Monday, July 22, 2013

Question from Kay - Yuletide festivities at Whitehall

Hi, I'm working on a novel based on the life of Lady Mary Wroth, the niece of Sir Philip Sidney. I'm setting a few scenes in Whitehall, which has been a struggle since there are so many competing accounts of how it was laid out and which rooms were used for what. So far, my best resource, I think, has been Simon Thurley's 'Whitehall Palace' and I'm relying most heavily on that.

But here's my question. I'm dramatizing a moment that is mentioned in one of the letters of the time saying that my main character danced before Queen Elizabeth on St. Stephen's Day in 1602 in the afternoon. I'm trying to determine/decide how such a presentation would have fit into the festivities of the yuletide and where such a presentation would take place. Would it be after the noon meal in the Great Hall? In the Presence Chamber? In the Banqueting Hall?

If anyone has any insights into what the daily rhythm would be like during the yuletide and where these types of events would occur, I'd be very grateful for any help!

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