A Righte Merrie Christmasse: The Story of Christ-TideAshton, John
History
A Righte Merrie Christmasse: The Story of Christ-Tide
Ashton, John
Christmas -- History
Although Stubbes wrote with exceeding bitterness and party bias, he
had some warrant for his diatribe. In the _Injunctions_ of Parkhurst,
Bishop of Norwich[71] (1569), he says: "Item, that no person or
persons calling themselves lords of misrule in the Christmas tyme, or
other vnreuerent persons at any other tyme, presume to come into the
church vnreuerently playing their lewd partes, with scoffing, iesting,
or rebaldry talke, and, if any such haue alredy offended herein, to
present them and their names to the ordinary."
[Footnote 71: _Second Report of Ritual Comm._, from which the examples
following are also taken.]
Grindal, Archbishop of York, in his _Injunctions_ (1571) also says:
"Item, that the Minister and Churchwardens shall not suffer any lordes
of misrule, or sommer lordes or ladies, or any disguised persons or
others, in Christmas or ... at rish bearings, or any other times to
come vnreuerently into any Church, or Chapell, or Churchyarde, and
there daunce ... namely, in the time of diuine service, or of anie
sermon." And so say Overton, Bishop of Lichfield (1584); Bancroft,
Bishop of London (1601); and Howson, Bishop of Oxford (1619).
Merely to show how general throughout England were these Rulers of
Christmas Festivities, I will give one more example, taken from the
_Records of Norwich_, re what happened there at Christ-tide 1440.
"John Hadman,[72] a wealthy citizen, made disport with his neighbours
and friends, and was crowned King of Christmas. He rode in state
through the City, dressed forth in silks and tinsel, and preceded by
twelve persons habited as the twelve months of the year. After King
Christmas followed Lent, clothed in white garments, trimmed with
herring skins, on horseback, the horse being decorated with trappings
of oyster shells, being indicative that sadness and a holy time should
follow Christmas revelling. In this way they rode through the City,
accompanied by numbers in various grotesque dresses, making disport
and merriment; some clothed in armour, others, dressed as devils,
chased the people, and sorely affrighted the women and children;
others wearing skin dresses, and counterfeiting bears, wolves, lions,
and other animals, and endeavouring to imitate the animals they
represented, in roaring and raving, alarming the cowardly, and
appalling the stoutest hearts."
[Footnote 72: Probably the John Gladman spoken of by Stubbes (see p.
127).]
Naturally, among the pastimes of this festive season dancing was not
the least. And it was reckoned as a diversion for staid people. We
know how--
The grave Lord Keeper led the braules,
The mace and seals before him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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