A Scion Society of The Baker Street Irregulars
Queen Elizabeth Gives Out Sherlock Coin As Part of Maundy Thursday
“… your Grace’s purse.”
– The Adventure of the Priory School (PRIO)
We are sharing the pertinent content of today’s news coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s participation in the Maundy Thursday ceremony. For full coverage of the story, please read Alice Scarsi’s news article in The Daily Express.
The Royal Family’s Twitter account wrote: “The Queen commemorates Maundy by offering ‘alms’ to senior citizens – retired pensioners recommended by clergy and ministers of all denominations, in recognition of their service to the church and to the local community.
“The Queen distributes Maundy Money to people from all across the UK – nominated for their work in the community.
“Maundy Thursday is the Christian holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter, which commemorates the Maundy & Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles.”
Maundy Thursday is the day on which Jesus Christ shared the Last Supper with his 12 apostles and washed their feet before being crucified, according to Christians.
To celebrate the day, the monarch handed out special coins to the elderly who have attended the service.
This year, the Queen’s 93rd birthday, falling on Easter Sunday, was marked by the fact that 93 men and 93 women received the Maundy money.
The first Maundy money ceremony took place in the reign of King Charles II, when the monarch gave people undated hammered coins in 1662.
For years Queen and Kings of England were expected to wash worshippers’ feet in Westminster Abbey, as well as hand out food and clothing.
This custom lasted until 1689, but the Queen was still showcasing today a symbol of that tradition – a bouquet of flowers made up of daffodils, primroses, stocks, purple statice, freesias, ivy, hebe and the herbs rosemary and thyme.
The traditional nosegay, handed her as she entered the church, has a hidden meaning.
The Royal Family Twitter account wrote: “The flowers were originally used to disguise odours as The Monarch washed the feet of recipients – an act to remember Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.”
The Royal Family shared a picture of the small leather purses, one red and one white, containing the special coins.
They added: “The money in the White Purse includes 1, 2, 3 and 4 silver penny pieces, the sum equals the number of years of the Monarch’s age.
“This year the purse will equal 93p as Her Majesty turns 93 on Sunday!
“The Red Purse contains a £5 coin, commemorating the 200th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s birth & a 50p coin portraying Sherlock Holmes.”
Thanks to Mary Miller, the 76th Garrideb for sharing this item with us.
Sorry, comments are closed for this post.