Queen Elizabeth II 25th Anniversary Coronation First Day Cover, St. Vincent postmarked on June 2, 1978.
St. Vincent
160 miles north of Trinidad, St. Vincent rises in a short chain of volcanic peaks to 4000 ft. At least one of these is still active, having killed 2000 people in 1902. When discovered by Columbus in 1498, the island was inhabited by Carib Indians, often called warlike on the grounds that they resisted Euro- pean settlement for 300 years. When a black slave ship was wrecked there, however, since the slaves had no aspirations of stealing land or enslaving the Caribs, they were welcomed. St. Vincent is also known as 'Breadfruit Isle' after the cheap slave food introduced by Captain Bligh from Tahiti.
These stamps, designed by Gordon Drummond and printed by John Waddington of Kirkstall Ltd., are one of the 'Defender of the Faith' issues, and depict the following:
40c — Westminster Abbey. Originally a Benedictine monastery, the Abbey was refounded in 1560 by Elizabeth I as a Collegiate Church. The original church of St. Edward the Confessor was replaced by Henry III in 1245 by the present Early English building.
50c — Gloucester Cathedral. Built on the site of a 7th century abbey, this Norman building was dedicated in 1100. The Abbey was disbanded by Henry VIII in the 1530's, and became a bishopric seat in 1541.
$1.25 — Durham Cathedral. This Norman Romanesque building was started in 1093, and has the highest Bishop's Throne (cathedra) in Christendom. (A cathedral is a church containing a cathedra.) The prince-bishops of Durham were entrusted by the crown with defending northern England.
$2.50 — Exeter Cathedral. Designed in rounded Decorated style with perfect horizontal and vertical architectural balance and profuse stylised leaves, flowers and fruits, the cathedral has a wooden episcopal throne dated about 1315.
Defender of the Faith
By the early 16th century the Church had earned wide disrepute for the riches, profligacy and high living of its servants. Riches came from many sources: selling remission on time in hell was commonplace and even murder tolerated. (The Bishop of London's chancellor slew a tailor in his cell just for questioning the Church's right to try him for mortuary dues.) Nevertheless, it was for his eloquent defence of the Church that the Pope named Henry 'Fidei Defensor'.
