Menu for Friday 14 December 1838
Christmas seems to have been well celebrated at Tredegar House, Monmouthshire for much of its history. A letter from Lady Mary Kemeys in London to her husband, dated 7 January 1688 (the day after Twelfth Day), chides him for not writing, but doesn’t want to give him a hard time, “not knowing wheather ye sober or ye ffair company at Tredegar have ended there Christmas yett” (NLW, Kemeys-Tynte Papers, C 102). Tongue in cheek perhaps?
Sir Charles Morgan (1760-1846) established a tradition of large Christmas parties at Tredegar in the winter of 1809-10, and they continued until his death. Papers relating to the parties are among the Tredegar estate records (NLW, Tredegar Papers, ADT 5). The early parties consisted of sixty to eighty people, including many of the gentry of the surrounding counties. The annual Tredegar cattle show, established in 1819 and held in the middle of December, also attracted guests to the house. Posters relating to the show, 1821-1846, some of them printed on silk, are in Tredegar P 3/24. In Charles Morgan’s later years the parties staying at the house rarely exceeded thirty. Of course, by thirty, they mean (in 1838-39) “Family & Guests in Parlour, 30; Children, 12; Sir Charles Morgan’s servants, 39; Strange servants & Band, 38; total, 119, all of whom slept in the House except the stable helpers, and from 70 to 80 dined & supped in the Servants Hall every day” (Tredegar ADT 5/3).
The family party usually assembled in the first week of November and stayed until the first week of February, with ‘stranger’ guests visiting the house for varying periods.
Christmas Day menu 1838
The bills of fare (menus) for 9 Dec. 1838-6 Feb. 1839 have survived, and include homely family favourites such as black puddings, eel pie, liver & bacon, and bubble & squeak. Today’s menu in 1838 included a choice of ox cheek soup or carrot soup, beef steak pudding, boiled rabbits, lobster, cabinet pudding, and curds & cream. Which was presumably Tredegar’s idea of plain, simple fare before the start of the festive season proper.
Stephen Benham