The Christmas Court
Page 9
None (the Ninth Hour)
Approx 3 p.m.
Vespers (Evening Prayer)
At ‘the lighting of the lamps’, approx 6 p.m.
Compline
Before retiring, approx 9 p.m.
Matins was the first service of the day, so the Christmas Eve midnight mass, still attended by many today, was the official start of the glorious day and gives its name to it – Christ’s Mass.
Boar
There was no turkey in Anglo-Saxon times as it wasn’t introduced into England until the sixteenth century (popular history says that Henry VIII was the first English monarch to eat it for Christmas) but there was still a big tradition of feasting. It’s possible peacock was sometimes served but the usual mainstay of a wealthy Anglo-Saxon’s Christ’s Mass feast was boar. Boar were, as in this story, notoriously hard to hunt, being bad-tempered and prone to attacking their attackers. Presenting one on your table, head and all, was, therefore, a sign of prowess and wealth.
Father Christmas
There doesn’t seem to have been a tradition of Father Christmas or Santa Claus in Anglo-Saxon England, though he may have existed in an early form elsewhere. St Nicholas was adopted as the patron saint of Russia when its leader, Grand Prince Vladimir, was baptised in 1003. The saint seems to have become combined to some extent with an ancient Rus figure, Father Frost, who had a long white beard, dressed in furs and drove a sleigh pulled by reindeers. In Norse tradition, there was also a god, Woden (or Odin), who had a white beard, wore a magical cloak and gave presents to children. In general European culture these figures all seem to have merged into one, linked – via St Nicholas’ feast day of 6 December (assigned to him in the 800s) – to Christmas. There is, however, no documentary evidence of such a figure in England until the 1400s, so if there was an earlier creation we do not know who he was.
HISTORICAL NOTES
William’s Visit to Edward’s
Court at Christmas 1051
The ducal visit around which this story is centred is not a core part of historical record. Historians dispute whether it happened or not and, if it did, whether it was truly Duke William or, perhaps, one of his leading counts, William de Belleme. That said, the one recorded report of this visit is the largely reliable Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and the timing is believable.
In 1051 the Godwin family had been forced into exile, largely due to the machinations of Edward’s Norman advisor Robert of Jumièges, who was clearly working to pave the way for William’s acquisition of the English throne. It is quite feasible that William visited his cousin’s court for Christ’s Mass and that the possibility of him becoming Edward’s heir was discussed, as it may have been discussed with others (in much the same way that Elizabeth I was later to dangle promises of marriage). There is, however, no record of a formal agreement.
It is also quite possible that William would have brought with him his wife, Matilda of Flanders (whom he’d most likely married in 1050 – though this is also not recorded fact). Matilda was descended from Alfred the Great; Alfred’s youngest daughter, Aelfryth, married Baldwin II of Flanders and their son was Matilda’s great-great-great-grandfather. This gave William’s heirs a key link back to the revered royal house of Wessex.
Westminster
Readers will note that Westminster is portrayed here as being on Thorney Island. This is a well-documented fact and shows the significant changes London’s landscape has seen over the centuries. Thorney Island was created by the Tyburn River, which came from the hills of South Hampstead and divided between what is now St James’ Park and Buckingham Palace, cutting Thorney Island off from the ‘mainland’. The Tyburn, along with various other ancient rivers and streams, still exists but it was sunk into brick sewers in the early nineteenth century and now flows well beneath London’s pavements and buildings.
Pavilions
Royal and noble compounds were built to house a permanent household that was relatively small – approximately one hundred people. So whenever the full court gathered at Crownwearings or for big occasions like weddings, families brought their own waxed-linen pavilions to house themselves. They did this all year round, including for Christ’s Mass when England must often – as here – have been deep in snow, so furs and blankets must have been vital to keep warm.
RECIPES
Anglo-Saxons obviously had a more limited range of ingredients with which to cook than we do today – the most noticeable difference being a total lack of sugar. They were also restricted to cooking over fires so their cuisine lacks many of our oven-based dishes (although they did have fairly basic clay ovens). Nonetheless, we would recognise many of their stews, tarts, porridges, roasts, and even breads. Here are just a handful of recipes to give you a flavour of Anglo-Saxon Christmas.
Roast Boar with Rosemary
Cheese Tarts
Spiced Honey Biscuits
Mead
Roast Boar with Rosemary
Not many of us have the capacity to spit-roast a pig or boar but here’s a recipe that captures the flavours in an oven-based dish. Wild boar is still popular in Europe, notably Italy, but you can also find it in markets and specialist shops in England. It is also, however, perfectly possible to use decent pork for a very similar result.
Ingredients:
Wild boar joint – approx 750g
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
½ bulb fennel, roughly chopped
3 tbsps olive oil
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
handful fresh oregano
½ cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 190°C/ 375°F/gas 5.
2. Toss the chopped vegetables (onion, 2 of the garlic cloves, carrots, celery and fennel) a tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay them in the bottom of a small roasting pan and set aside.
3. Heat a skillet on high heat until very hot. Season the roast with salt and pepper. Add a tablespoon of the olive oil to the skillet and sear the roast on all sides.
4. While the meat is searing finely chop about half the herbs. Place them in a small bowl and add the remainder of the minced garlic and olive oil. Stir to form a loose paste.
