About the Historic Use of Jewels To Pay Royal Debts

A crown which had belonged to Richard II. was pledged by Henry V. to the Abbot of Westminster, to enable him to carry on his wars in France. A splendid crown, called the "Harry Crown," was broken up and distributed by way of pledge amongst several persons by this king. To Sir John Colvyl was pledged "a great flower-de-lys of the said crown, garnished with one great balays (pink ruby), and one other balays, one ruby, three great sapphires and two great pearls. To John Pudsey, Esq., "a pinnacle of the aforesaid crown, garnished with two sapphires, one square balays, and six pearls." To Maurice Brune and John Saundish, "two other pinnacles of the same cross, similarly garnished." Henry V also pawned " a great circle of gold, garnished with 56 balays, 40 sapphires, 8 diamonds, and 7 great pearls, weighing altogether four pounds, and valued at 800 pound sterling." In 1418, he pawned to the Mayor of London, in trust for the city, his collar called "Pusan," the jewels of which were valued at 2,800 pound, and his "Skelton" collar, garnished with rubies, sapphires, and pearls, to the Bishop of Worcester and the city of Coventry. The first he redeemed the following year, but the "Skelton" collar was still in pawn when the hero of Agincourt died. Henry VI., although he redeemed all the pledges of his father, was himself compelled to resort to the same plan for raising money. The jewels which had belonged to Henry V, and were valued at 40,000 pound, were delivered to Sir Henry Fitzhugh and his other executors for the payment of the late king's debts. In 1422 two parts of the "Pusan," the great collar of gold and rubies, was pawned by Henry VI. to his uncle, the Cardinal Beaufort, who is said at the time of his death to have amassed more wealth than any subject in England. In 1445 King Henry made an assignment to a certain knight for the purchase of his jewel of St. George, and also as security for the sum of 2,000 marks, "which," says Henry, "our beloved knight hath now lent us in prest (ready money) at the contemplation of the coming of our most best beloved wife, the queen (Marguerite of Anjou) now into our presence." Rymer's "Foedera" gives other instances of the poverty of the royal exchequer at this time, and the difficulty of the unfortunate sovereign to meet his bridal expenses. Among other items there is an order directing "that the remaining third part of one of the crown jewels called the 'rich collar,' "two parts of which we observed were pledged to Cardinal Beaufort, "in the time," as Henry pathetically observes, "of our great necessity, should be delivered to the said most worshipful father in God, and a patent made out, securing to him the first two parts, and for the delivery of the third." This jewel was never redeemed by the impoverished king, who was, in fact, compelled to pawn all his private jewels and household plate, to provide the equipages and other indispensable articles required for his marriage and the coronation of the young queen. To the cardinal were also pledged, a gold sword garnished with sapphires, known as the "Sword of Spain," the Sklyngton Collar, three gold tablets--of St. George, Our Lady, and the Passion; a great alms' dish "made in manner of a shippe full of men of armes feyghtying upon the shippe's side," and divers chargers, dishes, chalices, pots, basins, and saucers. To the Earl of Buckingham Henry handed over, as security for the payment of himself and his soldiers, for services rendered in France, "two gold basins, a gold tablet, and a little bell of the same material."