Crown In heraldry nine crowns are recognised: The oriental, the triumphal or imperial, the diadem, the
obsidional crown, the civic, the crown vallery, the mural crown, the naval, and the crown celestial.
The
blockade crown (corona obsidionalis), presented by the Romans to the general who liberated a beleaguered
army. This was made of grass and wild flowers gathered from the spot.
A camp crown was given by the
Romans to him who first forced his way into the enemy's camp. It was made of gold, and decorated
with palisades.
A civic crown was presented to him who preserved the life of a civis or Roman citizen
in battle. This crown was made of oak leaves, and bore the inscription, H.O.C.S. - i.e. hostem occidit,
civem servavit (a foe he slew, a citizen saved).
A mural crown was given by the Romans to that man who
first scaled the wall of a besieged town. It was made of gold and decorated with battlements.
A naval
crown was by the Romans given to him who won a naval victory. It was made of gold, and decorated
with the beaks of ships.
An olive crown was by the Romans given to those who distinguished themselves
in battle in some way not specially mentioned in other clauses.
An ovation crown (corona ovalis) was
by the Romans given to the general who vanquished pirates or any despised enemy. It was made of
myrtle.
A triumphal crown was by the Romans given to the general who obtained a triumph. It was made
of laurel or bay leaves. Sometimes a massive gold crown was given to a victorious general. (See Laurel.)
The iron crown of Lombardy is the crown of the ancient Longobardic kings. It is now at Monza, in Italy.
Henry of Luxembourg and succeeding kings were crowned with it. Napoleon I. put it on his head with
his own hands. It is a thin fillet of iron, said to be hammered from a nail of the true cross, covered with
a gold circle, enamelled with jewels, etc.
Crown Glass is window glass blown into a crown or hollow globe. It is flattened before it is fit for use.
Crown Office (The). A department belonging to the Court of Queen's Bench. There are three Crown officers appointed by the Lord Chief Justice - viz. (1) Queen's Coroner and Attorney; (2) the Master; and (3) the Assistant Master. The offices are held during good behaviour.
Crown of the East - i.e. Antioch, capital of Syria, which consisted of four walled cities, encompassed by a common rampart, that “enrounded them like a coronet.” It was also surnamed “the beautiful.”
Crowns (worn by heathen deities):
APOLLO wore a crown of laurels. BACCHUS, of grapes or ivy. CERES,
of blades of wheat. COMUS, of roses. CYBELÊ, of pine leaves. FLORA, of flowers. FORTUNE, of fir-
slips. THE GRACES, of olive-leaves. HERCULES, of poplar-leaves. HYMEN, of roses. JUNO, of quince-
leaves. JUPITER, of oak-leaves. THE LARÊS, of rosemary. MERCURY, of ivy, olive-leaves, or mulberries.
MINERVA, of olive-leaves. THE MUSES, of flowers. PAN, of pine-leaves. PLUTO, of cypress. POMONA,
of fruits. SATURN, of vine-leaves. VENUS, of myrtle or roses.
Crowner Coroner - i.e. an officer of the Crown.
“The crowner hath sat on her, and finds it Christian burial.” - Shakespeare: Hamlet, v. 1.Crow's-Nest (The), in a Greenlander's galley, is a small room constructed of staves, something like an empty cask. It is fitted up with seats and other conveniences, and here the person on watch continues for two hours looking out for whales. The whale generally announces his approach by a “blowing,” which may in favourable circumstances be heard several miles off.
Crowquill (Alfred). Alfred Henry Forrester (1805-1872).
Croysado The Great Croysado. General Lord Fairfax. (Hudibras.)
Crozier or Crosier. An archbishop's staff terminates in a floriated cross, while a bishop's crook has a curved, brackenlike head. A bishop turns his crook outwards, to denote his wider authority; an abbot (whose crook is the same as a bishop's) carries it turned inwards, to show that his jurisdiction is limited to his own inmates. When walking with a bishop an abbot covers his crook with a veil hanging from the knob, to show that his authority is veiled in the presence of his superior.