Reading the Regency

The Twelve Days of Christmas - part 2

Christmas Carols

"About 6 o'clock on Christmas day, I was awakened by a sweet singing under my window; surprised at a visit so early and unexpected, I arose, and looking out of the window beheld 6 young women, and 4 men, welcoming with sweet music the blessed morn."
[Mode of celebrating Christmas in Yorkshire, The Gentleman's Magazine, vol. 81, pub. 1811]

Traditionally, carol singers sang for their neighbours on Christmas Eve, the morning of Christmas Day and Twelfth Night. In some areas, groups of carollers would begin singing as early as St Martin's day, or 11th November.

While carol singing continued in parts of the countryside, by 1819 when this novel was published, it may have fallen out of practice in the towns and cities:

"Old customs wear away more slowly in the country, and though we no longer hear the bell-man and his Christmas-Carrol in the metropolis, yet in its remote villages these vestiges of old times are still to be found. In the early part of the evening the singers arrived, followed by some of the villagers who were to take a part in the performance. When they were all ranged in order, in the hall, a servant went to inform his master, when Sir Harry and Lady Castlemain, accompanied by their guest and all the young people, immediately hastened to the spot. The Christmas-Carrol was then sung to hail the approaching day after which the dancers figured a solemn dance as they called it a band consisting of various wind instruments playing to them. This altogether occupied more time than was wished by Sir Harry and his friends but as it was an old custom gratifying to many they sat patiently to the end when the singers and dancers made their bow and after receiving half a guinea went down to the servants hall to take the accustomed refreshment of bread and cheese and a mug of the best ale."
[A visit to the manor house; or, The twelve days at Christmas, By a lady, pub 1819]

In return for their songs, the carollers would have received small gifts such as "apples, nuts, refreshments and money".

In Wales, carols remained popular and were sung throughout the holiday period. There were many carols written and sung in the Welsh language that would never have been heard in England. Carols likewise continued to be sung in Ireland. However, in Scotland, Christmas carols were virtually unknown because Christmas was not recognised by the Scottish Church at this time.

While some of the carol titles sung then might be familiar to us today, the words or tunes were often different. Some carols would have been taught to children through the family, rather than being read from a book, while others began life as Christmas hymns, sung in church on Christmas day. Many carols were well known in one part of the country while being virtually forgotten in other areas or sung to different tunes.

"The service was followed by a Christmas carol, which Mr. Bracebridge himself had constructed from a poem of his favorite author, Herrick, and it had been adapted to an old church melody by Master Simon."
[The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent, By Washington Irving, pub. 1820]

The following short list of carols would have been sung somewhere in Britain at the beginning of the 19th century, but may not have been sung in all areas:

"The First Nowell" and "I saw Three Ships" were both likely sung to the familiar melodies we hear today.

The carol we know as "O Come all ye Faithful" was sung pre-1800, but was at that time a hymn sung in Latin called "Adeste Fideles", popularly known as "The Portuguese Hymn". Many gentlemen of the time would have been able to sing or translate the Latin words, but the English lyrics were not commonly in use until the Victorian era.

"While shepherds watch their flocks by night" is a title we recognise, but there were a number of different tunes used across the country. The most common music may have been the traditional piece titled "Winchester Old", but there was also another tune known as "Cranbrook" which was written in the late 18th century. Today this is sometimes referred to as "the Yorkshire version".