*Originally posted 4th January 2021*
The winter of 1564-5 was the harshest of the sixteenth century. In the Netherlands, the artist, Peter Bruegel the Elder, sketched skaters and hunters either enjoying, or enduring, the winter chill. Further north, in Scotland, Queen Mary shut herself away in her chamber a few days before Christmas – ‘not for any sickness, but for the cold which proceeded of the great storm of snow and wind’. It was unprecedented: ‘the like many years had not been seen’. It was a winter that was considered, by those who lived through it, ‘harsh beyond measure’. Birds were observed freezing before falling dead to the ground.
In London conditions were just as severe, with the coldest weather arriving in time for the festive season. By 21 December thick ice began to form on the River Thames, causing comment from everyone who saw it. The last time the river had frozen over the queen, who was now past thirty, had been still in the nursery. Then, her father, Henry VIII, and his third wife, had been forced to travel through the icy city rather than travel in the comfort of their barges. The river would freeze only once more in Elizabeth’s long lifetime. Most people could not remember a winter so cold.
By Christmas Day, the River, from London Bridge to Westminster, was frozen as solid as a rock. It seems amazing today that the Thames, which is still the most important part of London’s geography, can freeze. But, in Elizabeth’s day it was shallower and wider – the embankments that demarcate its banks were still some centuries off being built. Its slower flow, too, made it easier to freeze, while London Bridge’s nineteen arches restricted the river’s passage, encouraging the ice to form. It was still a notable event, however, and one that caused wonder. In the next century there would be frost fairs, with stalls and entertainments set up along the river itself.
Elizabeth had already decided to keep her Christmas court at the palace of Whitehall in Westminster. She could view the frozen river from the palace windows, keeping as warm as possible in the draughty building, while she celebrated the season. In the sixteenth century presents were usually given at New Year, with Christmas still kept primarily as a religious festival. Beginning on Christmas Eve, the queen ceremonially attended evening prayer, as the court assembled in the chapel. The following morning – Christmas Day – was also spent in the chapel, with the queen dressed in all her finery for the occasion. We know she wore a gown of purple velvet the following year, embroidered with silver and dazzling with gemstones and her dress in 1564 would have been similarly sumptuous. In her private pew, enclosed by a curtain, Elizabeth spent the morning at prayer and taking communion. She usually dined in private on Christmas Day, although her servants were given extra dishes, as well as bread, beer, ale and wine, with which to celebrate the season. The evening – dark and still bitingly cold – was spent with music and dancing.
The Christmas season was always eagerly anticipated at court, but that of 1564 was special. By Christmas Day people had begun to make their way out onto the ice, taking their exercise on the two mile stretch from London Bridge to Westminster. On New Year’s Eve, some took footballs with them, ‘playing as boldly there, as if it had been on the dry land’. In the holiday atmosphere, the river was so crowded with men and women that it was more packed ‘than in any street of the City of London’.
The excitement of the ice drew even the courtiers at Whitehall out of their chambers and halls. With archery butts set up in the middle of the river, they came daily to shoot in the carnival atmosphere. Even Elizabeth came for a closer look, stepping out onto the ice herself that Christmas season. Perhaps she took up her bow, struggling to keep up her balance on the slippery surface alongside her companions.
The frosty, white, Christmas ended on 3 January 1565 when the ice began to melt. Within two days it was all gone, causing flooding in the suddenness of the thaw. For Elizabeth, her court and her subjects, it must surely have been the most memorable Christmas of the reign.
About the Author
Dr Elizabeth Norton is a British historian, specialising in the Queens of England and the Tudors. Her most recent books are The Lives of Tudor Women and The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor. She regularly appears as an expert on television, including Digging up Britain’s Past (Channel 5), Danny Dyer’s Right Royal Family (BBC1) and BBC Breakfast (BBC1). She has taught History at King’s College London for four years.
She was part of the commentary team for CNN in their coverage of the Queen’s death, as well as making appearances for the BBC, ABC, NBC and TalkTV.
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