CHRISTMAS AT COURT.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1940, 24 December 1913, Page 9

CHRISTMAS AT COURT.

| FROM THE CONQUEST TO THE REFORMATION. j

I ' (lit WII,U.VM FIUNCIS.) , |

Ail hailed-with unconf roiled delight.--." Ami general-voice the'happy night.That to the cottage as the crown. Brought tidings of salvation down.! —Sir Waller Scoit. .-. 1 .:. ■ Whether we consider the subject from an historical standpoint, or look at it in its social aspects, Christmas at Court is worthy of our study. Jsi the Saxon times: Christmas was observed as a festival, and we aro not without information as io how kings then kept the feast. But- it will ho amply sufficient for our purpose if ...we hark back as far as the Conquest, and then glide gently down the stream of time to-the Reformation. A Christmas Coronation, The first Christmas Day after tho Conquest was one of pomp and bloodshed. Having conquered the Saxon Harold, William of Normandy hastened to London to he crowned on Christmas Dnv in Westminster Abbey. The Londoners had expected' to celebrate tho festival in the Abbey, but the Conqueror demanded, tho church for his coronation. Having surrounded the sacred edifice with Norman soldiers on their war-horses, tho proud conqueror entered the Abbey with his barons, taking up his position before tho High Altar, on the grave stone of Edward tho Confessor. On either side stood an Anglo-Saxon and a Norman prelate. The Norman was Godfrey, Bishop of Constance; the Saxon was Aldred, Archbishop of York, holding i;i his_ own band tho golden crown of Byzantium workmanship wrought. by Guy of Amiens, The Normnn prelate was to address in French those who could not- speak.Eng- , lish: the Saxon primate was to address in English those who could not speak French. When the moment arrived for the ancient- form of popular election a confused acclamation - arose front. the mixed multitude within tlio Abbey. The Norman cavalry without, hearing, but not understanding this peculiarity ; of Saxon institution, took alarm, and thinking their Duke was in danger, fell upon and massacred many of the Saxoiis, and also set, fire to the neighbouring houses' before the error was understood.' The crowd in the Abbey—nobles and poor, men and women—alarmed in their turn, rushed out. The prelates and monl<3 were loft alone with William in-the churcli, and in the solitude ofthat wintrv day, amidst tho.cries of his new subjects trampled down by tho horses' hoofs of their conquerors, he. himself- for the first time in his life I trembling from head to foot, the ceremony was hurried on. But the Christ- - 'mas Crown did not bring joy to tho Conqueror. He is said to have been a most unhappy man. A-Sad Christmas at York. William- of Normandy kept liis next Christmas at' York, but stained his memory by devastating the country be'iween York and Durham. During the year enemies had risen up against him, and York had opened her gates to welcome them. William, who was down in tho South-West of .England when ' the news reached him, sworo "by God's splendour" that he would not leave one of his enemies alive, and hastened northward at once to carry his threat into execution. On reaching York ho gavo - his troops orders to devastate tho country between that city and Durham—orders which they wero not slow to obey. From York to Durham, -says William of. Malmeslniry, writing in, 1120, "not an inhabited village remained. Fire, slaughter, and devastation made it a vast wilderness, which it continues to this day." Another old writer says: "He devastated York awl.. 'Durham,, 'wreaking his vengeance upon the goodly cities' with their towers and steeples and thr- beautiful fields and pastures, Watered by sweet and nleasant rivers, until they became utterly desolate, and corpses rotted in the silent struts and deserted highways for Iftck of friendly hands to inve them burial; no fewer than 100.000 perishing by fire and sword.- cold and hunger, in th.«t cruel Christmast.itlo." It is melancholy to he told-that,-William came back to York", which bad been ruined, with war still in his heart -to celebrate the «renjt festival, of. peuce and love. "There was no Minster." says Canon Paine, "no church probably left, to worship in,; the army lav outside tb« walls h'ccnnse all shelter inside was destroyed. But an ordinary observance of the feast- was not enough for He would mak n it a enmmi'mor.itHi of his trii""r>li. TV rich vessels ard garniture e-f his table. ttv? nmliloms of Royalty, *nd tli» Crown of F.usrfrnd itpejf" were ■ brought from Winchester to York, and ♦'•««>. amidst sichts nod sounds'of urto'd sorrow, he kept the hi"h festival of 0'"- : stma-3 joy on-the great' mid-winter day." A fiovat, .CfiriatiKSS Gwstom. ■ In IOSo William kept his Christmas in "great State at Gloucester, where he set the custom, followed for several centuries afterwards, of wearing the Crown at the festival. The custom led to an unseemly quarrel at, a Christinas feast seme years after. It was in 1137, when Henry I was holding his Christmas feast at Windsor, and to which -he had invited. the King of the Scots. The feastwas marred by a quarrel between tho Archbishops of Canterbury and York. .The quarrel arose as to which of. them belonged t,h<\ right to place the crowns on tho King's head ere he set out for church. - The disrmte waxed so hot that both the Primates hastened ..to Tiorao to have the matter settled by the Pope. Twent.v-one years after this Henry II kent the Christmas Feast at Worcester, and .on-this occasion lie laid aside his crown on the, nilar. and never wore it afterwards. 'This monarch in 1171 celebrated his Christmas Feast at Dublin in a large wooden house everted for this purpose, wbcre, he astonished the natives Sv t-h" magnificence with which he entertained them. Twenty years later another Christmas was kept bv an English Kimt away from heme. It folia rd T was on his way to the Holy Land, and at Scicilv he kent the feast, when everybody present at ihe feasting received a.present worthy of the r.iver.

