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As Christmas approaches, a new Channel 5 documentary has traced back some of our favourite festive activities to Tudor times. ‘Christmas at Hampton Court’, which is broadcast tonight, charts the evolution of the Grade I listed royal palace’s yuletide offerings throughout history. Tracy Borman, a Tudor historian and joint chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces, explores the stories behind the season’s traditions.

The programme travels back to the time of the Tudors, who were known to enjoy Christmas at Hampton Court Palace.

Henry VIII spent much of his leisure time at the royal residence in Richmond-upon-Thames and brought all his six wives there.

The King’s enjoyment of Christmas went so far that he once shelled out almost an entire year’s tax revenue on food and presents in a spending spree dubbed “generous and of fun” by an expert.

Unearthed expenses from 1509, uncovered from the National Archive in December 2017, reveal how the teenage monarch splashed an eye-watering £13.5million in today’s money on Christmas.

Henry’s festive bonanza ate up nearly the entirety of the 19-year-old King’s £16.5million in revenue for that year.

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Some of the money went on presents for his staff, including £5 – the equivalent of £2,400 – for Bernard André, the French poet who resided at court with Henry.

Other gifts were for the ‘Children of the Chapel’, the young choristers who form part of the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court Palace.

The youngsters were given £2 – equivalent to £967 today – for singing the hymn ‘Gloria in excelsis Deo’ on Christmas Day.

Henry’s other gifts included £83 for a goldsmith (worth £41,000 today), and £1 (£483) for a woman who had brought a kind of medieval air freshener to the various palaces.

Dr Sean Cunningham, Head of the Medieval Records team at the National Archives, told BBC News that Henry’s financial records from Christmas in 1509 paint a different picture of the monarch, who is often depicted as a selfish brute of a King.

He said: “These records really do allow us to see the amazing wealth that surrounded the early Tudor kings.

“Right at the start of Henry VIII’s reign, when he was still a teenager, it is fascinating to get an impression of his generosity and sense of fun from these documents showing what he spent his money on.

“In 1509, the familiar figure of the often-married, overweight, paranoid and grumpy king of the 1540s could not be further from the bright and vigorous young ruler.”

Henry made the payments while staying at Richmond Palace on the River Thames.

The King was known to enjoy spending Christmas at the royal residence, including with his first wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon.

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However, when the couple’s relationship deteriorated after Catherine failed to give birth to a healthy male heir to Henry, Henry moved out of the palace.

He began to associate the property with unhappy memories and eventually acquired Hampton Court.

He generally enjoyed spending Christmas at Greenwich Palace, his birthplace, although the Tudors were known to host festivities at Hampton Court.

England’s former King is partially credited with cementing some of the nation’s favourite Christmas dishes.

Turkey first arrived in England during Henry’s lifetime and the King was one of the first people to eat the delicacy.

Christmas carols were also popularised in Tudor times, while Henry was instrumental in the tradition of public gift-giving.

‘Christmas at Hampton Court’ airs on Channel 5 tonight from 8pm-9pm.

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