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And what is more charming than Christmas folly? For the 2002 Christmas book of the month, we return once more to Victorian festivities. Featuring characters such as Mince-Pie and Baron of Beef, Recollections of Old Christmas is a masque devised by the Irish antiquary Thomas Crofton Croker. Originally performed on Christmas Eve in 1850 by the aristocratic inhabitants of Grimston Hall in Yorkshire, the book is illustrated by charming wood engravings and offers us a nostalgic taste of Christmas past. |
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| In the preface, Croker states that he was asked by
Lady Londesborough to write a masque 'as a contribution towards
the Christmas revels at Grimston'. As can be seen from the list
of characters, the play was to be performed by the younger
members of the family, complete with non-speaking roles for the
very youngest.
The play opens with 'Young Grimston' (the Hon. Mr. Denison) welcoming the audience to Grimston. He is soon joined by Mince Pie, Plum Pudding and Baron of Beef who indulge in a series of family in-jokes, wordplay and Christmas riddles; amongst the banter is a recipe for a huge mince pie with ingredients including a mammoth six pounds of apples, a three pounds jar of raisins and half a pint of port. The spirit of old Christmas is then invoked to appear with 'generous heart' to spread 'peace and goodwill'. He is quickly followed by the Wassail-Bowl, about whom all the characters dance and sing. The interlude ends with Young Grimston craving indulgence for the actors and begging 'pardon for the absence of a plot'. |
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Although obviously a piece of whimsy intended for fun, the masque was in fact penned by a serious antiquary and many of its references and characters are based upon old traditions of Christmas. Indeed, the merriment of the twelve days of Christmas has encompassed such jesting and acting since medieval times. One of the oldest forms of English folk drama is found in the Mummer's Play, with its simple plot based upon combat, death and resurrection. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, mummers in disguise - also known as 'maskers' and 'guisers' - were a common sight at Christmas. They appeared at private fancy dress parties and were hired to act in dramatic performances at the royal court and in great households. Such entertainments culminated in the lavish courtly masques of the seventeenth century. With no expense spared, these often highly literary productions were truly spectacular and made effective by complicated machinery and special effects. |
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While our play is dubbed a 'masque' and of this tradition, it is in fact a more homely affair: according to the preface, both the age of the performers and the circumstances of the locality disallowed any 'complicated construction of plot, decorations, or machinery' and therefore the play imitates 'the rude speeches and jests of the village actors or mummers, who still, in many parts of England, go about from house to house, at this season, grotesquely habited, reciting verses quite as rugged and incoherent as those now printed'. In short, the Grimston Masque is to be regarded as 'a piece of mummery'. |
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In spite of its purporting to recollect the 'rude' ancient traditions of Christmas, the sentiments behind this production would appear to be purely Victorian. It conjures up for us the domestic ideal of the nineteenth century festive season - albeit a somewhat privileged example, featuring a wealthy family who not only have plenty of leisure time in which to indulge in amateur dramatics in their mansion, but an author and historian at hand to write (and subsequently publish) a customised play. At the head of this family was Lord Londesborough, born Albert Conyngham in 1805. Educated at Eton, he had a varied career including spells in the army, the diplomatic service and as a Whig M.P. By the 1840s, however, various speculations had almost brought him to ruin: salvation came when he was bequeathed an immense fortune in 1849 by his maternal uncle, William Joseph Denison - it was in compliance with his uncle's wishes that he took the surname Denison. His good fortune continued, meanwhile, being raised to the peerage by the title of Baron Londesborough in 1850. |
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Considering Lord Londesborough's historical dabblings, his acquaintance with the author of the masque, Thomas Crofton Croker, is not surprising. A respected antiquarian and ubiquitous member of nineteenth century learned societies, Croker was a co-founder of the Camden Society and the Percy Society for the publishing of ballads and lyrical pieces. Described by Walter Scott as 'little as a dwarf, keen-eyed as a hawk, and of easy, prepossessing manners' he is now best remembered for his research and publications relating to Irish traditions, myths and legends. However, amongst a varied output of work, he was also responsible for a volume describing the rings belonging to Lady Londesborough, published in 1853. Croker had in fact sold this collection of rings to the Londesboroughs in 1850, a condition of the purchase being that he should draw up a catalogue of them 'to facilitate reference to the specimens, and secure, at all events, a record of them'. It was perhaps during the period that Croker was working on this catalogue that he turned his hand to masque production. Certainly, the nature of the play would suggest that he was on fairly intimate terms with the family. |
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Croker's scholarly bent, however, is evident even in this supposedly simple piece of frivolity. The text is scattered with abstruse references. Furthermore, these obscure words and customs are thoroughly discussed and explained in a nine page appendix at the end of the volume. Here, sources such as the Antiquarian repertory and J.O. Halliwell's Nursery rhymes of England are fastidiously cited. In reading Wassail-Cup's somewhat ponderous speech upon entering the masque, it is impossible not to have the feeling that Croker was slightly guilty of showing off his learning just a little too much at times, cramming in so many antiquated words. Although his delight in etymology is apparent, this was, after all, designed to be an entertainment for children: |
| Various the ways are
in drinking to troul, But none so brave as the good Wassail-bowl; Mazer and bombard, and nut proudly borne: Whiskin and piggin, cruise, noggin, and horn, (Great swells, and lesser by degrees, 'till small And in the bounty horn no halfpence fall.) Jug, bellarmine, can, pot, beaker, and shell, Black-jack, golden tankard, and thorondell |
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The re-use of engravings in this way is not unusual - especially in a private publication such as this where, presumably, production costs would have to have been kept to a minimum. It is possible that Croker made use of other engravings from his other publications in this work - the Christmas Box, an annual gift book from the 1820s edited by Croker, is another likely source for the illustrations. |
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This then, is a lighthearted and sentimental celebration
of Christmas. We can easily forgive the masque's rather
creaking verse and meaningless plot in recalling the spirit
in which it was originally produced, as a home made play
enacted by a family revelling in recently attained financial
security.
Thus, we end our book of the month series for 2002 with imagining shadowy Victorian figures declaiming best wishes for the festive season: With the ivy dark and the glorious laurel, |
Other items of interestOther works associated with the Londesboroughs: Other works illustrated by William Bell Scott: For a courtly Christmas masque of the seventeenth century, see:
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Return to main Special Collections
Exhibition Page Julie Gardham December 2002
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