From 1902 to 2023: how we’ve marked Coronations through time

by · May 2, 2023

Founded in 1841, we just missed out on celebrating Queen Victoria’s Coronation, but since then we’ve marked four Coronations. Remarkably, the last Coronation was so long ago, we’d yet to reunify as single institution, and were still Ripon College and St John’s College!

As the country marks the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, we’re looking back at how we’ve marked past Coronations.

9 August 1902 – King Edward VII and Queen Consort Alexandra

Son of Queen Victoria, King Edward’s Coronation nearly didn’t happen. Just 3 days before the original Coronation date (26 June), the King had emergency surgery, delaying the Coronation. With such short notice, it must have been quite the headache to reorganise everything! But some things were so important that they went ahead as planned so as not to waste resources.

In 2023, we’ve been encouraged to host Big Lunches. In 1902, half a million of London’s poorest residents were invited for a free dinner partly funded by the King. Also supported by local and national businesses and philanthropists, it was decided that the dinner should continue as planned. The dinner even included a small tin of chocolates for each diner donated by York’s famous Rowntrees.

In York and Ripon, celebrations will have been postponed and moved to accommodate the new date. But after reading the alumni magazines in our archive from this year, neither mention their college celebrations. This doesn’t mean they didn’t celebrate the Coronation, just that it didn’t make the cut for the magazine. In fact, the only mention of the Coronation in either magazine was a poem in the Ripon College magazine!

A photo of a poem called "Will my people ever forgive me?" The first 12 lines of this long verse poem read: "Did ever Monarch utter stranger words/ Than these? When waking from the ether trance/ Our Stricken Sovereign spoke them dreamily, - / "My people, will they ever me forgive me?"/ Will we forgive him? For his fortitude/ In bearing untold agonies of pain/ All through the weary way to London town?/ Will we forgive him? For his tender care/ In calling to his Coronation feast/ So many thousands of his suffering poor?/ Will we forgive him? For his courtesy,/ His manliness and frank nobility..." The poem continues in the same vein, and is signed off as "Burmantofts, July 5th, 1902, Eva Moss."
A black and white photo from 1901/1902 from St John's College. They are arranged formally in rows in four proper lines, and a fifth which includes four men sat on the floor. The group is almost all men, dressed in dark, formal suits and neckwear. There is one woman in the photo, wearing a large, fancy hat. Presumably, this was a tutor or the principal's wife. They all look very serious.
A black an white photo from Ripon College in 1902. They're all wearing formal wear, with many in pale blouses and darker skirts. A few tutors are wearing academic robes. Everyone looks quite serious, even though they're outside with a tree background.

The poem is based on a famous reported phrase at the time. Apparently, the King asked if he would be forgiven for delaying the Coronation; the poem makes clear that there was nothing to forgive. Unfortunately, at this time, we don’t know much about the poet herself. Dated as early July from Burmantofts in Leeds, it’s likely this was an alumna contribution because of the given location.

You can get a flavour of what the Coronation looked like with British Pathe’s YouTube page. The Yorkshire Film Archive also holds a short clip of a Sheffield tram decked out for the Coronation. It’s likely that there would have been similar scenes in York on our own trams.

22 June 1911 – King George V and Queen Consort Mary

In 1911, our students will have celebrated the second Coronation in less than 10 years. Unbeknownst to them, this Coronation included many international royals, some who would end up on the other side of World War One just three years later.

Again, the White Rose was quiet on what activities students and staff did to mark the Coronation. But the Ripon magazine included a short description of their celebrations.

  • College buildings were festooned with red, white and blue decorations (some things never change!)
  • Students attended a celebratory chapel service
  • They also attended the cathedral’s celebratory service
  • Students also staged a concert

Our Ripon students ended their day with a lemonde toast to the King’s health, before going for a night-time ramble. Around the UK, Coronation bonfires were lit in celebration, with many visible from miles away. It must have been a spectacular sight for our students at the time!

The magazine also included two Coronation Odes, presumably written by alumnae or current students. The Ode’s themselves give an interesting look into common feeling at the time. Both Ode’s link Britain’s past to hopes for the future, and for this prosperity to continue. Both Ode’s also allude to other countries under Britain’s rule, showing how the idea and concept of Empire was viewed in Yorkshire. In both cases, the Odes reflect the society that they were written in, one which was patriarchal, Imperialistic and viewed themselves as the top of every measure of a society’s worth.

The Ode’s are directly followed by another poem entitled ‘The Suffragette’ which was a parody of Ulysses by Alfred Tennyson. Ulysses has been interpreted in different ways and began to be interpreted differently in the early-mid 19th 20th century. But the original interpretation about the nobility of not resigning oneself to passivity and continuing to seek a new cause likely still held true in 1911. ‘The Suffragette’ parody is therefore less likely to be a parody as we know it, but a reinterpretation that spoke to the nobility of the suffragette cause.

