Anciently, a chrisom, or "chrisom-cloth," was the face-cloth, or piece of linen laid over a child's head when he or she was baptised or christened. Originally, the purpose of the chrisom-cloth was to keep the chrism, a consecrated oil, from accidentally rubbing off. With time, the word's meaning changed, to that of a white mantle thrown over the whole infant at the time of baptism. The term has come to refer to a child who died within a month after its baptism--so called for the chrisom cloth that was used as a shroud for it.
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Additionally, in London's Bills of Mortality, the term chrisom was used to refer to infants who died within a month after being born.
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In 1486, at the lavish christening of her nephew Arthur, she carried the chrisom. And in 1489, at the christening of her niece Margaret, later Queen of Scots, she again carried the chrisom during the ceremony. In 1510, her nephew King Henry VIII granted Anne and her heirs the various properties as compensation for the lands claimed in right of her great-grandmother, Anne de Mortimer, wife of Richard, 3rd Earl of Cambridge. These properties included the Castle and Manor of Wingfield and several other prominent properties.
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Vincent, the son of the first marriage who died in infancy, is shown by a kneeling shrouded chrisom child just behind Sir Clement himself.Howard, Visitation of Suffolke, II, pp. 235-37; Copinger, Manors of Suffolk, VII: Thingoe, pp 5-8. Above these images are three heraldic shields.
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Eleven days after Anne Boleyn's execution, Henry married Jane Seymour, who died shortly after the birth of their son, Edward, in 1537. From his birth, Edward was undisputed heir apparent to the throne. Elizabeth was placed in his household and carried the chrisom, or baptismal cloth, at his christening.Loades, 7–8.
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Tomb of Mary Plomer (1605) On the South wall of the chancel can be found an effigy tomb to Mary Plomer, who died in 1605 at the age of 30 after giving birth to her 11th child. A fine example of rustic Elizabethan sculpture, she is depicted as a large seated frontal figure holding a chrisom child (removed from the effigy for safekeeping) with one foot on a skull and an hour-glass in her hand. The baby is wrapped in a linen chrisom-cloth which at that time was worn for a month after christening in order to protect the sign of the cross made with chrism oil on the baby's head during baptism. This monument suggests that the baby died within a month of baptism.
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Peter J. Chrisom, a graduate of the school, was principal from 1972 to 1998. The school's auditorium is named for him. He was succeeded by his long time assistant principal, Eileen Feeney, who served as the school's fourth principal from 1998 to 1999. The fifth principal was Louis P. Ioanilli, who served from 1999 until his retirement in 2007.
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In the new prayer book, the last vestiges of prayers for the dead were removed from the funeral service. Unlike the 1549 version, the 1552 prayer book removed many traditional sacramentals and observances that reflected belief in the blessing and exorcism of people and objects. In the baptism service, infants no longer received minor exorcism and the white chrisom robe. Anointing was no longer included in the services for baptism, ordination and visitation of the sick.
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Statue of Alfred the Great at Winchester In 878 King Alfred of Wessex defeated the Viking Great Army at the Battle of Edington. Guthrum, the Viking leader, retreated with the remnants of his army to their "stronghold", where Alfred besieged him. After fourteen days the Vikings, according to Asser: Alfred accepted Guthrum's surrender and the Vikings gave Alfred peace hostages: Three weeks later Guthrum and thirty of his most important men came to Alfred at Aller, near Athelney, and there Guthrum was baptised, with Alfred accepting him as his adoptive son. The unbinding of the chrisom, part of baptismal ritual, took place eight days later at the royal estate and church at Wedmore near Cheddar.
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Throughout the realm, the people greeted the birth of a male heir, "whom we hungered for so long",Hugh Latimer, bishop of Worcester, quoted by with joy and relief. Te Deums were sung in churches, bonfires lit, and "their was shott at the Tower that night above two thousand gonnes". Queen Jane, appearing to recover quickly from the birth, sent out personally signed letters announcing the birth of "a Prince, conceived in most lawful matrimony between my Lord the King's Majesty and us". Edward was christened on 15 October, with his half-sisters, the 21-year-old Lady Mary as godmother and the 4-year-old Lady Elizabeth carrying the chrisom; and the Garter King of Arms proclaimed him as Duke of Cornwall and Earl of Chester.
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