Everard or Everart Everdyes was a London-based goldsmith and precious stone cutter or lapidary who worked for

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

Edward VI Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) was King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death in 1553. He was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of nine. The only surviving son of Henry VIII by his thi ...

, and

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous ...

. In 1546, with a merchant partner Peter Vanderwalle, he received a licence to import a variety of luxury goods. Like Vanderwalle, he may have learnt his trade and craft in

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, and was allowed to settle in London with his family in 1546.

The house at Westminster

In 1549, as a foreigner working in London, he was recorded as "Everyd Everdyse" or "Everdesse" with four servants in the ''Returns of Aliens'' for the parish of

St Margaret's, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret the Virgin, Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Pal ...

. In 1550, at King's Street, Westminster, his employees were Stase Villmettes, Peter Dordyer, Peter Vanheste, and the apprentice Augustyne or Hanstren. Everdyes had a workshop and house at

Westminster Palace The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the ...

. These premises, and the workshop of the armourer, Hans Hunter, were mentioned when Mary I made George Brediman Keeper of the Palace. A property deed of 1604, made for Thomas Knyvet, names him as "Everard Everard", a former occupier of a house near the King Street Gate of

Whitehall Palace The Palace of Whitehall – also spelled White Hall – at Westminster was the main residence of the English monarchs from 1530 until 1698, when most of its structures, with the notable exception of Inigo Jones's Banqueting House of 1622, ...

, later the site of Hampden House and present day

Downing Street Downing Street is a gated street in City of Westminster, Westminster in London that houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. In a cul-de-sac situated off Whiteh ...

Works

Everdyes made cups for Henry VIII which included imported blue porcelain and ostrich eggs. Some of this work was unfinished at the death of Henry VIII and Everdyes returned the materials. He had re-cut a large sapphire. Everdyes made one of three crowns for the

coronation of Edward VI The coronation of Edward VI as List of English monarchs, King of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland took place at Westminster Abbey, London, on 20 February 1547. Edward ascended the throne following the death of King Henr ...

at the request of Protector Somerset. The new personal crown was made in "imperial" style from gold, precious stones, and pearls. The word "imperial" signifies the style of a crown, with raised arches. Everdyes used scrap gold from the Secret

Jewel House The Jewel House is a vault housing the British Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, Crown Jewels in the Waterloo Block (formerly a barracks) at the Tower of London. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 and refurbished in 2012. Regalia ...

including two girdles and a set of nine letters "I" or "J", perhaps originally made for Edward VI's mother

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (; 24 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was ...

. The new crown was set with pearls from Henry VIII's collars and caps, and may have included the large

balas ruby Spinel () is the magnesium/aluminium member of the larger spinel group of minerals. It has the formula in the cubic crystal system. Its name comes from the Latin word , a diminutive form of ''spine,'' in reference to its pointed crystals. Prop ...

of the

Black Prince Edward of Woodstock (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), known as the Black Prince, was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Edward III of England. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, succeeded to the throne instead. Edward n ...

, a

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

sourced in

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

. Everdyes' crown was detailed in the inventory of Edward VI:

Item a Crowne of golde Imperiall made for the kinges majestie our Soveraigne Lorde Edwarde the vj^th the nether Border sett with ix pointed diamountes and ix Settes of peerles and v peerles in every sett being uppon the same border certeyne Borders of Antiques of golde sett with viij rocke Rubies and xx peerles with foure borders which make the Crown Imperiall sett with iiij Emeraldes iiij rubies and iiij diamountes with lxxj peerles and with a Lardge Ballace in the toppe percede, sett with a litell crosse of golde in the toppe of the Ballace enameled.

The crown was extant in 1649. James Robinson Planché, ''Regal Records'' (London, 1838), p. 77.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Everdyes, Everard Material culture of royal courts English goldsmiths