A class photo from 1911 Ripon College. Arranged in 6 rows they are all wearing pale blouses, paired with either a lighter skirt or a darker one. Perhaps around half of them are wearing ties, including a couple of striped ties.
A photo of a poem called 'coronation ode' and the title of another poem called ' the suffragette' from the 1911 coronation.
A group of men who were part of the 1910-11 choral society.
A photo of a coronation odea from the 1911 Ripon magazine.

12 May 1937 – King George VI and Queen Consort Elizabeth

In 1937, our students marked the Coronation of an unexpected King. Brought to a new audience and popularised by the 2010 film, The King’s Speech, this Coronation had a few key differences than the previous two:

  • 12 May 1937 was originally the Coronation day for Edward VIII, George VI’s brother. After he abdicated, planning apparently resumed for the day as if nothing has changed!
  • This was the first Coronation with a worldwide reach because it was the first to be broadcast on the radio.
  • This was also the first Coronation to be partially filmed, and was broadcast by the newly formed BBC.
  • The footage was also edited into a newsreel for cinemas.

Once again, the White Rose editions from 1937 fail to mention their Coronation celebrations. But we know York hosted street parties, various celebrations and of course, was decorated for the day. The York Press recently published an article looking back at previous Coronation celebrations and have found some fantastic pictures which can be viewed for free on their website.

In Ripon, the magazine tells us that students held a Coronation Dance on 8 May. There are no further details, but it’s likely that decorations and church services were also part of their celebrations.

Although this was the third Coronation in less than 50 years, it was probably the first our students remembered. On a timeline, 1902, 1911 and 1937 seem quite close together, but in reality it’s unlikely most of our students were born before 1911. If they were, they’d have been at least 27, making them mature students.

A group of students from 1939 sit and stand in the music room. The photo is sepia tinted.
The class photo from 1937, showing four rows of women in white dresses. Many are smiling.

2 June 1953 – Queen Elizabeth II

The last Coronation celebrated by our students was held in 1953 for Queen Elizabeth II. At this time, our colleges were still separate and had yet to become co-educational. In many ways, it was still a different world to the one we know today. Last year we did a blog for the Platinum Jubilee where we looked back at 1952 at our colleges.

At the time, the Coronation of a woman was also a new and exciting change. Queen Elizabeth II was one of only a handful of Queen Regnants (Queen in her own right) in British history. Pundits heralded the start of a second Elizabethan age, which was quite a legacy to live up to! In a reign which became the longest in our history, Queen Elizabeth II became The Queen. But during her Coronation, students watching her could never have guessed at all the changes her reign would oversee.

But The Queen’s Coronation also brought several firsts in its own right:

  • Cameras were allowed to record (almost) the entire ceremony for the first time, with 27 million people watching it in the UK alone.
  • Her Coronation ceremony was also the first to be broadcast internationally, with a global audience of around 277 million people.
  • The Coronation also necessitated the first non-stop flight between the UK and Canada so Canada could watch the ceremony the next day.
  • Perhaps most interestingly, the common sandwich filling Coronation chicken was also created for the event. Now a firm favourite, we’ll have to see if this year’s Coronation quiche will have the same legacy.
Three rows of St John's students stood on the steps of York Minster. Many are wearing their blazers and are smiling.

2023 – King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla

York has had two visits from King Charles III and Queen consort Camilla since his ascension in autumn 2023. Although they have received a mixed reception from some groups, undoubtedly their coronation will be celebrated across York in a variety of ways. York Mumbler has collated an overview of local activity, which includes:

  • Coronation lunches and street parties are being hosted around the city, with several street closures in place to facilitate this
  • York Minster are holding a special exhibit featuring items from York’s royal past
  • Several venues around York are holding celebratory events with a royal twist, including royal afternoon teas.

In Ripon, the Market Square is hosting the city’s main celebrations, including fairground rides and live music across the Coronation weekend. Ripon Cathedral is also livestreaming the Coronation itself and taking part in The Big Help Out with a large volume of volunteers hosting their Coronation Beer Festival. You can find out more about Ripon’s Coronation event on the Visit Ripon website.

A photo of the chapel at York St John with a pink blossom tree in front, in bloom.
Looking up a tree lined path to Ripon Cathedral, the trees are full of pink blossom. The sky is blue and the space looks inviting.
A photo looking out across the quad in summer time. The grass is green and looks inviting. The central flower bed is vibrant and the ivy growing up the walls of the quad buildings looks impressive.
A photo looking at the quad through a window's reflection. The quad is green from summer.

You can find out more about the history of York St John University on our website.

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