Certainly nothing can be as descriptive of the Tower of London and its past as the Royal Lockup, than these two items. It conjures up images to most people of Henry VIII’s poor wives being beheaded, one by one.

There were in fact two sites of execution at the Tower of London: Tower Hill and Tower Green. This latter site was where Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard were dispatched, and subsequently buried within the church. The site on Tower Hill was used for public executions of traitors and others. It was last used in 1747 at the public execution of Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, for his part in the affair of 1745 when the Stuarts tried for the last time to retake the throne.

Made in 1661 for Charles II, it retains its ancient name and is used only in the coronation procession. The staff is made of gold and is surmounted by an orb and cross. In early times it was known as the Rod of Justice and Equity; the present staff is a replica of the ancient one. It is intended to be used in walking and is shod with a spike of steel like an alpenstock.

The original staff was said to have contained a fragment of the True Cross. The emblems are intended to guide the King's footsteps in the way he should go. In previous times, the sceptre, wand, or rod implied a state of beatitude, present or to come. Legend has it that the staff belonged to King Edward the Confessor, who died in 1066. It was removed from his grave when his tomb was opened after have been made a Saint. 

Probably the oldest items of Royal Regalia and certainly the most symbolic. The 17th century ampulla, a hollow gold eagle whose head unscrews and is of a much earlier date than the body (it has 14th century screw thread), contains the holy oil used in the anointing of the monarch at their coronation.

The anointing spoon, of silver gilt, is believed to date from the 12th century and there is some evidence that it was used at the coronation of King John in 1199. It is the oldest piece of the Regalia. Again the bowl of the spoon and the handle appear to have been made at two different periods (the handle is about 60 years older than the bowl). The handle is set with four fresh-water pearls.

Holy oil is  poured from the Ampulla into the anointing spoon and the Sovereign is touched on the hands, breast, and the crown of the head. This is the most spiritual part of the ceremony and represents the confirmation of the peoples’ choice.

There are two sets of armills in the Jewel House. The enameled set was made for King Charles II but was not used. Sir Robert Dyner, who made the Golden Spurs, also made the original pair of gold bracelets from an

ancient pattern. On them are enameled emblems of the three kingdoms of France. They are lined with crimson velvet and have a Tudor Rose clasp. The engraved gold pair was made in 1953 for Queen Elizabeth II as a gift from the nations of the Commonwealth. Their use in the coronation ceremony symbolizes sincerity and wisdom.

The largest of the rings was made for King William IV and has been used for every coronation except Queen Victoria's. The centre of this ring contains a large sapphire. Lying over it in the form of a cross are five rubies. Around the sapphire is a circle of diamonds which represent the cross of St. George

Queen Victoria's ring was given to her by her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and engraved with the words "Queen Victoria's Coronation Ring 1838". It was specially made for her because her tiny fingers could not retain the larger coronation ring. Due to an error it was sized for her small finger but the presiding Archbishop of Canterbury forced it onto her fourth finger. It took much effort and over an hour to get it removed after the ceremony. Victoria complained about the pain in her diary of the event. Strangely an old tradition says that the tighter the ring the longer the reign and this certainly seems to have been the case as Queen Victoria reigned for 64 years, the longest of any English monarch.

The third ring with the red ruby was made for the Queen's consort Adelaide in 1831. It is set with a fine ruby surrounded by diamonds and has a bank of small rubies around the hoop.

Made for the coronation if King Charles II in 1661, the royal sceptre with the cross symbolizes the Sovereign's temporal power as the ruler of his or her people. It is held in the Sovereign's right hand. It is about 36 inches long made of gold and surmounted by a magnificent diamond-encrusted cross with an emerald in the centre. Below the cross is a superb amethyst and below that is what is believed to be the largest cut diamond in the world. This pear-shaped brilliant is known as the Star of Africa, a huge piece weighing 530 carats. It is held in place by four gold clasps which can be opened and the diamond removed when required to be worn as a pendant.

All the Stars of Africa were cut from a single stone found in 1905 at the Premier Mine in South Africa. Uncut it weighed 3,106 carats. It was presented to Edward VII on his birthday in 1907 by the Transvaal Government. Since it was far too large to wear, it was split. This delicate tasks was accomplished by Mr. J. Asscher of Amsterdam. He spent nearly a year studying the stone before attempting to split it. On the morning when he delivered the vital blow, he was so unnerved that he fainted. Upon being revived and was shown that the stone had fractured exactly along the lines that he had determined, he promptly fainted again.

The Ermine trimmed velvet cap that is now an integral part of any crown was originally a separate headpiece called the Cap of Estate and was worn on occasion in lieu of the actual crown. It was in the time of King Henry VII, father of Bluff King Hall (Henry VIII) who took to wearing both the cap and the crown together

The Imperial State Crown is the best known and probably the most magnificent of all the Royal Regalia. Made in 1838 for the coronation of Queen Victoria. This crown was later modified for the coronations of King George in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth in 1953. This crown is worn upon leaving Westminster Abbey, at great state occasions, and at the state opening of Parliament.

The great red spinel set in the front cross is called the Black Prince's Ruby. Pedro the Cruel of Castile after the Battle of Najera in 1367 had "acquired" it from the King of Granada who is said to have got it through rather shady dealings from the Turkish empire.

