Posts Tagged ‘Maundy Thursday’
Queen Camilla represents King Charles III at this year’s Royal Maundy Service
Maundy Thursday is an Easter tradition dating back to 1622, when Charles II was the reigning monarch. The tradition usually involves the monarch gifting members of the public coins as part of a special ceremony, however this year will be a bit different…
Credit: The Royal Family on Twitter
On behalf of The King
The annual Royal Maundy Service will take place today at Worcester Cathedral, where Her Majesty The Queen will be distributing the Royal Maundy gifts on behalf of His Majesty The King.
Queen Camilla will be accompanied by Lord High Almoner, Bishop John as the gifts are presented. He said: “It is an honour to be able to welcome HM The Queen to Worcester. This is an immensely special service and I know it will mean a huge amount to those who have been chosen to receive the coins, all of whom will have given years of service to their local communities.”
This isn’t the first time the Maundy Service has been hosted by someone other than the reigning monarch. In 2022, King Charles (then Prince) represented Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Maundy Service at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. It was believed to be only the fifth time during her reign that Queen Elizabeth II did not attend the service, including its cancellation due to Covid in 2020 and 2021.
Credit: Jason Pix
What coins are awarded?
Ceremonial coins will be presented to 75 men and 75 women specially chosen in recognition of the service they have given to the Church and local community.
Each recipient will be gifted two small leather string purses – one white, one red. The red purse contains ordinary coinage as money (in lieu of the food and clothing that was offered years ago), and the white purse contains specially minted silver Maundy coins with a collective face value of 75p (representing The King’s age).
Credit: The Royal Family on Twitter
Last year, among the coins in the red purse were the 2023 King’s 75th Birthday £5 and the 2023 Windrush Generation 50p – both of which featured in the 2023 Annual Coin Set. Considering this, it’s possible that commemorative coins from the 2024 Annual Coin Set may be included in this year’s offerings.
The History of Royal Maundy
Maundy Thursday is a key day during the Easter week which commemorates Jesus Christ’s last supper on the day before his crucifixion.
The Royal Maundy Church service takes place each year on this day, and is inspired by the generosity shown by Jesus in washing the feet of his disciples shortly before his death.
Credit: Regina magazine
Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when English monarchs would wash the feet of beggars and offer gifts of food and clothing in imitation of Jesus.
However it was King John who was the first to give to the poor on Maundy Thursday and by the early 14th century, it had become customary for the sovereign to provide a meal, together with gifts of food and clothing.
Sharing the Wealth
For numismatists, the day has added significance in the form of Maundy money, which is given out by the reigning monarch each year at the service.
Credit: Wehwalt via Wikimedia Commons
The tradition of giving out money began with Charles II, with the first set of Maundy coins consisting of a four penny, three penny, two penny and a penny. The coins have remained in much the same form since then, and are traditionally struck in sterling silver.
Have you or anyone you know ever received Maundy Money for your services? Let us know in the comments below!
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Prince Charles represents Her Majesty at this year’s Royal Maundy Service
Believed to only be the fifth time during Her Majesty’s reign, Queen Elizabeth II has not attended this year’s Royal Maundy Service.
For the first time, Prince Charles has represented her in this duty at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor in the annual tradition.
The annual Royal Maundy service—where the monarch distributes Maundy money to retired pensioners on the Thursday before Easter—has been a staple in the Queen’s calendar since she ascended to the throne in 1952.
However, in 2020, considered to be for the first time ever, the ancient tradition of the Royal Maundy ceremony was cancelled. Centuries of tradition were overturned as one of the Church of England’s most archaic ceremonies was unable to take place due to the Queen being in isolation at Windsor Castle.
The same happened in 2021, with the Royal Maundy ceremony being cancelled for the second year in a row.
Today, Prince Charles distributed the Maundy money, a £5 coin and a 50p coin portraying the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee for the red purse, and uniquely minted Maundy money to the value of 96p for the white purse. The Prince was accompanied by his wife Camilla at the engagement.
