Lawrence Barker, Archivist
Our Document of the Month for December is the will of Dorothy Christmas of Chelmsford, dating from 1644 (D/ABW 58/39). Dorothy was the wife of Peter Christmas, an inn-keeper at Chelmsford, whose will of 1639 we also have showing that he left most of his estate to his widow. The couple seem to have had no children.
‘Christmas’ is very much an Essex surname and indeed Reaney, in his Dictionary of British Surnames (1958), traced the name back to one ‘Ralph Cristemesse’ living in Essex in 1185. Of course, the name has several variants, such as Chrismas or Crismas, which are scattered across Essex but perhaps with a concentration in the villages around Colchester in the north east. National newspapers, such as The Daily Mail in December 2014, have already noted the record in a parish register we keep here at Essex Record Office of the burial of ‘Father Christmas’ at Dedham in 1564.
‘the marke of the said Dorothey Christmas’
Not much is known from his will what Peter Christmas left his widow but there is much more detail in Dorothy’s will about what she gave to her relations, her brother and several cousins, as well as some ‘loving friends’. From it, we get a good idea of what her life was like from the ‘goodes’ and ‘chattells’ described; for example, how comfortable the beds were in her house (or ‘shoppe’), with their feather pillows and bolsters and flaxen sheets and coverlets.
Like most early wills, the opening statement beginning ‘In the name of God Amen’, reflects the piety of a former age. In particular, references in this will to Jesus Christ, the ‘alsufficient Saviour and Redeemer’ and the assurance of having one’s sins forgiven and being ‘made partaker of his heavenly Kingdom with the Elect’ reflect the beliefs promoted by Luther and Calvin during the Reformation.
In 2017, we look back to the beginning of the Reformation 500 years ago, and in doing so, perhaps we might also reflect upon the religious significance that Christmas had for all those who lived at that time.
Dorothy’s will will be on display in the ERO Searchroom throughout December 2018.
We have a Mary Christmas on our tree, which always amused me as a child!
In Stebbing, in a rental of the manor of Porter’s Hall dating to 1383, Simon Sewale paid 27 d.and a capon yearly for a “messuage of Cristemases tenement”. The name of the tenement can be traced back to 1346 when it was described as the messuage of John Cristemasse. The site of the tenement is in the High Street and is now occupied by the Coach House and other adjacent properties.