PORTRA IT OF THOMAS EGERTON ,V ISCOUNT BRACKLEY , LORD H IGH

CHANCELLOR 1596 -1617

ENGL ISH COSTUMEFROM PREH ISTORIC TIME S TO THE

END OF TH E E IGHTEENTH CENTURY

GEORGE CLINCHP. .S A . Sc ads .

WITH ONE HUNDRED AND’

THIéTv-ONE ILLUSTRATIONS

a a a a a

CH I CAG O

A . C . M CCLURG 85 CO .

LONDON : M ETHUEN CO .,LTD.

CONTENTS

C HAPTERPREFACE

INTRODUCTION

I . PREH ISTORIC COSTUME

I I . ROMANO -BRITISH AND ANGLO -SAXON COSTUME

I I I . NORMAN COSTUME

IV TH I RTEENTH CENTUpv . FOURTEENTH CENTIiR“;F IFTEENTH CENTURY .

!

S IXTEENTH CENTURY

SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

E IGHTEENTH CENTURY;3 ) 3

3 33 3

) 3

x. MEDLE VAL AND LATERjéARMEN

’

TfS )

c

M IL ITARY COSTUME

ECCLES IASTICAL COSTUME

XI I I . MONASTIC,ACADEM IC

,AND LEGAL COSTUME .

CORONATION AND PARL IAMENTARY ROBES

ROBES OF THE ORDERS OF CH IVALRY ,ETC .

TH E, NEWYO GK W WW.

W N WT /3. FY

C IRC U LAT IO N DE P ARTM ENTGEORGE BRUCE BfiANCH. 5 18 w. 125th 3mm

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

HAROLD ARTHUR

VISCOUNT D ILLON , V P . S .A.

OF THE FOREMOST AUTHOR IT IE S ON

CO STUME AND ARMOUR

TH IS L ITTLE BOOK IS BY SPEC IAL PERM ISS ION

INSCR IBED BY THE

AUTHOR

PREFACE

H E scope of t h e presen t work, as indicated by t h e

t i t le gi ven to i t,m ay seem sufficien tly compre

h en s ive . Poss i bly i t m ay appear too ambitious , but

i t i s obv ious ly imposs i ble , in a vo l um e of th i s s ize ,to treat t h e subject O f E ngl i sh Costume in fu l l detai l ,and i t would be almost as di fficul t to confine i t to any

part i cu lar sect i on or sections of t h e subject which would

be agreeable to al l reade rs .

Th e'

wr i te r h as therefore attempted to take a midd le

course , and h as endeavoured to cover t h e who le of t h e

ground by deal ing wi th t h e main facts , wi thout pro

fessing to be exhaust ive . Pictor ial i l l ustrat ions have

been free ly used as be ing more conven ien t and i n

t e l l ig ible than verbal descript ions . When possi blet h es e

'

h ave been drawn from firs t -hand and contem

porary sources . I l lum inated MS S . ,sepu lchral e ffigie s ,

monumen tal brasses,pain t ings , statuary , ancien t wi l l s ,

inventor ies,and th e con ten ts of t h e chief museums , are

t h e authori t i es upon which t h e author h as main ly

re l ied for his mater ial s ; but h e h as al so gratefu l ly

made us e of much of what h as al ready been written in

t h e works o f Messrs . Fairh o l t , Planché, J . G . Wal le r,H . Drui t t

,and Viscoun t Di l lon . In h i s at t empts to

ge t at th e actual facts of th i s interest ing subject , h eix

x ENGLISH COSTUME

h as drawn from eve ry avai lable sou rce,and

,h e trusts

,

with due acknowledgmen t ; and h e i s al so indebted to

Viscoun t Di l lon for much special and valuable in

format ion,for th e loan of books from Ditch ley

,and

for t h e l oan of t h e woodblock pr in ted on page 203 ;

to Mr . M i l l Stephenson ,for much valuable he lp

and for t h e loan of most of t h e woodcut s pr int ed in t h e

text ; to M r . Just ice Ph i l l im ore and Mr. Arthur Den

m an, for ass i stance in descr i bing legal costume

for some usefu l h in ts and suggest i on s to Mr. W . H .

