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The King's High Table at the Palace of Westminster

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2012

Mark Collins ,
Phillip Emery ,
Christopher Phillpotts ,
Mark Samuel  and
Christopher Thomas
Mark Collins
Affiliation:
D Mark Collins, Parliamentary Estates Directorate, 1 Canon Row, London SW1A 2JN, UK. Email: collinsmd@parliament.uk
Phillip Emery
Affiliation:
Phillip A Emery, FSA, Ramboll, 60 Newman Street, London W1T 3DA, UK. Email: phil.emery@ramboll.co.uk
Christopher Phillpotts
Affiliation:
Christopher Phillpotts, 17 Albert Street, Castlefields, Shrewsbury SY1 2HT, UK. Email: chrisphillpotts@tiscali.co.uk
Mark Samuel
Affiliation:
Mark Samuel, FSA, Architectural Archaeology, 15 Grove Road, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 9SH, UK. Email: twoarches@aol.com
Christopher Thomas
Affiliation:
Christopher Thomas, FSA, MOLA, Mortimer Wheeler House, 46 Eagle Wharf Road, London N1 7ED, UK. Email: cjthomas@mola.org.uk
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Abstract

Archaeological and engineering work that took place in Westminster Hall in 2005–6 led to the discovery of further remains of the King's High Table, to add to those discovered in 1960. The Purbeck marble table stood at the south end of the hall from the thirteenth century to the seventeenth century and was the focus and symbol of English monarchy, serving particular roles in coronation feasts and in the development of the law courts. This paper suggests a reconstruction of the original table and its later extensions from the recovered fragments, and reviews the evidence for the construction, usage and destruction of the table in the context of the evolution of the hall and the palace, tracing its history through to its recent rediscovery and exhibition.

Résumé

Le travail d'archéologie et d'ingénierie qui s'est déroulé à Westminster Hall, de 2005 à 2006, a permis de découvrir de nouveaux vestiges de la Table d'honneur du roi, pour compléter les vestiges découverts en 1960. La table en marbre de Purbeck, qui se trouve à l'extrémité sud de la salle, construite entre les XIIIe et XVIIe siècles, était le lieu central et le symbole de la monarchie anglaise, en jouant un rôle particulier lors des fêtes de couronnement et dans le développement des tribunaux. Cet article, qui suggère une reconstitution de la table originale et ses extensions ultérieures reconstituées à partir des fragments retrouvés, examine les preuves de construction, d'utilisation et de destruction de la table dans le contexte de l’évolution de la salle et du palais, retraçant son historique grâce à sa redécouverte et son exposition récentes.

Zusammenfassung

Archäologische und technische Arbeiten, die 2005–6 in der Westminster Hall durchgeführt wurden, haben weitere Überreste des King's High Table zu Tage gefördert, die nun den Funden von 1960 hinzugeordnet werden. Der Tisch aus Purbeck-Marmor stand vom 13. bis ins 17. Jahrhundert am Südende der Westminster Hall als Mittelpunkt und Symbol der englischen Monarchie. Er spielte eine besondere Rolle bei Krönungsfeiern, sowie bei der Entwicklung der Gerichtshöfe. Dieser Aufsatz schlägt die Wiederinstandsetzung des ursprünglichen Tisches und seiner späteren Erweiterungen anhand der aufgefundenen Fragmente vor, bespricht des weiteren die Nachweise für die Errichtung, Nutzung und Zerstörung des Tisches im Kontext der Entwicklung von Halle und Palast und verfolgt seine Geschichte bis zu seiner jüngsten Auffindung und Ausstellung.

Type
Research papers
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 92 , September 2012 , pp. 197 - 243
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 2012

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