A Notable Christening
Information
1844: Today was a very special - and stressful - day for George Davys, the Bishop of Peterborough. In 1827, he had taken up residence at Kensington Palace with the position of principal master to Princess Victoria, a situation he held until she became queen in 1837. He was advanced to the bishopric of Peterborough in 1839. At his burial, the queen sent one of her carriages with servants in state livery to attend the funeral as a mark of her affection and esteem. But back to this day: the day of the baptism of the daughter of Brownlow Cecil, the 2nd Marquess of Exeter at Burghley House. On a four-day stay there were Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Albert was to stand sponsor for the baby, who was to be christened Victoria by the Revd George Davys. Lady Victoria Leatham, a descendant of the second Marquess, described the event:
The Bishop of Peterborough took the service, but he arrived rather under the influence of sherry which he had taken to calm his nreves. In addition he had forgotten his glasses, which meant he had to guess how the wording went. He began the christening first of all without the Queen, then without the baby. Finally the deed was done.
(Leatham, Lady Victoria, Burghley, Herbert Press, 1992)
Taken from The Peterborough Book of Days by Brian Jones, The History Press, 2014.