doorman

On 16 July, the Queen's

Poet's Corner. Lord Hood addressed the doorkeeper, who was probably one of the professional boxers who had been hired for the event, announcing; "I present to you your queen, do you refuse her admission?" The doorkeeper replied that he could admit no one without a ticket. Lord Hood had his own ticket, but the doorkeeper was insistent that this would only allow one person entry and the Queen refused to enter alone. After further fruitless argument, the Queen's party retreated, the crowds shouting "Shame! Shame!" as she left in her carriage. Queen Caroline died two weeks later.[19]

Procession

The King arrived at Westminster by carriage at 8:30 pm on the previous evening and spent the night in the house of the Speaker of the House of Commons. The carriages of the various participants started to arrive at 1 am and by 6 am the nearby streets had been brought to a standstill, so that many peers had to abandon their coaches and walk to the abbey through the crowds. At 10 am,[20] following tradition, the ceremony started in Westminster Hall. The King, seated on a throne, was presented with the items of regalia by the clergy, which he then bestowed on various aristocrats who often had the hereditary right to carry them to the abbey. The procession on foot to the abbey was the only part of the proceedings which could be seen by the general public and large stands for spectators had been erected along the route, which passed out of the north door of the hall, across New Palace Yard, into Parliament Street, Bridge Street and King Street to the west door of the abbey. It was a raised and carpeted walkway 15 feet (4.6 m) wide and 3 feet (0.91 m) high with a handrail and was lined by soldiers. There were some 700 people in the procession, headed by the King's Royal Herbstrewer and six maids, scattering petals on the carpet.[21] Included in this number was a military band and the choir who repeatedly sang the anthem O Lord, grant the King a long life by William Child, interspersed with drumming and trumpet fanfares.[22]

Service

The moment of George's crowning at Westminster Abbey

The content of the coronation service was the responsibility of the

Book of Samuel; "he that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God".[25]

It was a warm day and the King, encumbered by the weight of his lavish costume, was seen to be perspiring heavily throughout the service and later remarked; "I would not endure again the sufferings of that day for another kingdom!"

recessional was marred by the premature departure of the choir, so that the King had to pass empty benches covered in litter, described in the press as "a most unpicturesque arrangement".[27]

Music

The music used in the coronation service seems to have been influenced by George's wishes; some of it was changed by the King when he attended the final rehearsal only three days before the event. By tradition, the monarch's entry into the abbey is greeted by the anthem

Vivat Georgius Rex!". This was followed by music from another Handel oratorio, Saul, in which the libretto of the aria Already see the daughters of the land advance was amended, apparently at George's suggestion, to say Already see the monarch of the Lord advance; the piece finished with the chorus Welcome, welcome, mighty king![28] Other choral music included another anthem by Attwood, Let thy hand be strengthened, Zadok the Priest by Handel (uniquely, in an arrangement by Johann Baptist Cramer), The King shall rejoice by William Knyvett and a setting of the Te Deum by William Boyce.[29] God Save the King seems to have been performed at least twice during the service; once by trumpets at the King's entrance and once shortly before the end by the choir with "all the nobles of the land, male and female".[30]

The choirs and orchestra were placed in a large temporary gallery which spanned the east end of the abbey over St Edward's Chapel. One newspaper report stated that there were "a hundred instruments and twice a hundred voices". The only choirs officially mentioned are those of the abbey and the Chapel Royal but it is likely that the choir of St Paul's Cathedral was also present and that professional singers were hired-in. Large choirs of this size were fashionable at that time, especially for popular concerts of Handel's works. The conductor was William Shield and the organist was Charles Knyvett of the Chapel Royal.[31]

Banquet

The King's Champion makes the third and last challenge before the royal table at the banquet

The coronation feast or banquet was first recorded at the coronation of

withdrawing room to rest until 6 pm when the feast commenced.[34] The hall was lit by 2,000 candles in 26 vast chandeliers, but due to the heat of the day, the peers and peeresses below were continually being hit by large globules of melted wax.[35]

The 23 temporary kitchens which had been built adjacent to the hall produced 160

prosthetic leg designed for riding, was unable to dismount without considerable difficulty and the assistance of several pages, which caused much amusement amongst the unsympathetic guests.[36]

The highlight of the banquet was the arrival of the

Non nobis Domine, perhaps because it appears in William Shakespeare's play Henry V after the Battle of Agincourt as an echo of George's perceived victory over Napoleon.[39]

