Twelve Days of Christmas: London Museum edition

All together now:

Giving has always been central to holiday traditions. On 11 February 1554, John Brickett bequeathed 12 sacks of charcoal for the poor of St Botolph’s parish, Bishopsgate, to be distributed at Easter. By 1633, these were given out from two homes near Bell Alley-gate. From 1655 to 1669, Andrew Partridge, a tallow-chandler, contributed 8 shillings annually "out of his charitable affection to the poor of his parish".

This trade token, issued instead of small change, also served as advertising, featuring Partridge's name and a shield with three partridges.

This badge depicts the Virgin and Child standing on the back of a large, stylised bird, possibly a dove – a symbol of peace and the Holy Spirit. There is a fastening pin at the back. Badges of this type have been found in large numbers in London and were perhaps associated with the shrines of Our Lady of Willesden or Our Lady of the Pew in the palace of Westminster. Doves remain a symbol of peace and they still appear on Christmas cards and decorations today.

Time for a Christmas drink! The Cock and Bottle pub stood on Fleet Street near Chancery Lane, surviving the Great Fire. It's mentioned by diarist Samuel Pepys in an entry on 23 April 1668, which means it escaped the Great Fire.

The depiction of the cock could be a pun as a cock also meant a tap (as in stopcock), thereby, denoting ale sold from the cask. Bottling was still a relatively novel method of sale in the 1670s. Another theory links it to "cock ale," a winter favourite made from ale, chicken broth, or minced chicken.

This small bird-shaped whistle, made in Saintonge, France, in the late 16th to early 17th century, was likely a hunting lure. Many have been found in London, including near Moorfields, a large open space north of the city. It was used to attract birds for hunting. Small songbirds were often caught in nets and eaten in pies.

29 December was marked the Feast Day and anniversary of St Thomas Becket’s death in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. It was a day of importance to Londoners who adopted Becket as their patron saint.

Often called 'Thomas of London’, Londoners made much of his roots and connections with the capital.

This 15th century gold ring is engraved on the inside with the figures of St Thomas in archbishop's robes, the Virgin and Child enthroned, the Holy Trinity, St Anne teaching the Virgin Mary to read, and St Antony with his tau-cross. The incised lines are inlaid in niello (a black compound of sulphur, silver, copper and lead). The ring expresses personal piety and devotion to the cult of Becket.

This 15th-century pilgrim badge was brought to London as a souvenir from St Werburga’s shrine in Chester. St Werburga, the daughter of the King of Mercia, was known for her miracles. One involved a flock of geese that ate crops at her abbey. She had them penned overnight, and when they expressed sorrow, they were released. Later, she discovered one had been killed and eaten. She restored it to life by collecting its bones.

The image on the badge, showing geese in a wattle pen, relates to this miracle.

Many badges in pewter had a secular purpose, often marking the wearer’s association with a noble household. These so-called ‘livery’ badges often took the form of heraldic badge showing the device adopted by the lord as his mark or cognizance, so the wearer could be identified as a member of a particular household. Several noble families used the symbol of the swan, most famously descendants of the House of Lancaster after the marriage of Mary Bohun to Henry Bollingbroke, the future Henry IV.

This 14th century badge was found on the Thames foreshore at Bankside, Southwark, and was perhaps lost by a retainer on a journey to the capital.

Some medieval badges are a little ambiguous and are difficult to interpret. This badge seems to depict a milkmaid carrying a pail. Though, some have suggested that it shows a young man (legs missing) in a tight-buttoned tunic. Milkmaids traditionally danced in the streets of London for Mayday celebrations, carrying a floral wreath in one hand and a flagon in the other. A number of milkmaid badges have survived from the 14th to 18th centuries.

By the 1520s, foreign fashions were in high demand. Londoners wore fine imported fabrics, and country folk sought the latest styles from the capital. Shoe trends followed continental influences, with square-toed designs, pinked edges, and slashes revealing colored stockings. Wider, puffed uppers became popular. Dancing was widespread, wearing shoes thin from lively jigs and galliards. While some were repaired, many cast-off shoes were collected and exported to France.

Bone pipes, often made from sheep or goat tibia, were used across northern Europe from the 7th–18th centuries. They produced a double octave through breath control, with timbre altered by finger placement. Musical instruments, including whistles and bells, were popular at feasts and pilgrimages, despite complaints about the noise.

In 1407, one commentator complained that the parties of pilgrims had grown so loud that they'd become a general nuisance: “What with the noise of their singing, and with the sound of their piping and with the jangling of their Canterbury bells, and with the barking out of dogs after them, they make more noise than if the king came there away, with all his clarions and other ministrels”.

And with that, the curatorial team at London Museum would like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy and bright new year.