England. — The crown jewels of England were first deposited in the Tower of London in the reign of Henry III., and
have generally been kept there, though a part of them were
at one time retained in Westminster Abbey. During the
Commonwealth, all the royal ornaments and that part of the
regalia found in the Abbey, including the ancient crown of St.
Edward, an orb, and sceptre, were sold by order of the Council
of State, and scattered ; but after the Restoration, copies of the
lost jewels were made, still retaining the old names and styles,
and added to the few of the original number which had been
recovered. The present crown jewels are now secured in an
iron cage in the Wakefield Tower, and strictly guarded. Both
Professor Tennant and Mr. Harmon, author of the "Tower of
London," locate the regalia in this tower, while Mr. Murray
says they are deposited in the Bloody Tower ; these towers are
contiguous, which explains this discrepancy.
There are seven crowns in all, including St. Edward's, used
at the coronation of all the sovereigns since his day. This
diadem consists of gold embellished with diamonds, rubies,
emeralds, sapphires, and pearls ; the other crowns comprise
Queen Victoria's, that of the Prince of Wales of pure gold
unadorned, the crown of the queen consort set with diamonds,
pearls, and other gems, the queen's diadem, made for the
second wife of James II., adorned with large pearls and diamonds, the crown of Anne Boleyn, and another, of Charles II.
The crown of her Majesty Queen Victoria, made in 1838, by
Messrs. Rundell and Bridge, London jewellers, is a crimson
velvet cap bordered with ermine and embellished with gems
taken from former crowns, together with those furnished by
the queen's orders, comprising diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and
pearls mounted in gold and silver. The diadem weighs 39 oz.
5 dwt, and has been estimated at more than half a million,