Also in this crown is St. Edward's Sapphire, set in the Maltese Cross on the monde. It was thought to have been worn by Edward the Confessor and is said to have been removed from his tomb at Westminster Abbey.

The four great pearls dropped from the arches are traditionally said to have belonged to Elizabeth I, but there is no confirmation of this. It is also possible that they may have belonged to Mary, Queen of Scots, whose pearls were purchased by Elizabeth I for 12,000 crowns.

The Imperial State Crown contains in addition, four rubies, eleven emeralds, seventeen sapphires, 277 pearls, and over 3,000 diamonds.

Over the centuries many pieces have been added to the display that magnifies and beautifies the coronation service. The essentially religious nature of the coronation is nowhere more clearly demonstrated than in the array of Communion Chalices and Pattens. These are the vessels used to contain the Holy Wine and Bread at the Communion Service. There are two chalices and three Pattens. They were first used in 1661 at the coronation of King Charles II and later re-engraved with the arms of King William and Queen Mary.

The Maundy Dish and the Fish Dishes today, are used by the Queen when distributing alms on Maundy Thursday to selected elderly persons. The number of recipients is governed by the age of the monarch. These dishes, of continental origin, are of silver-gilt. Originally the Freshwater Fish dish was used inland, while the Saltwater Fish dish was used in Coastal cities.

Made for Princess Mary of Teck, wife of George V for her coronation in 1911, this crown originally contained the Lesser Stars of Africa, the pear-shaped stone in the upper cross weighing 95 carats while the square cut stone in the band weighs 63-5 carats. The centre of the front Maltese Cross was originally set with the Koh-i-noor Diamond, the Mountain of Light. A magnificent stone from the empire of the Moguls of India. It presently weighs 107 carats, but is said to have originally weighed over 1,000 carats. Its history, very bloody indeed, can be traced back to 1526, when it was recorded that Sultan Baber made a gift of the stone to his son Haumayun.

It was stated then that the stone had descended from Sultan Al-el-Din in 1304. Shah Jehan gave it to his beloved Mumtaz Mahal for whom the Taj Mahal was erected as a mausoleum. Because so many men suffered great calamities and horrifying deaths while owners of this stone, it was thought to be unlucky for a man to wear it. When the British acquired the stone after the fall of Ranjit Singh and the Sikh Empire in 1839, it was given to Queen Victoria, who wore it in a bracelet. In 1937 these large stones were placed in a new Consort's crown for Elizabeth, the present Queen Mother, and crystals were replaced in Queen Mary's crown. No King of England has ever worn the Koh-i-noor Diamond.

The third and fourth largest stones of the Cullinan Diamond are also set in this Crown, but they have now been replaced by crystals, and the diamonds have reverted to the personal possession of the Queen. It is in the traditional style, set in silver with a gold back.

Both objects were made for the coronation of Mary Beatrice of Modena, consort to James II, in 1685. When the crown first made its appearance, it looked very different from today. It was altered and set with the Black Prince's Ruby when Queen Mary II adopted it as her State Crown. It was later refashioned for her sister Queen Anne. The latter wore the crown in what is very much its present form. It was also the State Crown for George I. As George II apparently assumed as his state crown, the old Crown of State of Charles II (with the Black Prince's Ruby reset in it), the Crown of Mary of Modena became once again a Queen Consort's Crown. It was in turn used by his wife Caroline of Anspach, Queen Charlotte, consort of George III and probably by Queen Adelaide, consort of William IV.

The diadem was worn on Mary's way to the abbey and the crown was worn on her return. The diadem, not being a crown, has no arches and is in fact a broad gold circlet encrusted with diamonds, the top edge being bordered with a row of large pearls. It is fitted with a cap of purple velvet, bound at the rim with miniver.

Both the crown and the diadem are small (5 1/2 " diameter).  They were worn on top of the head.  Both have been worn by several monarchs over the years but have not been used since the time of Queen Adelaide.

Single arched crowns of gold over a Cap of Estate, the first was made in 1728 for Prince Frederick Louis, son of King George II, and father of George III. This crown was used when he took his seat in the House of Lords where it was placed on a cushion in front of him. It was used subsequently in the same fashion, lastly by King Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales. It has never been used since.

The second was made for George V in 1901 and was also used by Edward VIII, later Duke of Windsor. He took this crown when he abdicated in 1936 and it was only returned to the Jewel House after his death.

It is interesting to note that a Prince's crown only has one arch whereas a ruling sovereign's crown has two arches. Only an emperor or empress may have four arches, such as Queen Mary's or the Imperial Crown of India.

The Diamond Diadem was made for King George IV to wear with his Cap of State at his Coronation in 1821. Today, it is better known as the one worn by the Queen when depicted on bank notes, coins, stamps and worn by Her Majesty for the drive to the State Opening of Parliament. 

The Diadem was also used by Queen Victoria and is the one depicted on the stamps from her reign. The Diadem is composed of four diamond pave set crosses-patee interspersed with four bouquets of rose, shamrock and thistle, representing the flower emblems of the United Kingdom. There are a total of 1,333 diamonds weighing 325.75 carats and 169 pearls.