Christmastide: Its History, Festivities, and CarolsSandys, William
History
Christmastide: Its History, Festivities, and Carols
Sandys, William
Christmas
Card playing and other games were still continued, and different
payments were made on this account; the king, one Christmas, having
as much as £212 10_s._ for this purpose. Payments were made also to
Princess Mary to disport her with at Christmas, generally £20, and in
her own private accounts are payments at Christmas, varying from £1
to £4, to have in her purse and to play at cards. The Lady Anne Boleyn
received as much as £100 at a time, towards her New Year’s Gift. The
Princess Mary, from her childhood, had an establishment of her own, and
was accustomed to these festivities before she had completed her sixth
year, having a lord of Misrule, John Thurgoode, one of the valets of
her household about this time; but the sanction of the great cardinal
was necessary even for her; and in 1525 there is an application by the
Council of her household to him, to know whether they may appoint a
lord of Misrule, and provide for interludes, disguisings, or plays,
and a banquet; and whether the princess was to send New Year’s Gifts
to the king and queen, and the French queen, and of what value. The
princess herself had received New Year’s Gifts as early as her third
year, when the cardinal gave her a cup of gold; the French queen, a
pomander; Lady Mountjoy, two smocks; a favourite gift by the bye,
as we shall hereafter see that Queen Elizabeth had many of these,
handsomely decorated, given to her. In after years we find at different
times gifts of the following nature given to the Princess Mary. Lady
Dorset and others gave her wrought smocks and handkerchiefs; her
brother the prince, a little tablet of gold; the Princess Elizabeth, a
little chain, and a pair of hose, wrought in gold and silk; the Lady
Margaret, a gown of carnation satin of the Venice fashion; Lady Butler,
a pepper-box, silver-gilt; the Earl of Hertford, a diamond ring; three
Venetians, a fair steel glass; Mr. Thomas Hobbs, yeoman of the robes, a
pair of silver snuffers; Mrs. Whelar, a pen and inkhorn, silver-gilt;
the Italian dancer, a partlet of gold, wrought; Lady Brown, a
fuming-box of silver; and the king’s master-cook, a marchpane; which
was the usual present of this functionary. All the servants who brought
these gifts had handsome presents in money in return, the king’s
messenger having as much as forty shillings given him. Besides money
gifts to her own household, and to the king’s minstrels and musicians,
among whom the harper had 5_s._, she gave others of value in various
Christmasses to distinguished persons; as, in 1543, a chair to the
king, of which the covering and embroidery cost £21 6_s._ 8_d._; also,
to the lord admiral, a brooch of gold, of the history of Moses striking
water out of the rock, and a balas set in the same; she herself having
a brooch of the history of Noah’s flood, set with little diamonds and
rubies; the king, and the queen for the time being, and the Prince
Edward, as we may imagine, also received gifts from his sisters; and
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