Medieval and Tudor Topics: Just what were “waites”?

While reading William Sandys's Christmastide: its History, Festivities and Carols I have come across more than one well and simply written description of the various pre-modern persons and activities associated with the old English season. The following on “waites” seemed like it could be particularly helpful to those whose visits to medieval and Tudor times might be too hurried to allow the time to pursue such details.

Payments were made by Henry the Eighth to waits, at Canterbury, as they were by Henry the Seventh, as well as at other places. These, however, were not at Christmas time, nor were they peculiar to Christmas, but formed part of the musical establishments of the court and the nobility. Originally, indeed, they do not seem of necessity to have been of a musical class; or, at any rate, there were some who were not so; as, in the time of Henry the Third, Simon le Wayte held a virgate of land at Rockingham, in Northamptonshire, on the tenure of being castle-wayte, or watch, and the same custom was observed in other places. This Simon le Wayte fled for theft, and was not the only suspected person of his craft: for, at the time the treasury exchequer was broken open and robbed, in the time of Edward the First, Gilbertus le Wayte, who was keeper of the watch, was very naturally taken up on suspicion, but it does not appear what was done with him. After this the wait seems to have been a musician, usually playing the pipe or hautboy, who kept watch at night, and made bon guet at the different chamber doors, particularly at Christmas time; and Edward the Fourth had one attached to his establishment for this purpose. In the old lay of Richard Coeur-de-Lion, there is notice of —

A wayte ther com in a kernel (battlement).

And a pypyd a moot in a flagel (flageolet).

Among the minstrels in the household of Edward the Third, there were three waits, who had 12d. a day in time of war, and only 20s. a year in time of peace. Henry the Sixth also had one in his household, and frequent mention is made of them from his time to the end of Henry the Eighth, and in subsequent reigns. In Charles the First's band, of fifty-eight, there were twenty-five for the waits; and, as is well known, they exist to the present time; the regular wait even exhibiting his regular appointment and badge, with the portcullis, although waking people at most irregular hours, and with most irregular tunes. The City of London had its waits, who attended the Lord Mayor on public occasions, such as Lord Mayor's day, and on public feasts, and great dinners. They are described as having blue gowns, red sleeves and caps, every one having his silver collar about his neck. Several other towns also had their own establishments of waits, and there are many entries of payments made to them by our kings, and other great personages; as, to the waits of Canterbury,... those of Colchester — as far back as Edward the Fourth — Dover, Coventry, Northampton, Newcastle, &c.; and as they appear to have been on the watch to catch any great person that came in their way, they would seem to have handed down this part of their trade to the bell-ringers of the present age, part of whose occupation appears to be to get paid for not ringing. One of the old towers in Newcastle was formerly called the wait's tower, and was the place of their meeting. There is a tradition of their having played to Oliver Cromwell, on his route to or from Scotland.^¹

The Oxford English Dictionary gives us “A watchman; a scout, spy. As a watchman, the wait was distinctive because he had a horn, trumpet, etc., to blow by way of alarm or signal.” The earliest citation is from 1298. It agrees with The Mirror of Literature, that the term is originally from Old French: “guet, a watch; or from the French Guetter, to watch,...”^².

While the original horn of this watchman was wielded as alarm or signal, at some point the watching was left behind while horns and drums remained. By Tudor times, city night watchmen were ringing in the hours with less disruptive bells. Waites had come to provide buisine flourishes to announce the beginning of great events in court or city. A fine example comes down to us in a description of Queen Elizabeth I's process through London on the day before her coronation.

At the Standarde in Cheape, which was dressed fayre agaynste the tyme, was placed a noyse of trumpettes, with banners and other furniture. The Crosse lykewyse was also made fayre and well trimmed, And neare unto the same, uppon the porche of Saint Peter's church dore, stode the waites of the Citie, which did geve a pleasant noyse with their instrumentes as the Quenes Majestie did passe by, whiche on every syde cast her countenaunce, and wished well to all her most loving People.^³

By the reign of James I, yet another transformation had taken place. In that king's court musicians retained to provide the music for the nearly constant entertainments were called waites regardless that they played a full range of wind, string and percussion instruments. The term waites had come to designate court musicians.

1Sandys, William. Christmastide: its History, Festivities and Carols (1852). 83-4.

2The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, XI. No. 290. December 29, 1827. 448. Citing Rhymer's Foedora (no specifics given).

3 Nichols, John. The Progresses and Public Processions of Queen Elizabeth (1823). I.48. Reprinted from “The Passage of our most drad Soveraigne Lady Quene Elyzabeth through the Citie of London to Westminster, the daye before her Coronation, Anno 1558-9'. Imprinted at London, in Flete-strete, within Temple-barre, at the signe of the Hand and Starre, by Richard Tottill, the xxiii day of January. Cum privilegio. I.38ff.Just what were “waites”?