Royal Maundy is the tradition of the British Monarch ceremonially distributing small silver coins, known as “Maundy Money”, to elderly recipients. It dates back as far 600 AD and its origins lie in the story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples after the Last Supper. The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word “mandatum”, meaning the command that Jesus gave to his disciples to “love one another”.
Why is Royal Maundy important?
There are many duties that Queen Elizabeth II carried out as part of her daily devotional life. One of the more important for her is the Royal Maundy service that takes place on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday in the Christian calendar.
The reason that it was so important to her is that, interestingly, it is the only occasion that the Late Queen visited others to make awards, with recipients usually coming to see her. In order to visit as many cathedrals or abbeys in different parts of the country as possible, she herself had directed that the service should not be held in London more than once every ten years.
The coins
The money is struck in denominations of one penny, two pence, three pence and four pence. The obverse design of the coin is the reigning monarch with the reverse showing a crowned numeral enclosed by a wreath.
They are presented in two leather purses; a white purse containing coins to the value of the same number of pence as the current sovereigns age, and a red purse containing a £5 and a 50p. A small amount of ordinary coinage is also given symbolising food and clothing that used to be given as gifts. It is said that the Late Queen had sometimes received gifts in return, one recipient reportedly handing her a jar of marmalade!
Sadly, due to the global pandemic, Royal Maundy money were posted to recipients in 2020 and 2021, but they did have the wonderful opportunity of sending a message to Her Late Majesty directly to tell her about themselves.
Why is it important to you?
From a numismatic perspective, low mintage is key and “Maundy Money” is highly sought after with less than 2000 sets produced most years.
King Charles III
The Royal Maundy service will take place this year on Thursday 6th April at York Minster. This will be the first service during King Charles III’s reign. However, it is not the first time that he has gifted out maundy money. Last year, Charles oversaw the ceremony on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II.
Both King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be attending York Minster, and there will be a total of 74 men and 74 women receiving coins from the King, a number which represents the monarch’s age. The Maundy service took place twice previously at York Minster during Her Late Majesty’s reign; in 1972 and again in 2012.
In just a few weeks time, King Charles III will be Coronated at Westminster Abbey. To celebrate this incredible event, the first commemorative design gold one-eighth sovereign coin ever produced for the coronation of a British monarch has been released. Secure yours HERE.
