Sunday, December 12, 2021

Christmas comes to Tudor London.

After the War of the Roses had ended, Henry VII turned the marriage of  the two houses, represented by himself and his queen, into a powerful tool. To the great benefit of the English people, he used it to build a centralized national government by vigorously to bringing the nobles of the kingdom and the merchants to heel. Fascinating as the subject can be, we mention it here to explain why noblemen began building mansions in and around London rather than castles to fortify their individual domains.

The city became an attraction like never before. Especially around the Twelve Days of Christmas. The merchants were feeling festive because big money was arriving from out of town to pass the holiday in the mansions. Their servants would be buying supplies. Masters would be buying the cloth from the London mercers to fulfill their obligation to provide their servants and the ladies of the family with a new set of clothing. They would have it delivered to London tailors. On the way, they might order the new shoes from a London sutor.

For the ladies there would be quantities from the lace makers. Local craftsmen and women would be stuffing pillows, sewing on fringes and embroidering scenes, for Christmas gifts. The cheaps would be bustling with huge crowds from opening to closing.

As for the noble household, in their London house they were likely near the palace in which the monarch would be celebrating the holiday. The Tudors from Henry to Queen Elizabeth I expected attendance, again to establish the modern principle that the power of the nobles depended upon the crown. To fail to attend was to be out of mind, to lose the offices and lands that the king or queen would distribute during the year.

At the same time, the merchants and their apprentices and servants needed food  and clothing. Bakers were busy. Tailors had even more to do. Butchers struggled to keep up with demand.

So then, as Christmas approached, the holly and ivy that had traditionally decked the fronts of residents’ houses was even more in evidence. It made even cleaner and better kept houses still more festive for residents and visitors. The parish churches, the aquaducts that brought water into the city, whatever the citizens were proud of that stood still  was decked, as well.

As early as 1444, we know, a decorated Christmas tree of some sort was set up in front of St. Paul’s Cathedral. We are informed by Stowe’s Survey:  

Against the feast of Christmas every man's house, as also the parish churches were decked with holm, ivy, bays, and whatsoever the season of the year, afforded to be green. The conduits and standards in the streets were likewise garnished; amongst the which I read that, in the year 1444, by tempest of thunder and lightning, on the 1st. of February, at night, Paul's steeple was fired, but with great labour quenched; and towards the morning of Candlemas Day, at the Leaden-hall in Cornhill, a standard of tree, being set up in midst of the pavement, fast in the ground, nailed full of holm[1] and ivy, for disport of Christmas to the people, was torn up, and cast down by the malignant spirit (as was thought), and the stones of the pavement all about were cast in the streets, and into divers houses, so that the people were sore aghast of the great tempests.[2]

Perhaps the most fascinating fact is that Londoners already were in the habit of leaving their Christmas decorations up well past the season — let the Devil himself take them down if he doesn’t like it! How ironic are some ancient Christmas traditions!

But the tailors and mercers, etc., aren’t the only businessmen hard at work. As the household servants sought to fill their shopping lists in the cheaps, pick-pockets were on the lookout for those too naïve to have properly secured their purses.

And noblemen are not the only travelers to London. The wealthier citizens of England’s other cities, or their sons, also arrived in droves. Gambling — forbidden to commoners throughout the rest of the year — was allowed during Christmastide. The wealthy commoners had no London houses and therefore stayed at inns and ate at taverns both places abuzz with dicing and card play.

William Harrison tells us about the trade.

Seldom also are they or any other wayfaring men robbed, without the consent of the chamberlain, tapster, or ostler where they bait and lie, who feeling at their alighting whether their capcases or budgets be of any weight or not, by taking them down from their saddles, or otherwise see their store in drawing of their purses, do by-and-by give intimation to some one or other attendant daily in the yard or house, or dwelling hard by, upon such matches, whether the prey be worth the following or no. If it be for their turn, then the gentleman peradventure is asked which way he travelleth, and whether it please him to have another guest to bear him company at supper, who rideth the same way in the morning that he doth, or not. And thus if he admit him, or be glad of his acquaintance, the cheat is half wrought.[3]

Even highwaymen, it seems, must make a living. But the territory in which they might lurk was divided amongst the ostlers of the establishments in the area. They had to make arrangements with an agent from among the staff of the inn or tavern. The agent would case the patrons, in exchange for his cut, and pass the word to the robbers who was ripe for the picking.

And often it is seen that the new guest shall be robbed with the old, only to colour out the matter and keep him from suspicion. Sometimes, when they know which way the passenger travelleth, they will either go before and lie in wait for him, or else come galloping apace after, whereby they will be sure, if he ride not the stronger, to be fingering with his purse. And these are some of the policies of such shrews or close-booted gentlemen as lie in wait for fat booties by the highways, and which are most commonly practised in the winter season, about the feast of Christmas, when serving-men and unthrifty gentlemen want money to play at the dice and cards, lewdly spending in such wise whatsoever they have wickedly gotten,…

They reinvest their profits into dicing and card-playing in their own private clubs. Surely, it is soon time to get back to work.

 



[1] holm] holly

[2] Stowe, John. Survey of London (1603, 1908), I. 233-4.

[3] Elizabethan England: from "A Description Of England," [1577] by William Harrison… (No date. Withington ed.), 228.


Also at Virtual Grub Street:


  • The Funeral of Queen Mary I. December 13 & 14, 1558. November 30, 2021. “She was buried with a pomp suitable to her princely quality, by special order of the Queen her sister, and her Council”.
  • Making Mincemeat Out of It: Medieval and Tudor Mincemeat Pies. November 1, 2021. “I think it’s fair to say that anyone attempting to find medieval or Tudor recipes for mincemeat has failed.”
  • The Feast of St. Michael: English harvest festival and so much more. September 26, 2021. “The Feast of Michaelmas, celebrated on September 29, was like our Thanksgiving in that it celebrated a successful harvest.”
  • Lady Southwell on the Final Days of Queen Elizabeth I.  March 24, 2019.  “her majesty told [Lady Scrope] (commanding her to conceal the same ) that she saw, one night, in her bed, her body exceeding lean, and fearful in a light of fire.”
  • Check out the English Renaissance Article Index for many more articles and reviews about this fascinating time and about the Shakespeare Authorship Question.
  • Check out the Medieval and Tudor Holy Days Page for many other articles.

  • No comments: