Newsletter

Greetings from our December newsletter!

And a Joyous Noel! I cannot believe it is less than a month now until Xmas. However you spend yours, Lions and Lilies wish you a wonderful, peaceful and happy time.

And now for an admission and announcement! Both Cathy A and I have been struggling the last couple of years as life has presented us both with some very personal and challenging life events. We managed to keep our social media presence alive but the downfall has been writing back into our book five. So, we have come to a decision. In order to return to our first love, the writing, and to finally finish Roar of the Lion, we have decided to forego social media next year. Any content posted will be random, both for Facebook posts and blogs but we will keep you updated on our progress.

LINK TO THE CHRISTMAS BLOG

CLICK ON PLUM PUDDING!

QUOTE - CHRISTMAS BLESSING

OUR FAVOURITE PINTEREST BOARD - MEDIEVAL CHRISTMAS

CLICK ON IMAGE

SHOUT OUT   

L&L would like to send a couple of shout outs to Garys. Gary Reid is one of our faithfull Facebook followers. Thanks for the support, Gary. And Gary S and wife, Sue who have long been L&L supporters. This Gary made our original back story video! Thanks guys!

THE CHRISTMAS FEAST

It is not surprising that food was a major part of a medieval Christmas. The holiday came during a period after the crops had been harvested and there would be little to do on a farm. If animals were not to be kept over the winter, now would be a good time for them to be slaughtered for food. This could leave a bounty of food that would make Christmas the perfect time to hold a feast.

England’s King John held a Christmas feast in 1213, and royal administrative records show one order included 24 hogshead of wine, 200 head of pork, 1,000 hens, 500 lbs of wax, 50 lbs of pepper, 2 lbs of saffron, 100 lbs of almonds, along other spices, napkins and linen. If that was not enough, the King also sent an order to the Sheriff of Canterbury to supply 10,000 salt eels.

Even at a slightly lower level of wealth the Christmas meal was still elaborate. Richard of Swinfield, Bishop of Hereford, invited 41 guests to his Christmas feast in 1289. Over the three meals that were held that day, the guests ate two carcasses and three-quarters of beef, two calves, four does, four pigs, sixty fowls, eight partridges, two geese, along with bread and cheese. No one kept track of how much beer was drank, but the guests managed to consume 40 gallons of red wine and another four gallons of white.

Feasts were also held among the peasants, and manorial customs sometimes revealed that the local lord would supply the people with special food for Christmas. For example, in the 13th century a shepherd on a manor in Somerset was entitled to a loaf of bread and a dish of meat on Christmas Eve, while his dog would get a loaf on Christmas Day. Another three tenants on the same manor would share two loaves of bread, a mess of beef and of bacon with mustard, one chicken, cheese, fuel for cooking and as much beer as they could drink during the day.

LINK TO GIVEAWAY

This month’s link to some free historical fiction. Be sure to grab a copy of ‘The Lily and the Lion’ if you have not already done so!

THE BOAR'S HEAD CAROL  - (Sung by Steeleye Span - Click on image )

According to legend, a student who was attacked by a boar on Christmas Eve in 1340 overcame the animal by ramming a book of Aristotle down its throat. At the subsequent Christmas-day feast, pork was on the menu. But, in honor of Christmas, the boar's head was presented, not to the hapless scholar, but to the Christ Child whose birth was being celebrated.

The boar's head in hand bear I
Bedecked with bay and rosemary;
So I pray you my masters be merry,
Quot estis in convivio [as many as are at the feast].

Chorus (twice after each verse):
Caput apri defero [I bring in the boar's head]
Reddens laudes Domino [giving thanks to the lord]

The boar's head as I understand
Is the rarest dish in all the land,
Which thus bedecked with a gay garland,
Let us servire cantico [serve it with a song].

Our steward hath provided this
In honour of the King of bliss,
Which on this day to be served is
In Reginensi atrio [in Queen's Hall].

https://lionsandlilies.com/about-the-authors/

Catherine A Wilson co-writes with Catherine T Wilson (no relation). Their first book, The Lily and the Lion, was based upon their true-life accidental meeting and resulting friendship. All four books in their ‘Lions and Lilies’ series have won first place prizes in the Chatelaine/Chaucer Awards in the US and IN 2018, The Traitor’s Noose won the Grand Prize Chaucer Award.

We hope you enjoy the latest edition of our newsletter! 

See you next month!