Edward VII Coronation
Amidst the excitement and events surrounding the Queen's Golden
Jubilee celebrations in 2002, staff in Perth & Kinross Council
Archive discovered that there were royal celebrations 100
year previously. The Council minutes of May 1902 give an insight
into the royal story of the day, namely the impending coronation of
King Edward VII on 26 June, following Queen Victoria's death.
The minutes tell of an award of £200 from the Common Good
Fund for public buildings to be appropriately decorated, including
the repair of a library flag! After the preparations had been made
however, the coronation had to be deferred as the heir apparent
required to have his appendix removed. The Perth public buildings,
having been duly decorated, had to have "decorations and other
signs of rejoicing removed", as it was not clear at the time how
serious the future king's illness was.
In the event the coronation took place on 9th August, although the
king was unable to perform many of the physical rituals associated
with the ceremony. There were medical staff on hand in case of
emergencies.
There are official local authority minutes dating back to the
eighteenth century in the Council Archive which give an insight
into the decisions and evolutions which have gone into
making Perth and Kinross of the present day. Visit
the Council Archive in AK Bell Library, where staff
are always delighted to help with enquiries or research,
or phone (01738) 477012/22.