The King finally rose from his table at 8:20 pm and left for Carlton House by carriage.[40] The spectators from the galleries were allowed down to the hall floor and proceeded to clear the tables, not only of leftover food, but they helped themselves to the cutlery, glasses, silver platters and table ornaments as well. Lord Gwydyr managed to prevent the priceless gold coronation plates from being carried off and armed soldiers arrived in time to prevent the kitchens being ransacked. The hall was not cleared until 3 am the next morning, when some who had fallen asleep on the floor had to be carried to their coaches.[41]

Public celebrations

Opening of the Prince's Dock, Liverpool, on Coronation Day

As in previous coronations, there were some attempts to involve the wider public in the event. In London, a mob supporting Queen Caroline had rampaged through the

firework display was organised by Sir William Congreve,[44] Contemporary writers describe "an immense concourse of persons"[45] and "unexampled crowds",[46] although a later account describes the display as being "very insignificant and did not attract much attention".[47] All the theatres of London were open free of charge at the King's expense.[48] Elsewhere, civic efforts at public celebrations were often marred by dislike of George and support for Caroline; in Bristol, a corporate pageant was watched by sullen crowds as it "passed through the streets with all the silent dullness of a funeral procession".[49] In Liverpool, the corporation postponed the opening of Prince's Dock until coronation day, thereby successfully avoiding anti-monarchist demonstrations, while in Manchester, the crowds cheered for the King until the free beer ran out, when they began to sing "God save the Queen".[50] Elsewhere, celebrations in towns and villages seem to have passed more harmoniously, often financed by wealthier citizens for the benefit of the poorer ones. In Brighton for example, there were "all sorts of manly exercises" and several oxen were roasted to feed 8,000 people.[51]

Royal guests

Admission card to the Royal Family's Box in Westminster Abbey, designed by Sir William Congreve

References

  1. ^ "George III (r. 1760-1820)". www.royal.uk. The Royal Household. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  2. ^ Parissien, Steven (17 February 2011). "George IV: The Royal Joke?". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  3. ^ Strong 2005, p. 394
  4. ^ a b Jenkins, Terry. "Hanoverians - The Queen Caroline Affair, 1820". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  5. ^ Range 2012, p. 181
  6. ^ Strong 2005, p. 378
  7. ^ Strong 2005, pp. 372-374
  8. ^ Strong 2005, pp. 376-377
  9. ^ Strong 2005, p. 384
  10. ^ Strong 2005, p. 366
  11. ^ Strong 2005, p. 387
  12. ^ Strong 2005, p. 411
  13. ^ Strong 2005, p. 366
  14. ^ Strong 2005, p. 392
  15. ^ a b "George IV's Coronation". brightonmuseums.org.uk. Brighton Museum & Art Gallery. 26 February 2015. Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  16. ^ Strong 2005, pp. 382-383
  17. ^ Huish "Caroline" 1821, pp. 683-684
  18. ^ Huish "Caroline" 1821, pp. 687-690
  19. ^ Strong 2005, p. 353
  20. ^ The Gentleman's Magazine 1821, pp. 3-4
  21. ^ Strong 2005, pp. 394-400
  22. ^ Range 2012, p. 182
  23. ^ Range 2012, p. 181
  24. ^ Strong 2005, p. 359
  25. ^ Huish "Coronation" 1821, p. 221
  26. ^ Gosling 2013, p. 54
  27. ^ Range 2012, p. 181
  28. ^ Range 2012, pp. 183-184
  29. ^ Range 2012, pp. 282-283
  30. ^ Range 2012, p. 193
  31. ^ Range 2012, p. 197
  32. ^ Strong 2005, p. 62
  33. ^ The Gentleman's Magazine 1821, p. 13
  34. ^ The Gentleman's Magazine 1821, pp. 13-14
  35. ^ Strong 2005, pp. 388-390
  36. ^ Strong 2005, p. 413
  37. ^ Strong 2005, p. 413
  38. ^ Strong 2005, p. 104
  39. ^ Range 2012, p. 194
  40. ^ The Gentleman's Magazine 1821, p. 16
  41. ^ Strong 2005, p. 414
  42. ^ Huish "Coronation" 1821, pp. 283-284
  43. ^ Huish "Coronation" 1821, pp. 279-280
  44. ^ Huish "Coronation" 1821, pp. 282
  45. ^ Huish "Coronation" 1821, p. 281
  46. ^ European Magazine 1821, p. 68
  47. ^ Mirror of Literature 1838, p. 66
  48. ^ Huish "Coronation" 1821, p. 280
  49. ^ Harrison, p. 252-253
  50. ^ Harrison, p. 254-256
  51. ^ Huish "Coronation" 1821, p. 285
  52. ^ a b c d e f "No. 17732". The London Gazette. 31 July 1821. p. 1601.

Sources

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