This article features a set of British Christmas carol stamps from 1982. Christmas stamps are popular in many countries. In fact, the Christmas Philatelic Club focuses solely on these stamps as a topical area. Of interest to this blog, many of these stamps often feature a musical topic. The first was from Austria in 1948 and was a commemoration of the carol “Silent Night.” Learn more here.
In 1982, the United Kingdom created a set of five postage stamps celebrating traditional Christmas carols. The design of the stamps is by Martin Newton, with each stamp depicting the subject of the song. Today, a Christmas carol is any song or hymn about or associated with Christmas. Originally, a carol was a song to accompany dancing. Songs about Christ’s birth have been in use since the early history of the church. In the thirteenth century, people throughout Europe began to sing songs about Christmas in their local languages. These were typical songs not intended for religious services. Then, in the nineteenth century, books of Christmas songs were published, helping to popularize carols even further.
The British Christmas carol stamps from 1982 feature five English songs. Most of the stamps are from Great Britain, with one originally from the United States and another from Ireland.
While Shepherds Watched
The lowest denomination stamp in the set features the carol “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks.” The lyrics of the carol are by Nahum Tate, an Irish hymnist and lyricist. They first appeared in Tate’s and Nicholas Brady’s 1700 supplement to the New Version of the Psalms of David, an update of their 1696 work. At the time, in the Anglican Church, this was the only official Christmas hymn.
As with many religious hymns, the text works with a number of musical settings. For example, in the United Kingdon, “While Shepherds Watched,” is set to a tune known as “Winchester Old” by George Kirbye. Whereas, in the United States, the music associated with the text is a variation of a Handel aria by Lowell Mason.
The 12 1/2 penny stamp depicts three shepherds sitting on the ground at night. The middle figure plays the bagpipes, an instrument typically associated with shepherds. Behind, are a number of sheep and in the distance the ruins of a building.
The Holly and The Ivy
The second stamp have a value of 15 1/2 pennies. It features the song “The Holly and the Ivy” and depicts three young girls picking the festive holiday plants. The green ivy plant grows up the side of a building and two girls gather branches of it, while a third girl stands up to reach a holly plant and uses a knife to cut pieces from it. Both plants grow throughout the winter.
The lyrics to the song probably date back to medieval times, while there were several regional tunes in use. The standard melody for the song today comes from the market town of Chipping Campden in Gloucestershire, England, and was published in 1911.
In this song, both plants are symbols. Holly, is also known as “Christ’s thorn,” with the sharp leaves recalling the thorns in Christ’s crown when he was executed. The red berries represent his blood. In the song, the ivy represents his mother, the Virgin Mary.
I Saw Three Ships
The third stamp in the set is for 19 1/2 pennies. It features the carol “I Saw Three Ships (Come Sailing In.” The stamp shows a male figure in eighteenth century dress running and waving at three ships he sees in the nearby body of water.
The lyrics for the popular carol come from the seventeenth century and feature a first person account of someone seeing three ships on Christmas morn. It is a bit confusing as there are no ships in the Biblical story, but some believe it refers to the camels of the wise men. Indeed, camels are sometimes called “Ships of the Desert.” The common tune for the carol today probably comes from the folk song, “As I Sat On a Sunny Bank.”
We Three Kings
In order of stamp value, the next stamp is for 26 pennies, and features the song We Three Kings. The stamp shows the three kings, or wise men, that traditionally bring gold, frankincense, and myrrh, to the baby Jesus. The kings are from the east and therefore wear flowing garbs and turbans, evoking the idea that they come from far off places. The men also have several items of purple in their attire, purple being the color of royalty.
The carol was written in 1957 by John Henry Hopkins. He wrote it for a Christmas pageant in New York City.
Good King Wenceslaus
The final stamp in the set, with the value of 29 pennies, features the carol “Good King Wenceslas.” The song is about a Bohemian King braving the harsh weather of winter to give alms to a poor peasant. In the song, the king’s page is about to fail in his struggle against the elements, but by following the king’s footprints makes it through the deep snow. It is a legend based on the life of Saint Wenceslaus I.
The lyrics, by John Mason Neale, are from 1853. Neale set his text to the tune “Tempus adest floridum” a thirteenth-century song from the Piae Cantiones.