St . John Hope (from whose publ i shed papers some of

t h e informat ion in t h e fol lowing page s i s de r ived); to

Mr. Eme ry Walke r,

for pe rm iss ion to use t h e

photographs from t h e pain t ings i l l ustrating scenes in

th el i fe of St . E t h e ldreda to t h e Society of An t i quar ies

of London for pe rm iss i on to reproduce photographs

from t h e pain t ings of S t . E t h e ldreda, photographsfrom

t h e colou red i l lust rat ion s of t h e Lout t re l l Psal t e r , and

nume rous engravings on A rch aeolog ia ; to t h e auth ori

t ies O f t h e Victoria and Albert Museum ,South

Ken sington ,part i cu lar ly Mr. Arthur B . Skinner ,

for most courteous assi stance ; and to Dr . G . F .

Warne r,

keeper of t h e Departmen t of MS S . in

t h e Brit i sh Museum,for special faci l i t ies in connection

wi th t h e examinat ion of manuscripts in hi s departmen t

i l l ustrative of E ngl i sh costume .

SUTTON , SURRE Y

31 3 i March , 1909

ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT

Rom an shoes and sandals

K ing Haro ld seat ed on t h e throne , w ith ArchbishopS t igand on h isle f t hand

Norm an sold ie rs w earing m ant les. (Bayeux tapest ry)A rm ed and m oun ted fol low e rs of Duke W i l l iam (Wi l l iam th e Con

queror). (From th e Bayeux tapest ry)Kn ights in chain -m ai l fight ing ( 13t h cen tury). (From t h e Li ves of

th e Tw o Of as)

Sw eyn slain by O ffa. (From a 13t h century MS . ,t h e L ives of th e

O f fa I I crow ned k ing of t h e M e rc ians. (F rom a 13t h century MS

N icho las de Aum b erdene , about 1350 (Taplow , Bucks)S ir John de C reke , about 1325 (West leyWate rless , Cam b ridgeshire)R ichard Martyn , 1402 . C ivi l ian w earing t h e m ant le fastened ove r

t h e right shoulde r (Dart ford , Ken t)Robe rt Ske rn , 1437. C iv i l ian ’s costum e

Queen El izabe th as Princess,1554. (From a paint ed pane l dl S

cove red at L i t t le Gaddesden ,H e rts)

Georg e Hodges, d ied about 1630. (F rom m onum en tal brass atVVedm ore , Som e rset)

C ivi l ian , ci rca 1630 (Croydon , Surrey)E ffigy of El izabe th Culpepe r, 1 633 (Ard ing ly, Sussex)Boots

,ci rca 1480

Boot and spur, 1568

Shoe , 1590

Jack -boots , 162 9

Pe te r Best , chi ld , 1585 (M e rstham , Surrey).

xi

xi i ENGLISH COSTUME

R ichard Best , 1587 (Me rstham,Surrey)

Lady, 1458 (Jam ina de C h erney s , Lady- in -w ai t ing to Que en Margare t of Anjou and w if e of S ir Thom as She rborne)

Lady o f S ir John de Greke , about 1325 (West ley Wate rless, Cambr idges h ire)

E ffigy o f M i l l icen t Meryng , about 14 15 (East Markham ,Not ts)

Lady. I 437

Lady’s dress, 1420 (Horley, Surrey)E ffigy of Anna Playte rs , 1479 (Sot t erley, Suffo lk)Lady's head -dress , 1533

Lady’s head-dress, 154 1

A lady of about t h e year 1580 (S taplehurst , Ken t)Lady’s head-dress, 1568

Lady’s head-dress and ruf f , 16 16

E ffigy of El izabe th Kneve t , 15 18 (East ing ton , G loucestershire)Turban -l ike h at w ith scarf hanging the re f rom , ci rca 1480

Eleanor,w i f e of S ir Wm . de Burgat e , 1409

Rosary carried on t h e w rist , 1476

Kn ight in t rew s (Ki lpeck Church)Head -dress of w idow , ci rca 1460

A w idow lady, about 1440 (S toke Dabe rnon , Surrey)Th i rteen th cen tury e ffigy of kn ight , probab ly S ir Wal te r de B it ton(B it ton Church , G louceste rshi re)

E ffigy to S ir John d’

Aube rnoun , 1 2 77 (S toke Dabe rnon , Surrey)Knee-cops and Cuisses f rom th e b rass to Robe rt de Bures (Acton ,

S ufl'

olk)

E ffigy to a m em be r of t h e Bacon fam i ly, about t h e year 132 0 (Gor

leston , Suf fo lk)Sculptured e ffigy of a kn ight o f t h e 14th century in S t . Pe te r'sChurch , Sandw ich , Ken t

