May 2023

This month’s object is a programme for a procession that took place in Frome on 17 February 1820 to celebrate the accession to the throne of George IV. He had served almost 10 years of regency before becoming King, during which he effectively ruled the country because of his father George III’s frail mental health .

George IV’s coronation took place on 19 July 1821. It was a magnificent event, costing around £243,000, the equivalent of approximately £23,558,000 today.

The King reigned until 1830, though during the 1820s he gradually withdrew from public life and lived in seclusion at Windsor Castle.

The procession in Frome included ‘dissenting ministers’ among the clergy, highlighting the prominent role of religious dissent in Frome’s history, still visible in the town’s Dissenters’ Cemetery