The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1895-12-12
NORMAN CHRISTMAS.
CUSTOMS ANO FeASTs OF ENGLANO'S
ANCIENT RULERS.

From the Severn-Drinks of the Early
Britons-Peacocks and Bears Heads.
Celtic superstitions and traditions pre-
vail in England, the land of the mistletoe
the romance of Arthur and his knights
fingers around Avalon; Roman luxury is
with us In Bath and Cirencester; Somer
set recalls the scenes of Athelney and
Glastonbury, and in the magnificent piles
of Worcester Gloucester and Hereford we
still gaze in admiration on these wonders
of Norman generosity.
But what have these Normans bcqueath-
ed to us of Christmas customs2 Nothing
distinctive, for their ancestors, the sea
ESpgs, were vt offshoots Os she same
scandinavian forefathers of the .-axons,
and thus we had already received through
Dane and Saxon the observances of north
ern Yule. But greater luxury and love
Of display In every form entered English
life Quality, no longer quantity, was the
fashion of the board. The OK and calf
flesh sheep and swine flesh, appear As beef.
veal, mutton and pork, huge horns of
home brewed ale give place to wines ;
spiced and highly seasoned dishes first APP
pear But AT heart the Norman is no moro
refined than the Saxon Where the Saxon
is simple minded, trustworthy and faith
ful the Norman is crafty, cunning and de-
Ceitful His fair words may sound sweet
or, lis all
Many and varied now are the dishes at
feasts Our terrapin and canyasback duck
had their prototype in the crane, indis
pensablc at all aristocratic feasts, and
in Becket's days for King Henry was a
veritable gormand, we find such dishes
4 ;afl
pigyrnun.
Dillegrout required great skill on the
cook part, for it was composed of almond
milk, the Drawn of capons, sugar and
spices, chicken parboiled and chopped and
is often known as lie messe de gyron" If
fat were added to it, then it became "mau-
pigyrnun
The tenant of tho manor of Arlington
in Surrey held his lands in return for a
mess of dillegrout on the day of the king 5
coronation.
The Norman kings had learned to ap-
preciate the stewed lampreys of the Severn,
and the loyalty of Gloucester was tested
every year by the preparation of a huge
lamprey pie for the sovereign.
So fond was Henry II of this rich dish
that his gluttony overcame his prudence,
from the same John. too, fined the citi-
zens of Gloucester for not sending him
their usual tribute. But when lampreys
cost 80 cents apiece and whole Sleeps
carcass could be bought for the same sum,
need we wonder at the economical tend
encies displayed toward the worthless
king2
The Christmas lamprey pie, which
tpr dc fn bn rnicr n nr
queen, is well worth notice Last year
the custom, fallen into allegiance, was re-
viyed, and pie weighing 81 pounds was
dispatched to Windsor and gratefully &C
knowledged by her majesty. According to
an ancient recipe take out ye backe bone
season YIN with cloves, mace, nutmeg, pep
per and allspice, stew YIN in beef gravy
port wine and wine of Madeira, put YIN in
pie, with chopped anehovies, flour and
butter eat vt with lemon juice, mustard
and horse radish .
Accompanying this gift are silver skew
ers bearing the city arms engraved or
raised in relief The English had long ere
this time been celebrated for their drink
ing capabilities.
Iago says, "Your Dane your German
and your swag bellied Hollander are moth
ing to your English.
The mead, cider, ale pigment and morat
of the Cells and Saxons have Norman sue
cessors in claret ar CLAIRE, garhiofllac'and
hippocrt~ The saxon morat was made of
honey and mullierres, and the Norman
hippocra.. Indispensable at all high feasts,
WAS sweetcncd wine mixed with spices.
The garhiuhlac was white wine spiced
with girufle or cloves, and we can still read
an order of Henry III directing the keeper
of his wines to got ready for Christmas
two tuns of white wine to make garhioflac
and one tun of red wine for olaret.
The Same king gives orders for peaoocks
and boars' heads for the feast, showing
how luxury was creeping in more and
more. 1t was this king whose coronation
at Gloucester is de lcted in one of the
cathedral windows. LIN notable Christi
mas spent there in 1894 nearly all his no
bles left him because he had given the
best seats at table to foreigners.
But we must never forget that until
Crecy was fought and won in 1916 there
was no English Christmas Previous to
this Saxon and Norman dwelt apart "a
servant and master, the Saxon clnging to
his simpler If coarser mode OF life. The
Norman sat scornful and aloof in his cere
munious feasts. But the leaven was none
the less working, and each successive gen
Grafton of the two races became more and
more cognizant of the Others doings. The
Saxon dwelling as servant in the Norman :
halls must conform in part to the ways OF
the household, and the Norman child de
voted to his faithful Saxon servant listened
with eager ears to tho tales of Arthur and
his knights, for the Saxon and Colt had
long ere this made common CAUSE
We have no tale of the reverence of the
cross to tell in the observance OF a Norman
Christmas, and yet the wars of the cross
drew Saxon and Norman CLOSER and closer,
until in tho time of Edward III they made
common cause and fought hraycly side 10y
side, the Saxon full of admiration for
the skill which could conquer brute force
in feats of arms, and the Norman no Ion
ger disdainful for he finds the Saxon yoo-
man trusty friend, a faithful subject and
a worthy ally And so we come to the
England of Chaucer, the father the we'll
spring the bright and morning star of our
language-tho richest, tie greatest and
most comprehensive Of tie languages of
the world Lot as Join him in NOVEL;
orieth every lustie man. '-Philadeiphia
Ledger.
Old Christmas Customs.