The New Murrey and Blue blog

When I saw a headline about a family who bought a king’s bed, my first thought was of the marriage bed of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, which was found at auction in 2010 in Chester. But no, this is a different bed, and only dates back to Charles II. Nor is it a marriage bed, but rather the state bed from Westminster Palace, used by the monarch on the eve of coronations. The last monarch to do this was George IV.

The original state bed was damaged in a fire and a new one built in 1859. The new bed measured 6ft long by 12ft high and was made of walnut with gilt inlay. Very impressive, it was kept in the Speaker’s House, where it remained until the 1940s….when it disappeared. It is of interest that the then Speaker, Edward Fitzroy, was twice descended from Charles II. His great-great-great-uncle, Augustus Fitzroy Duke of Grafton and his second cousin three times removed, Robert Jenkinson Earl of Liverpool, were both Prime Minister.

Where did it end up? In a Welsh woollen mill in Llandysul, Ceredigion! The story of its discovery and history is related in this article.