Annual Celebrations

Sidney Anglo observed that the ‘source materials for Henry VII’s court festivals are disappointingly meagre’, particularly when compared to those for his son, which are covered in a series of detailed Revels Accounts and this has led to the ‘drab appearance of his reign’. [161] The main source of the entertainment and festivals of the reign are the Chamber Books, with detail of the king’s personal expenditure on customary celebrations at Christmas and other festivals as well as the more informal pastimes Henry engaged in.

The major religious festivals of Christmas and Epiphany occasioned large scale entertainment, and the Chamber Books gives an insight not only into the expenditure on these events, but also the nature of the spectacles hosted by the king. From at least 1494 until 1500, a ‘disguysing’ or masque was organised as part of the Christmas celebrations by Jacques Haulte (or Jakes Haute, as he is often referred to in the books), for which he received a budget of £25-30 per occasion.[162] Haulte, who is described as ‘the king’s esquire’ in a grant made to him in 1497, appears to have fulfilled a sort of ‘master of ceremonies’ role at court, for in addition to arranging ‘disguysings’ he also orchestrated ‘tenesplay’ events and the buying of ‘tables, chesse, glasses and other necessaries’ for the king.[163] Christmas also occasioned the payment of bonuses to various members of the royal household. The Heralds at Arms received £6 ‘for their larges’, the children of the chapel shared 40s between them whereas the gentlemen of the chapel had £13 6s 8d, the officers of the king’s kitchen got 50s, the pages of the chamber 20s, the watch on Christmas night 40s, the same as the henchmen and the porters at the king’s gate, whereas the marshalls of the king’s hall received £6 13s 4d.[164]  The entertainment staff also did well out of the event, with shakbusshes (100s), trumpeters (100s), styleminsterals (£4) and various groups of players benefitting from the king’s largesse.[165] 

As well as the ‘disguysings’ to celebrate Christmas, New Year and the feast of the Epiphany occasioned their own celebrations and entertainments. New Year saw the traditional exchange of gifts, and the entry for New Year day is characterised in the Chamber payment books by long lists of rewards to servants bearing their masters’ gifts for the king.[166] The size of the reward varies according to the sender and, quite probably, the value of the gift. Rewards to the servants of the episcopate are first in the list, followed by those of the magnates. The king’s own expenditure on gifts appear annually in the Chamber payment books, but regrettably without much detail as to the recipient or the appearance of the gift. A ‘Rose of Rubions crowned w[i]t[h] a diamount’, purchased at the beginning of December in 1501 for £26 13s 4d was likely a handsome gift, as may have been the 29oz cup of gold purchased in 1502 for nearly £50.[167] The capital’s goldsmiths, such as Nicolas Warley, Thomas Exmew, John Mondy and John Shaa received payments for supplying New Year’s gifts.[168]

The feast held by the king to celebrate twelfth night in 1494 is described in detail in the Great Chronicle of London. The Chronicle states that ‘The kyng kept an honourable howsold at Westmynstyr and upon the twelth daye was holdyn a sumptuous & grete dyner…’ and the narrative describes how the mayor, aldermen and other esteemed Londoners sat at the second table, whereas William Stanley, as Lord Chamberlain, sat alone in the king’s place on the high table ‘and was servid as the kyng shuld have been’.[169] After dinner, the mayor, ‘with hys brethryn’, were ushered into the king’s chamber, where the king knighted the mayor, Ralph Astry. Afterwards, the mayor and company were encouraged by the king to stay and enjoy ‘such dysports as that nyght shuld be shewid’.[170] Unfortunately, this feast took place too early to be reflected in the extant Chamber payment books, but payments to the Lord of Mysrule (40s) visiting fools (6s 8d) and other entertainers suggest that this event was a regular in the court’s social calendar, rather than this being an unusual event.[171]