A Georgian Christmas

 It is fair to say, that at the start of the Georgian period, Swansea was at the hub of the Industrial Revolution, when during 1720 the copper works were established at Landore. Swansea became known as Copperopolis, however it was three years earlier in 1717, following the initiative of Gabriel Powell, steward of the Duke of Beaufort that Swansea became a centre of the industry.

Why was Swansea chosen? Coal and water were two of Swansea’s natural resources that attracted notable businessmen of the time to the area. The mouth of the River Tawe provided a natural harbour for ships and vessels, allowing smaller ships to travel directly to works up the River Tawe.

With the passing of the years and the demand for copper, the face of Swansea and the lives of its people were changed forever.

The year 1714 saw the start of a new era, the Georgian period, following the death of Queen Anne who was the last of the Stuart monarchs. Anne had 17 pregnancies but only one child survived, William but he died of smallpox at the age of 11. Without a male heir, Anne’s successor was her German second cousin, George (pictured above left). He arrived in England along with his 18 cooks and 2 mistresses unable to speak more than a few words of English.

The Georgian period lasted for the next century from George I being crowned during 1714, to the death of his great-great-grandson, William IV, in 1837 (pictured above right).

However, in this article we will be looking at the changes in the way we celebrated Christmas during the early years of the Georgian period.

During the Tudor period, Christmas was celebrated with family and friends, and in the 1520s, turkeys were introduced to England with Henry VIII reportedly eating what was then considered an exotic bird.

The festive season was once banned in England for almost 20 years and sparked a second civil war. Many Protestants were suspicious of Christmas celebrations and thought them simply and excuse to get drunk. In 1642 a bill was passed in Parliament and signed by King Charles I  legislating one day a month for prayer, repentance and fasting. They chose the last Wednesday of each month. In 1644 Christmas Day fell on the last Wednesday, so all merriment was banned. A specific ordinance was passed to emphasise this; no church services were to be held.

An outright ban came in June 1647 when Parliament passed an ordinance banning Christmas, Easter and Whitsunday – no festivities were allowed and there were fines for those who disobeyed.

The ban was lifted in 1660 after the Restoration of the Crown and ‘Merry King’ Charles II coming to the throne; Christmas was reinstated, but in a more muted manner.

A Georgian Christmas party

Christmas 1660, Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary “In the morning to church………After that home to dinner, where my wife and I and my brother Tom, ….to a good shoulder of mutton and a chicken. After dinner, church again, my wife and I, where we had a dull sermon of a stranger, which made me sleep, and so home, and I, before and after supper to my lute and Fuller’s History, at which I staid all alone in my chamber till 12 at night, and so to bed”.

The Christmas season ran from 6 December (St. Nicholas Day) to 6 January (Twelfth Day). During the Georgian era, the social classes were being established so the upper classes would enjoy themselves throwing and attending parties and balls, they tended to last until the early hours of the following morning. Alas, working classes were limited to two days, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day; these days were regarded as national holidays.

People’s houses were traditionally decorated with holly and evergreen, but it wouldn’t be until Christmas Eve, when they were brought into the house, before this time it was considered unlucky, and would have to be taken down by Twelfth Night. It is considered that Prince Albert introduced the fashion of having a Christmas tree, in the home, however Queen Charlotte, wife of George III, introduced a Christmas tree in a children’s party in 1800. Her tree was a yew which was described by Dr John Watkins, one of Queen Charlotte’s biographers who attended the party and provided a detailed description ‘from the branches of which hung bunches of sweetmeats, almonds and raisins in papers, fruits and toys, most tastefully arranged; the whole illuminated by small wax candles’. He adds that ‘after the company had walked round and admired the tree, each child obtained a portion of the sweets it bore, together with a toy, and then all returned home quite delighted’.

Feasts were popular, and a Christmas meal would consist of soups, cheese, turkey, goose and duck. Mince pies, a savoury treat made with minced beef or mutton were popular as was the Georgian version of a Christmas cake, the ‘Twelfth Cake’. Hidden in the cake, was a pea and bean, and whoever found them, would be the King and Queen.

 I would like to wish all readers of Bay, who have been following my articles this year a Merry Christmas, and I’ll be back in 2022, with yet more interesting articles.

Copyright - The Bay Magazine, 2021