The 7th day of September being Sunday, between three and four of the Clock at afternoon, the Queen was delivered of a fair Lady, which day the Duke of Norfolk came home to the christening, & for the Queens deliverance, Te deum was sung incontinently, & great preparation was made for the christening: and the Mayor and his brethren, and 40 of the chief of the citizens, were commanded to be at the Christening, the Wednesday following, upon which day the Mayor, sir Stephen Pecocke, in a gown of Crimson Velvet, with his collar of S. S.
and all the Aldermen in Scarlet, with collers and chains, and all the council of the city with them, took their barge after diner, at one of the clock, and the citizen had another barge, and so rowed to Greenwich, where were many lords, knights, and gentlemen assembled. All the walls between the Kings place and the Friars, were hanged with Arras, and all the way strewed with green Rushes the Friars Church was also hanged with Arras. The Font was of silver, and stood in the midst of the Church, three steps high, which was covered with a fine cloth, and diverse gentlemen with aprons, and towels about their necks, gave attendance about it, that no filth should come in the Fount, over it hung a square Canape of crimson Satin, fringed with gold, about it was a rail covered with red say: between the choir and: the body of the Church, was a close place with a pan of fire, to make the child ready in: when all these things were ordered, the child was brought to the hall, and then every man set forward: First the citizens two and two, then gentlemen, Esquiers and chaplains, next after them the Aldermen, and the Mayor alone: next the Mayor, the king's council, the king's Chapel in copes: then Barons, Bishops, Earls, then came the Earl of Essex, bearing the covered Basins gilt, after him the Marques of Exeter with the taper of virgin wax, next him the Marques Dorset, bearing the salt, behind him the lady Mary
of Norfolk, bearing
the chrisom which was very riche of perle &
stone, the old Duches of Norfolk bore
the child, in a Mantel of purple velvet,
with a long train furred with Ermine. The duke of Norfolk,
with his Marshall rod, went on the right hand of the said duchess,
& the duke of Suffolk on the left hand,
and before them went the officers of arms: the countess
of Kent bore the long train of the child's
mantel, and between
the Countess of Kent and the child, went
th' earl of Wilshire on the right hand, and
th' earl of Derby
on the left hand, supporting the said train: in the midst
over the said child was borne a Canopy,
by the lord Rocheford, the lord Huse, the
lord William Howard,
and by the lord Thomas Howard the elder,
after the child followed many ladies, and
gentlewomen, when the child was come to the church door,
the bishop of London met it with diverse
bishops and Abbots mitered, and began the observances
of the Sacrament. The Godfather was the lord Archbishop of
Canterbury: the Godmothers were the old Duchess
of Norfolk, and the old Marchioness of
Dorset widows, and the child was named Elizabeth: and after that all
thing was done, at the church door
the child was brought to the Fount, and christened, and this done,
Garter chief king of arms cried aloud, God of his infinite
goodness, send prosperous life and long, to
the high and mighty Princess
of England Elizabeth: and then the trumpets blew, then the child was
brought up to the altar, and the Gospel
said over it: and after that immediately
the Archbishop of Canterbury confirmed it, the Marchioness
of Exeter being Godmother, then the
Archbishop of Canterbury, gave to the
Princess a standing
cup of gold: the Duchess of Norfolk, gave to
her a standing cup of gold, fretted with
pearl: the Marchioness
of Dorset gave three gilt bowls,
pounced with a cover: and the Marchioness
of Exeter, gave three standing bowls graven, all gilt with a cover. Then was brought in Wafers, Comfits, Hypocras in such plenty, that every man had asmuche, as he would desire. Then they set forwards, the trumpets going before in the same order, toward the king's palace, as they did when they came thither-ward, saying that the gifts that the Godfather, and the Godmother's gave, were born before the child by four persons, that is to say: First sir John Dudley, bare the gift of the Lady of Exeter: the lord Thomas Howard the younger, bare the gift of the lady of Dorset: the lord Fitzwater, bare the gift of the Lady of Norfolk, and the Earl of Worcester, bare the gift of the Archbishop of Canterbury, and all the one side as they went, was full of staff Torches, to the number of five hundred, born by the guard and other of the king's servants, and about the child were borne, many other proper torches borne by gentlemen: and in this order they brought the princess, to the Queen's chamber, & the Mayor & the Aldermen tarried there a while, and at the last the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk came out from the King, thanking them heartily, & said the king commanded them to give them thanks in his name: and from thence they were had to the cellar to drink, and so went to their Barges.
Source: Hall, Edward. Hall's Chronicle (1548, 1809). 805-6.
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