Extract from chapter 19
1786 : Steventon
On Christmas Eve the family woke early. Tradition dictated the tasks which everyone must fulfil and there was no time to spare. The children may have been adolescents and keen, at any other time of year, to show off their maturity and independence, but Christmas was a time for each of them to regress. They had fond memories from their early years that none of them were ready to let go.
Mr and Mrs Austen’s task was to decorate the church. The plain and simple nave was transformed into a theatre of colour, with fresh new candles placed in clusters to magnify the warm, golden light. They placed holly, ivy, mistletoe and laurel upon the windowsills and tied silver ribbons around sprigs of rosemary on the pulpit. Each pew was carefully adorned with red and silver ribbons.
Photo: Tredegar House, Newport, Wales.
The effect was mesmerizing; it looked like they had taken a plain wooden box and covered it in a rich, regal blanket. Every straight line was softened, every cold stone was warmed, and every shadow became a summer’s afternoon.
Author's own photo.
Outside in the frosty meadows, the girls and Charles collected greenery to decorate the rectory. They chopped the best holly with the juiciest berries and plucked the brightest ivy with the prettiest leaves. Later they would form them into wall hangings and table decorations, but for now every child’s pocket was stuffed full of woodland foliage and every pair of arms groaned under the weight of their treasure.
A little further on, Henry and Frank were collecting the Yule log. It had been chosen the week before by Mr Austen and cut down by Mr Bond. All it required now was to be brought into the house.
It had originally been the branch of an old oak tree and its thick, ridged bark was already starting to peel away from its trunk. Dark circles spanned out from its centre like the ripples on a pond and it took a great effort to lift. The boys tied a netting of hazel twigs around the log and dragged it back breathlessly to the house, making their fingers sticky with sap and sore from splinters. Tonight, it would be lit to mark the beginning of the festivities and then burn continuously until Twelfth Night, when its softened cinders would be all that was left.
Author's own photo.
Photo: Berrington Hall, Herefordshire.
Back in the house, Philadelphia and Eliza were in charge of filling the wassail bowl. It was customary for a wandering choir of neighbours to call upon every household on Christmas Eve to sing for them and play tunes. They would raise their cups to toast the health of the family inside, and in return for the entertainment, their empty cups would be replenished with an offering from each household’s wassail bowl. In the rectory, this meant a heavy, warm negus made up of port wine and water, generously sweetened with sugar and garnished with lemon and nutmeg.
On Christmas Day itself, everyone got up early for church. The bells rang out proud and long, and a full congregation buzzed with kind wishes.
Church was followed by a grand roast turkey dinner and there seemed no end to the plum pudding and mince pies that the family devoured afterwards. They chatted happily and companionably late into the evening, roasting chestnuts on the fire.
Photos: Berrington Hall, Herefordshire
The next day, the Austen family gave gifts to their servants, packed in little brown paper boxes tied up with string. It was the time of year to thank them for their loyalty, followed later in the day by the distribution of food parcels, clothing and coins to any neighbours facing hard times.
Photo: No.1 Royal Crescent Museum, Bath.
Photo: Berrington Hall, Herefordshire
Dancing was not forgotten either, and when Edward and Jane Cooper arrived on New Year’s Day, Mr Austen borrowed a pianoforte from the Digweed’s manor. Eliza played her repertoire of fashionable tunes whilst her young cousins laughed and pranced their way around the parlour. Later, they sang songs together and played charades.
The seasonal message of peace and goodwill has forever been poignant in its ability to heal rifts and appease relationships, and in Steventon Rectory this was no exception. To everyone’s joy and satisfaction, Philadelphia and Eliza were welcomed warmly back into the bosom of the family as if they had never been away.
Photo: Berrington Hall, Herefordshire.
Copyright Diane Jane Ball 2023