Posts Tagged ‘Maundy thursday’
King Charles III awards Maundy Money for the first time as reigning monarch
Maundy Thursday is an Easter tradition that dates back to 1622 during the reign of Charles II. The tradition involves the monarch gifting members of the public special coins as part of a special ceremony.
His Majesty attends his first Maundy Service as King
Today, King Charles III attended his first Maundy service as reigning monarch at York Minster. Hundreds of people lined the streets approaching the Minster, many arriving before 7am to get a front row spot.
Credit: The Royal Family on Twitter
The King and Queen Consort, Camilla arrived at the cathedral around 11am and preceded to award specially minted coins to 148 people in recognition of their work for their church and community. The service concluded with the national anthem and a blessing.
What coins were awarded?
The coins awarded included a white purse containing silver Maundy coins equivalent in value to the age of the King. Also awarded was a red purse containing two commemorative coins.
Credit: The Royal Family on Twitter
This year, the commemorative coins gifted were a £5 coin issued to celebrate His Majesty’s upcoming 75th birthday and a 50p coin marking the 75th anniversary of the Windrush Generation. Both of these coins featured in the 2023 Annual Coin Set, which caused record breaking sell outs at the Royal Mint.
Within just 16 minutes of release, the Silver Proof and Silver Piedfort specifications of the 2023 Annual Set were no longer available to order at The Royal Mint. Other premium limited specifications sold out in less than an hour.
The 2023 Annual Coin Sets are still available in Brilliant Uncirculated quality, secure yours here >>
Queen’s Reign coin honours traditional Maundy money
The 2022 Queen’s Reign £5 coin honouring Charity and Patronage featured a design of traditional Maundy money. This represented Queen Elizabeth II’s advocacy and support of more than 600 charities across the UK and Commonwealth during her incredible 70 year reign.
Secure yours in Brilliant Uncirculated quality >>
Why centuries of tradition have just been broken…
It’s an Easter tradition that dates back centuries and produces some of the most coveted coins of the year.
Since 1662, during the reign of Charles II, each year on the Thursday before Good Friday the monarch has gifted members of the public a money allowance, known as Maundy money, as part of a special ceremony.
But this year, over 350 years of tradition have been broken…
That’s because with the Queen in isolation at Windsor Castle, the ceremonial red and white leather purses containing today’s consignments of Royal Maundy money have had to be delivered remotely.
Instead of handing them out personally, as tradition has dictated for centuries, the Queen had been forced to send them by Royal Mail.
It’s a reminder of the huge and unprecedented sacrifices our nation is having to make during this extraordinary time – even during the Second World War King George VI or the Archbishop of Canterbury still held the ceremony.
It’s a truly unique moment for this traditional Easter ceremony and cancelling this historic tradition is a step that Her Majesty will not have taken lightly. But we can be grateful that the Royal Mail are able to deliver Maundy Money to this year’s 188 recipients in order to keep a part of the tradition going despite this unusual time.
If you’re interested
Click here to read our full blog on the history of the Maundy Money ceremony…
The Easter coins that trace their history back to the time of Jesus…
It’s a tradition that dates back to the time of the Bible. During the Last Supper, Jesus famously washed the feet of his disciples as a sign of his humility, and it was this religious event that inspired an Easter tradition which takes place to this day.
Since the thirteenth century, members of the Royal Family have followed Jesus’ example, giving gifts to the poor and washing their feet on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday. By the eighteenth century, the act of washing feet was discontinued and the accompanying gifts were replaced by a money allowance, known as Maundy money.
And it was this change that created one of the most interesting of all the historic Royal Mint releases.
The first Maundy money ceremony took place in the reign of Charles II, when the King gave people undated hammered coins in 1662. The tradition has continued for over 350 years and today’s recipients of Royal Maundy are elderly men and women, chosen because of the Christian service they have given to the Church and the community.
At the ceremony, the monarch hands each recipient two small leather string purses. A red purse contains ordinary coins, while a white one contains the extremely special silver Maundy coins, amounting to the same number of pence as the years of the sovereign’s age.
Its deeply historical roots are what makes Maundy Money a rare highlight in any classic coin collection. But because of their extremely limited mintage and the fact they have never been issued into general circulation, they now stand as a one of the most highly sought after Easter gifts in the world!