Page 89 - The KRH Year of 2023 (CREST Sharing)

The Regimental Journal of The King’s Royal Hussars 89
LThe Worshipful Company of Salters’
ast year’s article from the Salters’ Company outlined how is also remembered for the fact that he ordered the guards the Company had marked previous jubilees over the years. at Westminster Abbey to refuse entry to his estranged wife,
The notable event in 2023 was King Charles III’s Coronation when the Company again played its part, specifically provid- ing financial support, along with other Livery companies, to create an anointing screen. It was certainly a memorable day for everyone in the Livery as well as the Armed Forces commu- nity, and great to see the screen used properly, a rare occasion.
The Company’s involvement with the Coronation of King Charles III raises the matter of what the Company did on the occasion of other coronations, noting there have been 28 coro- nations since the Company received its first licence in 1394. However, thanks to the Great Fire of London which destroyed so many of the Salters’ archives, it has only been possible to research the Salters’ involvement with the coronations of the previous 15 monarchs, from King Charles II in 1661 through to Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. This article will focus on two earlier coronations from this 292 year period - those of King Charles II and King George IV.
As a major celebration of the Restoration following the end of Cromwell’s Protectorate, Charles II’s coronation was hugely extravagant and included a magnificent procession through London on 22 April 1661, the day before the coronation. The minutes of the Salters’ Court of Assistants of 26 February 1661 record that the Company was required by an Act of Common Council to contribute £288 to the Chamber of London to cover some of the entertainment costs involved in the procession. A current inflation calculator shows that £288 in 1661 is worth roughly £43,516.80 today, so it is hardly surprising that the Court agreed that the Master and Wardens “do take care for borrowing of the said some [sum]” as the loan would need to be repaid at “such time as they shall agree upon”.
George IV’s coronation of 19 July 1821 was similar in levels of extravagance to Charles II’s coronation over 150 years ear- lier. King George had a new crown containing over 12,000 diamonds specially made for the occasion. This coronation
Caroline of Brunswick, who was desperately trying to join the ceremony to be crowned as queen consort, but the king would not allow this under any circumstances.
The coronation banquet held for George IV in Westminster Hall was the last such event to be held at a coronation, the first one having been held at the coronation of Richard I in 1194. There were 23 temporary kitchens built near the hall, which produced 160 tureens of soup and similar numbers of hot fish and roast dishes, along with 3,271 cold dishes. The Deputy Earl Marshal, the Lord High Steward and the Lord High Constable had to supervise operations on horseback, riding through the centre of the hall. Later in the banquet the King’s Champion also arrived on horseback, wearing a full suit of armour. He rode the length of the hall and threw down his gauntlet three times – this was the last time that this traditional challenge was enacted.
The Salters’ Court minutes of 9 November 1821 reveal that a Salters’ Past-Master, James Randall (Master in 1819), attended the coronation banquet, as he had been Master when the invi- tation had originally been issued earlier in George IV’s reign. His specifically defined role during the banquet had been, alongside the other Masters of the Great Twelve City Livery Companies, to assist the Lord Mayor in his office of Chief Butler of England. In order to do this, he was required to pur- chase “the necessary costume.” No further details are pro- vided regarding the role of the Chief Butler and his attendants, or the appearance of the said costume, but the lavish outfits worn by the other banquet attendees provide a clue as to the dress code. Mr Randall requested at the November 1821 Court meeting that his expenses “be defrayed out of the Company’s cash”, and his request was granted unanimously by the Court. The Ledger of Accounts for 7 January 1822 confirms that Renter Warden William Manbey repaid the expenses, which amounted to £43.14s.6d, in full – in today’s money this equates to £3,896,39.
Master and two previous Colonels of the regiment at the Salters’ Military Affiliates Dinner in Salters’ Hall in March 2023