Coronation Rites

by Reginald Maxwell Woolley

Scotland

The Scottish pre-reformation rite has not been preserved. It was not until the time of Pope John XXII that the kings of Scotland were crowned with an anointing, but in 1329 there was conferred upon the kings of Scotland ‘the right to receive anointing and coronation by the sacred hands of a Pontiff,’ a privilege which most of the kings of Europe at that time enjoyed. There was, however, long before this time some sort of inauguration ceremony. The ‘Ordination’ of King Aidan by St Columba has been mentioned, and there is reference fairly frequently in the Scottish annals to a ‘Custom of the nation,’ some ceremony that took place at the accession of a king, but of the details of which we have no knowledge. It was probably of the nature of an enthronisation. Again we can perhaps obtain some information on a detail of the coronation rite in general from a question that came up over the inauguration of Alexander III in 1249. The king was eight years old, and a dispute arose whether the king should be knighted before he was made king. It will be remembered that in the rite of Aragon the king was invested with the Sword at his coronation only if he had not been knighted before. It would seem that originally the investiture with the Sword was no part of the coronation ceremony, but was in process of time taken into the rite from the order for making a knight. Perhaps, too, we may see in the obligatory oath of the people of the post-reformation Scottish rite a survival of a peculiarity of the old rite.

Four coronations took place in Scotland subsequent to the Reformation[131].

In 1567 James VI was crowned during the lifetime of his mother, when he was one year old. The rite on this occasion was the old one, except that there was no Mass, and the officiating prelate was Adam Bothwell, Bishop of Orkney, the king being duly anointed, and the usual ceremonies taking place. The sermon was preached by John Knox, and the Earl of Morton acted as sponsor for the king. In the oath the king swore to extirpate heretics, but this was probably in accordance with the old form, the only difference being that heretics were now those who did not hold the doctrines of the ‘true Kirk.’

The second occasion on which a coronation ceremony took place in Scotland in post-reformation times was when Anne of Denmark was crowned as Queen-consort in 1590. This was the first occasion on which a definitely protestant rite was used. The service was of appalling length and lasted from 10 a.m. till 5 p.m. There was no singing of any kind, not even of a psalm, and the unfortunate Anne had to listen to six discourses, three addresses, and three sermons, the last being in English, French, and Latin. After these Mr Andrew Melville recited two hundred lines of a poem of his own composing. The Queen took an oath against Popery. She was then anointed on the breast, and the method of anointing must have been very unpleasant, for we are told that ‘Mester Robert Bruce immediately puires furthe upon thois partis of hir breist and arme of quhilk the clothes were remowit, a bonye quantitie of oyll.’ Pressure had to be put on the Kirk to consent to use any anointing at all, and it was only when James threatened to procure a Prelate to perform the rite, if the Kirk was obdurate, that it was agreed to perform the obnoxious ceremony, and then on the understanding that it should be regarded as a civil and not as a religious act, and should be done without any form of words. After the anointing the Sceptre was delivered into her hands by Mr Melville, and the Duke of Lennox, receiving the Crown from the King’s hands, set it upon her head. And so the rite was concluded.

In 1651 Charles II was crowned as king of Scotland at Scone. The rite used[132] on this occasion was purged of ‘superstition’ inasmuch as no anointing was used. Otherwise it is based to some extent on the old rite and probably owes something to the English-Scottish order used at the coronation of Charles I at Holyrood.

Before the procession started, the king was addressed by the Lord Chancellor to the effect that his subjects desired him to be crowned and to maintain the Covenant and to defend their rights, and Charles having given the required promise the procession set forth. During the first part of the proceedings in the church the king occupied a chair by the pulpit, the regalia being deposited on a table. The ceremony began with a sermon of inordinate length, preached by Mr Robert Douglas, Moderator of the Assembly. Basing his discourse on the narrative of the crowning of Jehoiada, the preacher dealt with many subjects, the meaning of the Coronation ceremony, the need of a reformation of their ways on the part of the king and his family, the freedom and independence of the Kirk and of the king’s duties towards it. The sermon being over, the king swore to maintain the Solemn League and Covenant. The Recognition then followed, the king ascending a stage and being presented to the people at the four sides by the Lord Great Constable and the Marischal, the people crying God save King Charles II. The oath was then tendered by Mr Douglas, and the king swore to maintain the established religion, to defend the rights of the crown of Scotland, and to extirpate heretics.

The oath taken, the Lord Great Chamberlain divested the king of his purple mantle in which he was arrayed from the first, and girt on him the Sword, saying: Sir, receive this kingly sword for the defence of the faith of Christ and protection of his kirk and of the true religion which is presently professed in this Kingdom and according to the National Covenant and League and Covenant, and for executing equity and justice, and for punishment of all iniquity and injustice. This is based on the old form. The king was then crowned by the Marquis of Argyll, the minister praying that the crown might be purged of the sin of his predecessors, and firmly settled on the king’s head. The homage follows, the Lyon king of Arms summons the nobles to come and touch the crown and swear faithful allegiance, and then takes place what is perhaps a feature peculiar to the old Scottish rite, the obligatory oath of the people. The Lyon king of Arms dictates the oath at the four corners of the stage, and the people holding up their hands repeat: By the Eternal Almighty God who liveth and reigneth for ever, we become your liegemen, and truth and faith will bear with you, and live and die with you against all manner of folk whatsoever in your service, according to the National League and Solemn League and Covenant. The Earl of Crawford next delivers the Sceptre, saying: Sir, receive this Sceptre of royal power of the Kingdom, that you may govern yourself right and defend all the Christian people committed by God to your charge, punishing the wicked and protecting the just. This again is based on the old form. The king is then enthroned by the Marquis of Argyll with a very short form based on the Sta et retine, Stand and hold fast from henceforth the place whereof you are the lawful and righteous heir by a long and lineal descent of your fathers which is now delivered unto you by authority of Almighty God. The minister then delivers a ‘word of exhortation,’ after which one by one the lords kneel and swear allegiance, and finally the minister blesses the king and closes the proceedings with a long address to the people.