tho King and tho Archbishop. John cerebrated his first Christmas at Guildford, and for the 'piimoso spent large sums of money in cosily apnarel for his attendants, hut was vexed to find that tho Archbishop of Canterbury could out-do him in 'maenificanco. However, he took his revenge next year by goto"! with all his. court and retainers to Canterbury to keep his Christmas there at tho Areltbislwn's expense. lint the Primate, tho celebrated Hubert do Burah, made him welcome, and prenarer! for him a right royal feast. This was in 1203. Ten years afterwards the King kept his Christmas with sreat festivity at Windsor, but as "the years rolled on his guests became, fewer,_ until John had more enemies among liis nobles than friends. A Christmas V/eddlng. Passing down tho stream of time, we come to Henry 111, who held threo Christinas festivals in York(l22o, 1230, 1252)7 In the Christmas of 1230, Alexander of Scotland, .who had previously married ,loan, Ilenry's in tho Minster, was his guest, and for three days tho splendid court kept high rivairv, Henry scattering his gifts with a wasteful hand. But his 'third Christmas at York was the most conspicuous oi' all. A marriage had been amused between his sephew, tho young Alosail-

dor of Scotland, and Margaret, theii a young lady of twelve years old. To witness the ceremony the great men of both countries were present. The Queon Dowager of Scotland attended, bringing with her a goodly array of hoi' French compatriot. l !. On Christmas Day Henry knighted his nephew', and oil the morrow the marriage mg celebrated with vast pomp and the most lavish display. The* banquets wero prodigality itself, Archbishop Gray, who was constrained to play the host, giving the most sumptuous of the entertainments and spending over the lloyal visit tho very large sura of 4000 marks. Christmas tn "Rufus Rearing Hall." The great hall of Westminster was added to the Palace of Edward the Confessor by William 11. Hence I'opo calls it "Kui'us roaring hall." It was in this hall that the Christmas festival was observed by Henry I-during tho first, four years of his reigir. Here, too, Stephen kept his Christmas till his fifth year, when the celebration was laid ■ aside. When iti 1281 Henry 111 kept his Christmas at 'Winchester, not unmindful of tho claims of tho London poor, lie or-'d-ered his treasurer "to fill the King's Great Hall with poor people, and feast tli.em there." In 1277 Edward I kept liis Christmas at Westminster, and \yo are told by Waleott in his very interesting "Memorials of Westminster," that Lfewellan, Prince of Wales, bidden with considerable mockery from his mountain fastnesst-s with a kiss of peace, sat a guest at tho Christmas feast, soon to fall tho last defender of his weeping .country's independence, in unequal battle with the,ruthless king. In IiSO--92 mid 1303 Edward I also kept Ilia Christmas here, as aid Edward II in ,1317, when, however, few nobles wer« present, "because of discord between them and tho King," but in 1320 Christ, riias was kept here "with great honour aad glorio." Edward 111 seems to have been a right royal provider of feasts, and one of his banquets is said to h»v» cost- a sum in those days equal to £40,000 of present'money. In 135S ho kept his Christmas in "Westminster Hall, and for his guests at tlw hail, fluet table ho had the captive King, of France, and David, King of Scotlanu, when the latter came to England to offer his service,s in tho French■ wars and in 1302 King David and the King of C.vpnis met hero at two grand enter* tainments given by King. Edward. According to Stctto, 'Richard II gave on Christmas Day a house warming, in Westminster Hal! upon the completion of tho magnificent odifke. On this oc. easion. tho King sat- robed in cloth of gold, garnished with pearl and precious stones to the amazing value of 3000 marks While the feast lasted ten thousand guests wero invited every day "under his household roof." We need not wonder when Wo aro tokl that Richard kept 2000 ccoks.

