Before the last civil wars, in gentlemen’s houses, at Christmas, the first dish that was brought to table was a boar’s head, with a lemon in his mouth.
The first dish that was brought up to table on Easter day was a red herring riding away on horseback, i.e. a herring ordered by the cook something after the likeness of a man on horseback set in a corn sallad.
The custom of eating a gammon of bacon at Easter (which is still kept up in many parts of England) was founded on this, viz. to show their abhorrence of Judaism at that solemn commemoration of our Lord’s resurrection.
The use of your humble servant came first into England on the marriage of Queen Mary, daughter of Henry IV. of France, which is derived from votre très humble serviteur. The usual salutation before that time was, God keep you, God be with you, and among the vulgar How dost do? with a thump on the shoulder.
Till this time the Court itself was unpolished and unmannered: King James’s court was so far from being civil to women, that the ladies, nay, the Queen herself, could hardly pass by the king’s apartment without receiving some affront.
Heretofore noblemen and gentlemen of fine estates had their heralds, who wore their coats of arms at Christmas and at other solemn times, and cried ‘Largesse’ thrice.
A neat built chapel, and a spacious hall, were all the rooms of note: the rest were small. At Tomarton, in Gloucestershire, antiently the seat of the Rivers, is a dungeon 13 or 14 feet deep: about 4 feet high are iron rings fastened in the wall, which was probably to tye offending villains to, as all lords of manors had this power over their villains (or socage tenants), and had all of them no doubt such places for punishment.
It was well that all castles had dungeons, and so, I believe, had monasteries: for they had often within themselves power of life or death.
In days of yore lords and gentlemen lived in the country like petty kings, had jura regalia belonging to Seignories, had castles and boroughs, had gallows within their liberties where they could try, condemn and execute: never went to London but in Parliament time, or once a year, to do their homage to the king. They always eat in their Gothic Halls at the high table or orsille (which is a little room at the upper end of the hall where stands a table) with the folks at the side table. The meat was served up by watchword. Jacks are but of late invention: the poor boys did turn the spit, and licked the dripping for their pains: the beds of the men servants and retainers were in the hall, as now in the guard or privy chamber here. In the hall mumming and loaf stealing and other Christmas sports were performed.
The Hearth was commonly in the middle, whence the saying Round about our coal fire.