LONDON.- A banner that formed part of the Royal Regalia used at the funeral of Oliver Cromwell in November 1658, is to be offered at Bonhams Fine Books and Manuscript Sale in London on Wednesday 20 June. The banner – also known as an escutcheon - is painted with his arms as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland and surmounted by the royal crown. It is estimated at £8,000-12,000.

Of the 2006 escutcheons used at the funeral ceremonies, only four are known to have survived. Two are in museums and one at Westminster School, making the banner in the sale the only one in private hands. It was the subject of the BBC programme Antiques Roadshow Detectives, in March 2015. Scientifically analysed, it was compared to the other surviving examples and found to be in particularly good condition. An inscription added in the 18th century, suggests the escutcheon was used on Cromwell’s hearse on the day of his funeral, 23 November 1658

Cromwell always resisted attempts by Parliament to crown him king - although the power he wielded as Lord Protector made him that in all but name, and he was routinely referred to as ‘Your Highness’. The obsequies following his death on 3 September closely followed the precedent set by past royal funerals. Contemporary accounts tell of the body lying in state in Somerset House from 18 October to 10 November. Four rooms were set aside for the purpose and, in one of them, a wax effigy of Cromwell was laid out robed in velvet and ermine as a monarch would be. holding a sceptre and orb with an Imperial Crown at its head. On his death, his son Richard inherited the title of Lord Protector, but he was an ineffectual leader, both politically and militarily, and within two years the monarch was restored and Charles II became king.

Bonhams senior book specialist Simon Roberts said, “The escutcheon is a very rare and remarkably well-preserved survivor of a significant event in British history. Having participated in the execution of an anointed king, Cromwell was reluctant to assume the same title, though in effect he ruled as Lord Protector very much as an absolute monarch. His death marked the effective end of the brief period of republican power in Britain, and Cromwell’s state funeral, which accorded him in death the trappings of royalty, seemed to presage the restoration of the monarchy a few months later.”