Edward IV in 1478 kept his Christ, mas at Westminster Hall with great pomp, wearing his crown, and malting presents to the household. Richard ifl's Last Christmas. Richard Hi, although his reij>n was short and turbulent-, kept two Christmases in great state at Westminster ( Hall t ,.and,iiirl4B3,.\vhen, says Phillip da .'Gomihcs,' "ho' was--reigning in greater splendour and authority than any. King of England for the last hundred years ho solemnised this festival with great pomp and splendour;. eacburagijig tko recreations usual at this sea-ion, presiding at the customary feast, and so attentively observing was the most trivial matters, that the warrant is entered for the payment of 200 marks for certain New Year's gifts brought against the-feast of Christmas." The. festivals continued without interruption until the Epiphany, when the.v terminated with an entertainment of extraordinary ms.gnificcnce, given by the monarch to the fiohtes in Westminster Hall—"the King himself wearing his crown"—and holding a splendid feast in the great hall similar to that of his coronation. Little did Iti-chard imagine that this would be the last feast at which he would pre-side—-the last time ho would display his crown in peaeo before the assembled peers.

The New Lord Mayer Invited. Henry VIII, though little given t§ hospitality, kept the ninth Cliristma's\ of his reign with great magnificence in Westminste. Mall, feasting the Ald-cj-i men and Lord Mayor of London, and showing .thorn sports on the night, following in the great hall, which was richly hung with .tapestry, "which sporto being ended in the morning, the king, qncen, and court sat down at j table of stone to 120 dishes, placed by as many knights and squires, while tiie Mayor was served witli 24 dishes and abundance of wine." And finally tho king end queen being oonreyetl with great lights into tire palace, the Mayor with his company in barges returned to ; I/oridon "Ijv breako of the next inoriling." Still Christsiiasses, The first "Still Christmas" in England occurred in the reign of Henry VIII. It whs in 1528. Henry bad not yet forfeited iho respect of his subjects. In December the King was sick and .tho nation was filled with anxiety. It was ; decided that the Christmas should be a silent one, anil there were no carols, bolls, or merrymakings. The Christmas before his marriage with Anno Bolcyne was also mirthless As-Ilie King grew elder his Christwascs grew duller, and tho "Eiiglislrßiuohoard" chielly • passed the time in gambling, ami the .record of- his privy expenses shows us that ho was in the habit of drawing oii tho Treasury for £100 Christmas play mnnuy,. while the almes jnoney only' amounted to £10, A Quoeft's Christmas at tits Inner Temple. In tho short feign of Queen Marv the Christmas festivities wore neglected, but they wero revived by Queen Elizabeth with great pomp. Tho fourth Christmas of her reign was kept with great magnificence in the Inner Temple. Plays and Masques wore especially encouraged, the play of St. George becoming very popular, and Shakespeare himself may have acted before EliaaIsoth at Christmas. In 1568 tho Earl of Shrewsbury, writing to his wife, says: "Tho plage is disposed far abrodo in London, so that the Quccne keeps her Ivyrosomas hero, and goeth not to CJrccnwych as it was mete."

Cromwell's Christmas. Throughout the reign of James I plays and masqnos continued to bo i'avourito festivities, and tho gambling nt Court ran high. They were observed after the accession of Charles I, but when Cromwe'l sat upon tho Throne he issued an edict against all Christinas festivities. The festival was altogether abolished, and tho display oven of the emblems of tho Nativity was held to bo seditious. The change was the most notable in London. There was sileiico in the Strand. Tho ciiiiich bells were si.il!, St. Paul lifted its white roofs over the Thames, and Westminster Abbey its tower,';, but tho tides of happ.v people in holiday attire no more poured in and out of those ancient fanes. Hells, indeed, rang out upon the frosty air. but how dilforent from tho chimes of .did! They were the handbells of hefulds in simple garb passing from street t'j street, and sadtina tho sjr with the

'cry, "No Christmas! No Christmas!" For Tlio high shoo lords of Cromwell's mak-

ing Wore not for dainties, roasting, baiting; The ehiefost food they found mucll good iii 'Was rusty bacon anrl hag pudding. _ I'Urns broth was popish, and mines pie— Oh! that was flat idolatry. A Great Change. A great clinngfi followed tli'A Restoration. Tho Christmas bells rang . out once more. Tho waits again sung their carols at tho gatc-s of tlio old feudal hall. There* were merrymakings again at tho Court. Tho festival, indeed, in tire days of tho "Jlerrie- Monarch' became a revel ait or tho Puritanical silence.