The Maundy service commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus and the Apostles. At the end of the Maundy service the monarch (or royal representative) distributes purses with Maundy money, as symbolic alms to the elderly.
In fact, the monarch gives each recipient two stringed purses, one containing ordinary coins for household purposes and another purse that contains Maundy coins. The total number of Maundy purses given is directly related to the age of the monarch. So in 2014, when Queen Elizabeth II was 88, she handed out sets of purses to 88 men and 88 women.
The Maundy purse illustrated here dates to the late seventeenth century. It is 12 x 9 cm in size and was the property of Queen Anne (r: 1702-1707). The purse is embroidered on both sides with gold and silver metal threads, as well as coloured silks. The design is of landscape and pastoral scenes. By the twenty-first century, simple leather purses in red and white are used, without any embroidery.
Royal Collection online catalogue (retrieved 26 June 2016).
GVE