Llywelyn's coronet
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Llywelyn's Coronet was seized alongside other holy artifacts in 1284 from the ruins of the defeated Kingdom of Gwynedd. It was taken to London where it was presented to King Edward I of England as a token of the complete annihilation of the independent Welsh state. It is recorded that Llywelyn III of Gwynedd had deposited this crown and other items (such as the Cross of Neith) with the monks at Cymer Abbey for safekeeping in 1282. He was killed later that year and his brother, who briefly succeeded him, was unable to retrieve them.
The Coronet passed to Llywelyn's predecessor Dafydd II, Tywysog Cymru. According to Edward I's jewel account for that regnal year (12 Edward I) the crown was recoated in gold plating to make it look more impressive (which suggests that it may have been made of iron). It was then presented at the shrine of Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey as the "Coron Arthur" or the Crown of King Arthur. The coronet, alongside the English Crown Jewels, was kept in Westminister Abbey until 1303 before they were all re-housed in the Tower of London after it and the English Crown Jewels were all temporarily stolen. It is thought that Llywelyn's Coronet was destroyed alongside most of the original English crown jewels in 1649 by order of Oliver Cromwell.
There is some confusion as to whether Llywelyn's coronet is what was referred to by some chroniclers as the "crown" or "jewel" of Arthur or if this was a separate more treasured artifact. Little is known of the royal regalia of the Welsh kings and princes of Britain. Some historians do not believe they even wore coronets until the late 12th century when attempts were made by them to centralise their governments and reinforce their rule.
Mystery surrounds the identity and whereabouts of a possible second Welsh crown; the crown of Owain Glyndŵr. Glyndŵr was crowned in 1404 at the Welsh parliament or Cynulliad held at Machynlleth — but with whose crown? It is possible that this was either another pre-conquest dynastic coronet, similar to Llywelyn's, and potentially the crown of the Kings of Powys. Alternatively it could have been one that was made specifically for the occasion. Another possibility is that Llywelyn's crown (which had been stolen in 1303 alongside the English Crown Jewels) had not been returned with the rest of them. This fact would have been covered up to avoid further embarrassment.
