Christmas is a time for giving and goodwill to all and this is something that was clearly demonstrated by our ancestors.
Documents at Glamorgan Archives show how some gentry families helped those who lived on their estates who might otherwise have struggled to celebrate Christmas.
In 1870 Lord Dunraven provided a Christmas dinner for the poor of St Bride’s parish. A list gives the names of the 27 men and 32 women who attended the meal.
In 1866, 96 children were given a Christmas treat. An itemised list of food shows that a feast was provided for them with 1½ lbs of tea, 6lbs of sugar, bread, 3lbs of butter, an astonishing 60lbs of cake and 100 buns. A quantity of candles was also provided for lighting.
The Carne family of Nash Manor was also keen to offer help at Christmas. An account book from the Carne collection includes a ‘List of Persons to whom meat was given at Christmas in St Donat’s Parish’. The list is dated 22 December 1848 and signed by John Whitlock Nicholl Carne.
It names the parishioners in receipt of meat, the amount provided in weight and the monetary value. In most cases they appear to have received ‘shin bone’. Jane Edward is noted as being a ‘widow’ and Edward Edward having a ‘large family’. Carne notes that the meat was ‘sent round the village, each piece being ticketed for them and delivered by my workman George Harry.’
In 1846 a member of the Edmondes family of Old Hall, Cowbridge, recorded how they celebrated Christmas that year. The family had guests to stay and ate turkey, boiled leg of mutton, cod, plum pudding and mince pies. It also notes which servants were given a Christmas meal, including ‘Arthur’s coachman William James, William Rees, his wife and 2 children’.
In the evening the family feasted on two geese and boiled beef, but the servants and neighbours were not forgotten.
Scribbled on one of the documents stored at the archives is a recipe for Christmas pudding made of 7lbs flour, 3lbs currants, 3lbs raisins, 1lb treacle, sugar and spice. The puddings were to be boiled for 3 hours each.
Executive Member for Sport, Culture and Leisure, Cllr Nigel Howells said: “The documents held at Glamorgan Archive give a fascinating insight into Christmas of yester year. Its humbing to see that Christmas has always been a time of giving, sharing and looking after those less fortune that ourselves.”