Arm ed kn ight , 1409 (S ir W i l l iam de Burgate , at Burgate Church ,Suf folk)

E ffigy o f S i r John d’

Aube rnoun ,132 7 (S toke Dabe rnon , Surrey)

E ffigy to S ir Robe rt Suck ling ,of about th e year 14 15 (Barsham ,

Suff olk)S ir Thom as Throckm orton , 1445 (F ladbury, Worceste rshi re)

I LLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT xi i iPAGE

Esquire in arm our (Robe rt Whyte , in South Warnborough Church ,Hants)

Christophe r Lytkot t , E sq . , 1554 (Sw allow fie ld, Berks)Robert Ramps ton , 1 585

Sold ie r o f t h e t im e o f Charles I , arm ed w i th m uske t and sw ord,

carrying m uske t -rest,and w ith bandol ie rs ove r t h e shoulde r

Am ice , f rom e ffigy of a pr iest , 1375

John West , chaplain , ci rca 14 15 (Sudborough, Northan ts)Figure represen t ing S t . Laurence (Harrow , M iddlesex)Episcopal g loves

Priest in cassock , about t h e year 1480 (C i rencester, G louceste rshi re)Canon

,14 13 (Wi l l iam Lange ton , Canon of Exet e r, in Exet er

Cathedral)Robert London , priest , vested in cope , e tc. , 14 16 (Chartham ,

Kent)Priest

,1530 (Wi l l iam Law nder , in Northleach Church , G louceste r)

Robe rt Beauver,m onk , o f about t h e year 1470 (S t . A lbans Abbey)

Port ion of e ffigy in brass of a prioress o f Ki lburn

Dam e A l ice Hampton , nun , about t h e year 15 10 (Mich inh ampton ,

G loucest e r)Doctor’s cap, ci rca 1480

D r. Richard B i l l ing ford , Maste r of Corpus Christ i Col lege , 1442

(S t . Bene t’s Church , Cam b ridge)

Thom as He ron , schoolboy, 15 1 2 (L it t le I l ford, Essex)Chie f Just ice of t h e K ing

’s Bench , 1439 (S ir Joh n Juyn , S t . Mary’s

Church , B ristol)E ffigy of K ing Richard I (d . 1 199)in Rouen Cathedral

Sheri f f of t h e C i ty of York , 1642

LIST OF PLATES

Port rai t of Thomas Ege rton , Vis count B rackley , Lord H igh Chance llor , 1596

— 16 17 Fron tzspzece

0

O PPOS ITE PAGECarvm g s In bone represent ing S tone Age costum e 2

B ronze Age costum e

Rom an c ivi l ian in B ri tain , w earing t h e toga. (F rom a sepulchralm onum en t in t h e Gui ldhal l Museum , London)

Ret iarius on Rom an sepulchral stone in t h e Gui ldhal l Museum ,

LondonCostum es of Rom ano-B rit ish g lad iators. (From m osaic pavem ents

at Bignor, Sussex)Ang lo-Saxon com bs

Ang lo-Saxon b rooches

Ang lo-Saxon beads

S t . E t h e lw old giving t h e Benedict ion . ( 10th century Mass-vestm en ts)

Scenes f rom t h e l i fe of S t . Guth lac

Tw e lf th century costum e . (Cot t . MS . Ne ro,C . IV, B ri t . Mus .)

A Kn ight Templar (Temple Church , London)E ffigy of K ing John (Worcest e r Cathedral)E ffigy of K ing Edw ard I I

B reaking c lods of earth w ith m al le t s (Rural costum e , f rom t h e

Lout t re ll Psalte r.) ( 14t h 44Ploughing century)Cook and se rve rs. (Lout t rell Psalte r)Second m arriage of S t . E th e ldreda (S t . Audry) to t h e K ing o f

Northum b ria. (Lat e 14t h cen tury costum e)

S t . E t h eldreda in m onast ic gow n and crow n . (Lat e 14th cen turycostum e)

xv i E NGLISH CO STUMEOPPOS ITE PAGE

S t . E th e ldreda bui lds t h e church at Ely. (Lat e 14th century cos

tum e)

Th e t ranslat ion of S t . E th eldreda. (Lat e 14th century costum e)

Part o f e ffigy of S ir John C h ydioke , ci rca 1450 (Christchurch ,Hampshi re)