This year, there are 96 men and 96 women—one for each of the years the Queen has been alive (she turns 96 on April 21) who have received this gift. The senior citizens selected will each receive two purses, one red and one white.
The History of Royal Maundy
Maundy Thursday is a key day during the Easter week which commemorates Jesus Christ’s last supper on the day before his crucifixion.
The Royal Maundy Church service takes place each year on this day, and is inspired by the generosity shown by Jesus in washing the feet of his disciples shortly before his death.
Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when English monarchs would wash the feet of beggars and offer gifts of food and clothing in imitation of Jesus.
However it was King John who was the first to give to the poor on Maundy Thursday and by the early 14th century, it had become customary for the sovereign to provide a meal, together with gifts of food and clothing.
Sharing the Wealth
For numismatists, the day has added significance in the form of Maundy money which is given out by the reigning monarch each year at the service.
The tradition of giving out money began with Charles II, with the first set of Maundy coins consisting of a four penny, three penny, two penny and a penny. The coins have remained in much the same form since then, and are traditionally struck in sterling silver.
At the Royal Maundy ceremony, the reigning monarch hands each recipient two small leather string purses – one white, one red. The red purse contains ordinary coinage as money (in lieu of the food and clothing which was offered years ago) and the white contains silver Maundy coins.
The Maundy coins total the age of the King or Queen in pence, so this year, as the Queen approaches her 96th birthday, each white purse will contain 96 pence.
Recognition of Service
Nowadays it is not the poor who are the recipients of this gift, but specially chosen members of the public in recognition of the service they have given to the Church and local community.
The number of men and women receiving Maundy Money also equals the age of the sovereign during the year, and since the reign of George I, the recipients have been an equal number of men and women. For example, this year 192 recipients will receive the Maundy coins – 96 men and 96 women.
The tradition and heritage behind Maundy money makes them among the most sought-after coins in British numismatic history. Their owners are part of an exclusive club which dates back centuries, and they still exemplify the generosity and selfless work of the Church during this week – the most important in the Christian calendar.
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88 pence that you won’t find in your change…
Maundy Thursday is a key day during the Easter week. It commemorates Jesus Christ’s last supper on the day before his crucifixion.
A Church service known as Royal Maundy takes place each year on this day, and is inspired by the generosity shown by Jesus in washing the feet of his disciples shortly before his death. The origins of the ceremony can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when English monarchs would wash the feet of beggars and offer gifts of food and clothing in imitation of Jesus. King John was the first to give to the poor on Maundy Thursday and by the early 14th century, it had become customary for the sovereign to provide a meal, together with gifts of food and clothing.
Sharing the Wealth
For numismatists, the day has added significance in the form of Maundy money which is given out by the reigning monarch each year at the service.
The tradition of giving out money began with Charles II, with the first set of Maundy coins consisting of a four penny, three penny, two penny and a penny. The coins have remained in much the same form since then, and are traditionally struck in sterling silver.
At the Royal Maundy ceremony, the reigning monarch hands each recipient two small leather string purses – one white, one red. The red purse contains ordinary coinage as money (in lieu of the food and clothing which was offered years ago) and the white contains silver Maundy coins. The Maundy coins total the age of the King or Queen in pence, so this year each white purse will contain 88 pence as this year’s service is in the Queen’s 88th birthday year.
A chosen few
Nowadays it is not the poor who are the recipients of this gift, but specially chosen members of the public in recognition of the service they have given to the Church and local community.
The number of men and women receiving Maundy Money also equals the age of the sovereign during the year, and since the reign of George I, the recipients have been an equal number of men and women. For example, in 2015 there were 88 men and 88 women from Lancashire who were nominated to receive 88 pence in Maundy coins.
The tradition and heritage behind Maundy money makes them among the most sought-after coins in British numismatic history. Their owners are part of an exclusive club which dates back centuries, and they still exemplify the generosity and selfless work of the Church during this, the most important week in the Christian calendar.
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