A Tudor Christmas - Gambol (29th December)

 29th December - Gambol

This was the anniversery of the murder of Archbishop and Saint Thomas Beckett of Canterbury in 1170, many would have celebrated this feast day by making a pilgrimage along Pilgrims' Way to his shrine at Canterbury. They would place their hands inside the apertures of the shrine, trying to get as close to the Saint's relics, they would then pray for healing and miracles. Some would by a souvenier depicting St Thomas. 

While many went on pilgrimage, there were many that didn't go and would go watch the festivities going on at court. There was pageants, masques, interludes, plays, music, banquets, revels and jousts. This was also a time for hunting, sport and outdoor games this was the only time of the year games like this would be played, for the rest of the year they were banned. In 1564, The Thames froze over meaning that all that could went out and played football. More people took to the frozen river than the streets until it started to melt on the 3rd January.

In 1524 Henry VIII took part in what would be his last major jousting tornament. A twenty foot castle was built according to his designs in the tiltyard at Greenwich. Nobody really understood what Henry wanted so the castle was to flimsy and had to be abandoned, although all the jousts still went ahead. It began with Catherine of Aragon sat in the castle, she was then aproached by two knights, she praised their courage then thet both threw off their disguises to reveal Henry and the Duke of Suffolk.