The Golden Omen: James II and the Crucifix of King Edward the Confessor

In 1685, soon after James II's coronation, one of the Westminster Abbey choirmen, Charles Taylour, noticed a hole in King Edward the Confessor's tomb. Curious, he put his hand inside and extracted the beautifully enameled golden crucifix (probably a Byzantine enkolpion with a relic of the Holy Cross in it). He took it and some time later the valuable object was presented to King James II, who, gratefully, received it. The article's aim is to discuss the discovery of King Edward's cross that was meaningful in a variety of ways. It ought to be considered, for instance, in the context of the traditional cult of relics, compromised in the predominantly Protestant culture of the latter 17th century but still significant for the English Catholics, including King James himself. The cross was also, quite naturally, a powerful symbol of kingship as well as continuity of the English monarchy. Last but not least, the unexpected finding of the valuable relic could be construed as a providential omen for the beginning of the new reign.