New Year's Day gift (royal courts)
[7] James IV gave Margaret Tudor two sapphire rings, and in 1507 a "serpent's tongue", a fossil shark's tooth supposed to be a talisman against poisoning.
[9] James V gave gifts at the New Year Mass in 1539, and a length of black ribbon was bought to make loops for lockets or pendants known as "tablets".
[10] He paid a goldsmith John Mosman £410 Scots for making chains, rings, tablets, bracelets, targets (brooches or hat badges), and other gold work brought to him at Stirling Castle to be New Year's gifts for his courtiers in January 1541.
Other gifts of gold "Paris work" were provided by Thomas Rynd including "chaffrons" for French hoods, bracelets, rosary beads, buttons and a ring.
[11][12] In 1520, the Duke of Buckingham commissioned a gold pomander with the heraldic badges of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon for her New Year's Day gift, to be filled with scented compound and worn on her girdle.
[17] The silver and gilt plate which Henry gave to his courtiers in return for their gifts was made or supplied by goldsmiths including Cornelis Hayes and Robert Amadas.
[19] When Margaret Douglas was in favour in 1539 at the court of Henry VIII, she was given a gilt cup made by the goldsmith Morgan Wolf as a New Year's Day gift.
[27] The gift rolls from the reign of Elizabeth include various costume accessories such as scarves, petticoats, mantles, girdles, caps, and handkerchiefs, frequently embroidered and enriched with silks, gold thread and jewels.
Bess's half-sister, Elizabeth Wingfield (who was Mother of the Maids at court), wrote to the Shrewsburys describing the Queen's positive reaction:her majesty never liked any thing you gave her so well, the colour and strange trimming of the garments with the rich and great cost bestowed upon that hath caused her to give out such good speeches of my Lord and your Ladyship as I never heard of better[33]Food was also a suitable gift,[34] in 1562 Lady Yorke gave Elizabeth three sugar loaves and a barrel of sucket.
[37] Evidence of the importance of gift giving can be found in the letters of Rowland Whyte, who reported the success of presents when charting the current royal favour enjoyed by courtiers including the Earl of Essex and Lady Leicester.
In 1576, Gilbert Talbot, who was staying at Goodrich Castle, sent his father, the Earl of Shrewsbury, locally made gifts of a Monmouth cap, Ross boots, and perry.
[40][41] Mary, Queen of Scots, imprisoned at Sheffield in 1580, asked her ally James Beaton, Archbishop of Glasgow, to send her items of gold jewellery from Paris for her to give as tokens and New Year's Day gifts.
The Scottish treasurer's accounts mention that a horse was hired to take a New Year's Day gift to Prince Henry at Stirling and to Princess Elizabeth at Linlithgow Palace.
[54] Arbella recommended that Mary Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury take advice from Margaret Hartsyde, one of the Scottish chamberers serving Anne of Denmark.
