21st December in Tudor times was the Feast of St Thomas the Apostle, or Didymus or Doubting Thomas. The apostle who wouldn't believe Christ had been resurrected until Christ appeared in front of him and he'd felt the nail wounds and the wound in his side.

 

Thomas was known for his generosity, and in Tudor times, those in need would go "a-Thomasing", collecting alms.

 

But there are also other traditions associated with the feast day, such as pie-making. And did you know that Thomas also has links to India?

 

Find out more about St Thomas, his story, his feast day and the traditions associated with him, in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway.

 

Also on this day in Tudor history, 21st December 1495, Jasper Tudor, 1st Duke of Bedford and 1st Earl of Pembroke, died at his manor at Thornbury at the age of around sixty-four.

Jasper Tudor was the uncle of Henry Tudor, a man who would become King Henry VII, and served as a mentor and advisor to him.

Find out more about this interesting Tudor man in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/33X0XHZSRKQ