Ballou's Monthly Magazine, Vol. XXVII, No. 1

Crown Jewels of England

This article surveys the history of English royal jewelry and regalia from medieval monarchs through Charles II. The piece details how monarchs consistently pawned and pledged crown jewels as collateral for loans, beginning with Henry III's strategic transfer of jewels to France for funds to combat rebellion. Edward I owned four ornate crowns and valuable collections inventoried in Westminster Abbey, though monks later stole items. Successive rulers—Edward III, Richard II, Henry V, and Henry VI—repeatedly mortgaged royal treasures. Elizabeth I reversed this trend, lending money instead and accumulating plate. James I inventoried Queen Elizabeth's considerable holdings and unsuccessfully sought loans from London aldermen. Charles I extensively pawned regalia, borrowing £58,000 in the Hague. During the English Civil War, Parliament confiscated and sold the crown jewels. After the Restoration, Charles II commissioned new regalia through goldsmith Vyner and purchased valuable Oriental rubies and diamonds.