Tudor Trivia Tuesday: Easter Edition, 2023.

1) Until the reign at least of Henry VIII, the monarch and his/her consort underwent the ordeal of “creeping to the cross” on Good Friday. A royal usher unrolled a carpet across the royal chapel along which the monarch humbly crept on their hands and knees. The end of the ordeal was to kiss the base of the cross.

2) We learn from Brand's Popular Antiquities, that “It was customary in the popish times to erect, on Good Friday, a small building to represent the sepulchre of our Saviour. In this was placed the Host, and a person set to watch it both that night and the next; and the following morning very early, the Host being taken out, Christ was said to have arisen.”

3) We also learn from Brand that the Easter service pageant at St. Mary's included all the three crosses from Golgotha: “Among the ancient annual Disbursements of the Church of St Mary at Hill, I find the following entry against Easter:

Three great garlands for the crosses, of roses and lavender

Three dozen other garlands for the quire

At least at St. Mary's, the choir sang adorned with garlands on Easter Day.

4) It had already long been a tradition, in the 16^th century, in various regions of England, to give children brightly colored eggs. In some places, the child need only cry out “pasche egg!” to receive the treat. In other places and times the child must present their cross in order to receive the egg. From this tradition came the friendly wager “I’ll warrant you for an egg at Easter.”

5) Until Henry VIII's time, the young men of each town traditionally played a version of handball on Easter day. The victors won tansy-cakes and honors for the year. The game resulting too often in violence between the teams, the tradition was ended by Royal Decree.

6) Less aggressive ball games were still featured on Easter Day, as exemplified by a Robert Herrick lyric.

At stool-ball, Lucia, let us play

For sugar cakes and wine ;

Or for a tansy let us play,

The loss be thine or mine.

If thou, my dear, a winner be,

At trundling of the ball,

The wager thou shalt have and me,

And my misfortunes all.

The victor might still win a tansy-cake.

7) In many places throughout England young people bought a small article of dress or personal ornament to wear for the first time on Easter Sunday. This was said to avoid rooks or other offensive birds from wickedly soiling their clothing. But, then, maybe it was just an excuse to buy something to show off at church services.

8) Some close variation on this tradition may supply the reference from a certain line from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Mercutio: Didst thou not fall out with a tailor for wearing his new doublet before Easter?

9) Again, from Brand: 'In The Doctrine of the Masse Book (1554), in the Form of “the halowing of the Pascal Lambe, Egges, and Herbes, on Easter Daye,” the following passage occurs: “ O God! who art the Maker of all flesh, who gavest commaundements unto Noe and his sons concerning cleane and uncleane beastes, who hast also permitted mankind to eate clean four-footed beastes, even as Egges and green herbes." The Form concludes with the following rubric: “ Afterward, let al be sprinkled with holye water and censed by the priest.”'

10) It is Dugdale who informs us that the students at the Inns of Court “had used to have Eggs and green sauce on Easter Day, after service and communion, for those gentlemen who came to breakfast”.

Also at Virtual Grub Street:

• Ambassador Fenelon Describes the Rebellion of Queen Elizabeth's Parliament of 1566. March 11, 2023. "The queen returned no softer answer... What they asked was nothing less than wishing her to dig her grave before she was dead.”

• Young William, Lord Herbert, samples the pleasures. February 24, 2023. “...a bookish, melancholic young man, with an addiction to tobacco, only slightly less to the ladies...”

• A Brief Introduction to the Tudor Inn. February 5, 2023. "A London inn was homey enough, it would seem."

• Lo, the Mighty Mole-Catcher! January 29, 2023. "Like all farmers, Tusser constantly had moles on his mind."

• 16th Century Beauty Secrets: the Italian Lady’s Scented Bath. March 14, 2022. “…they pour in a small jug of water mixed with four or six drops of lavender oil.”

• 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 Queen Elizabeth I Biography Page for many other articles.