5. After the boar has been seared, rub it all over with the paste and set atop the vegetables in the roasting pan.
6. Tie the remaining herbs together with butcher’s twine and throw into the roasting pan.
7. Add the water to the pan, then cover the pan and roast for 1 hour. If you have a meat thermometer, internal temperature should reach 155–160°C.
8. Allow to rest about five minutes before slicing and serving with the roasted vegetables.
Cheese Tarts
Ingredients:
For the pastry:
300g plain flour
175g unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
1 whole egg, beaten (plus another for glazing)
For the filling:
Knob of butter
200g chopped onion
350g grated Cheddar cheese
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
300ml cream
1 tsp freshly chopped parsley/chives
½ tsp ground ginger
Salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Grease a 12-hole cupcake/muffin tray.
2. For the pastry, rub the flour, butter and salt together in a large bowl. Beat the egg and add to the mixture. Wrap in cling film and keep in the fridge for an hour. Then, roll out the pastry and cut into individual circles, then place carefully into tray.
3. Bake blind for 5 minutes, remove from oven, brush with a beaten egg and bake for a further 5 minutes.
4. Fry the onion very gently in a large pan with a knob of butter and seasoning until it softens an
d starts to colour. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
5. Put cheese in a bowl with the onion. Add the eggs (and additional yolk), cream, herbs and ginger. Mix thoroughly and divide between the blind-baked tart cases.
6. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until just set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving on warmed plates.
Spiced Honey Biscuits (for the tree)
Ingredients:
4 tbsp honey
165g butter or margarine
1 medium egg
250g plain flour
Pinch of salt
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
(they wouldn’t have had this but it helps us!)
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C/350° F/gas 4. Grease a flat baking sheet.
2. Melt the butter or margarine and honey in a small saucepan over a low heat. Pour into a large bowl and allow to cool.
3. Beat the egg and stir into the liquid.
4. Sieve the dry ingredients and slowly stir in.
5. Roll in your hands until you have a good dough.
6. Dust a clean surface with flour and roll out very thinly. Using a cookie cutter, cut into the desired shapes.
7. Place on the baking sheet and bake in the centre of your oven for 10 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Mead
Mead was basic honey-ale and at its simplest, contains nothing more than honey (a lot of honey), water and yeast. You can buy it in specialist stockists but you can also make it for yourself. Thanks to Paul at the wonderful www.Meadist.com for this recipe (anglicizations my own) and do take a look at his site for more information. Be warned, though, this makes a large amount (enough for about 150 glasses).
Ingredients:
23 litres water
6kgs honey
5g Lalvin D-47 yeast (1 sachet)
Directions:
1. Heat 18 litres of water to 26.5°C (80°F) then add to a 23-litre demijohn/carboy (plastic or glass fermenter – easy to buy online) or a plastic bucket.
2. Add the honey while stirring, swirling, or shaking until all honey is dissolved and the liquid is aerated.
3. Add the yeast to an additional 500ml of warm water to re-hydrate, then add to the carboy.
4. Seal the demijohn with bung and airlock (or put a lid on the bucket) and store in a dark place at a temperature of about 20°C (70°F).
5. After about 2 weeks, when initial fermentation has stopped, add the remaining 5 litres of water to the demijohn/bucket to limit the amount of headspace to avoid oxidation.
6. After 4 weeks, decant to another demijohn/bucket to clarify the mead.
7. Store in a dry, dark space at a temperature of 59–68°F.
8. Bottle after 8 months, then allow to age for another 4 months before consuming.
Praise for Joanna Courtney
‘Gripping, intriguing, romantic’
Tracy Bloom
‘With lovely writing and a terrific sense of narrative drive, Joanna Courtney portrays an era of change through a story about a long forgotten queen. In The Chosen Queen, Edyth is a heroine who inhabits a convincingly re-created historical world, peopled with personalities whose lives leap from the page. Superb!’
Carol McGrath, author of The Daughters of Hastings trilogy
‘The story reaches a heart-rending climax. A must read. I loved it’
Freda Lightfoot, author of The Amber Keeper
THE
CHRISTMAS
COURT
Joanna Courtney has wanted to be a writer ever since she could read. As a child she was rarely seen without her head in a book and she was also quick to pick up a pen. After spending endless hours entertaining her siblings with made-up stories, it was no surprise when Joanna pursued her passion for books during her time at Cambridge University – where she combined her love of English and History by specialising in Medieval Literature.
Joanna continued to write through her first years of work and then, married and living in Derbyshire, in the sparse hours available between raising four children. She has written over 200 stories and serials published in women’s magazines, some of which have been broadcast on BBC radio. Joanna has also won several fiction prizes and written and directed an award-winning play. She teaches creative writing across the country and for the Open University.
Joanna is fascinated by defining moments in history, of which the Battle of Hastings is certainly one. The outcome of that momentous day is one of the big ‘what-ifs?’ of England’s past and she has loved being able to immerse herself in the world of the Anglo-Saxons, Normans and Vikings whilst writing The Queens of the Conquest trilogy.
Also by Joanna Courtney
The Chosen Queen
First published 2015 by Pan Books
This electronic edition published 2015 by Pan Books
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
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ISBN 978-1-4472-9846-5
Copyright © Joanna Courtney 2015
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