Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1658 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1 item, Painted silk on hessian backing
Context area
Name of creator
Repository
Archival history
Robert Uvedale wrote in 1792 that his grandfather of the same name had witnessed the state burial of Oliver Cromwell and removed this skutcheon. The Westminster boys had been forced to watch the funeral and Uvedale jumped forward and snatched the satin banner known as the 'Majesty Skutcheon'. It was returned to the school by his descendent Mary West in 1963.
Extract from The Elizabethan (1966):
"Painted on satin and surmounted by the crown which had been appropriated for him is Cromwell's Coat of arms. The Skutcheon was originally attached to the Protector's bier, but was removed during the funeral procession by an enterprising, Royalist Westminster, Robert Uvedale, who, the theft accomplished, darted back into a crowd of his schoolfellows and thus escaped detection. The Skutcheon remained with in the possession of his family until it was presented through the Head Master by Miss Mary West in 1963."
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Dyed, painted silk, on a hessian backing. On the left the arms of the Commonwealth: the crosses of St. George and St. Andrew and the Irish harp and in escutcheon a lion rampant guardant for Cromwell. On the right are the quarterings of his wife. Inscribed verso with: 'this ensign was snatched from the bier of the tyrant Oliver Cromwell, when his waxen effigy, adorned with royal state, was being magnificently displayed in the Church of St. Peter, Westminster'.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Access to collection items is granted to bona-fide researchers, by prior appointment, subject to the overriding provisions of relevant legislation, including Data Protection.
Conditions governing reproduction
A reprographics service is available to researchers subject to the access restrictions outlined above. Copying will not be undertaken if there is any risk of damage to the item. Copies are supplied in accordance with Westminster School
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
18.5" x 23"
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
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Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
- Latin