Head o f e ffigy o f John Beaufort , Duke of Som e rset (d ied in

Wim borne M inste r, Dorse t

E ffigies o f S i r Thom as Arde rne (ci rca and Mat i lda, h is w i fe ,

in El ford Church,Staf fordshi re

Arderne tom b (south side)(El ford Church , Staffordsh i re)Portrai t of Arthur, Prince of Wales, first son of Hen ry VI I (born

1486, d ied 1502 )

K ing H enry VI I I

Port rait of Queen Mary. (From a draw ing of t h e orig inal byLucas de H e re)

King Edw ard VI

Linen cap em broide red w i th plai ted si lve r-gi lt thread and b lacksi lk . (Second hal f of t h e 16 th cen tury)

Que en Jane Seym our

Procession of Queen El izabe thMargare t , Duchess of Norfolk (died 1 563, aged S h e w as t h e

second w i fe of Thom as, fourth Duke of Norfolk

Queen El izabeth . (Painte r unknow n)

Thomas How ard,fourth Duke o f Norfolk . (Beheaded 1572)

E ffig ies o f S ir R ichard Bake r and Lady Thornhurst (d ied 1609)in

Can te rbury CathedralLady’s bod ice of c ream -coloured sat in w ith w avy slashes. (Early

17th cen tury)S i lk b rocade gow n of th e t im e of Queen El izabethQui lt ed and richly ornam ented ye l low sat in gow n of about t h e year

I 7ZS

Part of th e e ffigy of S ir Wi l l iam S caw en , 172 2 , in CarshaltonChurch, Surrey

S tay busk , inscribed E .E . 1776

A Macaron iGent lem an’s coat and t runks, early 18t h century. (From t h e Isham

Col lect ion)

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INTRODUCTION

HE study of costume,i t h as long been general ly

acknowledged , i s one of most fasc inat ing i n

teres t , not alone to ladies , i n whose domain

pr imar i ly i t m ay be supposed to l ie , but also to t h e

studen t of h i story , t h e scu lptor,t h e painte r , and

indeed everyone who des i res to look behind t h e dry

pages of wri t ten history for ev i dences of t h e actual

eve ryday l i fe of t h e people .

Th e presen t work i s t h e resu l t , within l im i ted space

and impe rfect as t h e author i s on ly too consc i ous , of an

attempt to real i ze t h e var ious changes of fash ion and

deve l opmen ts of thought of t h e people of E ngland

during past ages in phases which are shown far more

accurate ly and int imate ly by t h e van i t ies and fol l ies of

costume and fashion than by th e sobe r matter-of -fact

wri tings of th e old ch ron i c le rs .

I t cannot be doubted that t h e whole subject of

costume i s of great in te rest to a ve ry large number

of people , and no ci vi l i zed ind iv idual can be whol ly

indi ffe ren t to i t . Th e forms and fash ions in whichdress h as at di fferen t t ime s been worn are , i t wi l l be

gene ral ly admi t ted , at once an i ndex to t h e tastes ,t h e fancies

,and t h e van i t ies of the i r wearers .

xix

xx E NGLISH COSTUME

In th i s attempt to trace th e evolufion of E ngl i sh

costume,advan tage h as been free ly taken of what

i s al ready recorded on t h e subject ; but many other

sou rces of information ,some of them new i t i s be l ieved ,

have been drawn upon . These incl ude not on ly t h e

obvious sources,such as scu lpture , statuary , and monu

men tal effig ies , both in t h e round and in t h e form of

monumen tal brasses,but al so those inciden tal s i de

l ight s afforded by t estamen tary documen t s , inven to ri es ,

pain t ings , i l lum inated manuscripts , pi ctures , portrai t s ,and al so t h e actual c lothes themse lves which have

escaped t h e ravages of t h e ins id i ous moth , t h e de

structive influences of wear , and t h e even more

di sastrous , because more thorough,ordeal of spr ing

clean ing.

Th e main purpose of th e book i s to explain and

i l lustrate t h e ord inary,eve ryday clothes of t h e people

during th e past cen turies , t h e garments for special

and offic ial pu rposes be ing gi ven a subsidiary place

in t h e volume .

Th e sources o f i nformat ion on t h e subject of

E ngl ish costume are by no means of un i form char

acte r nor of equal val ue .

Monumen tal brasses,from th e ease wi th which they

m ay be mechan i cal ly copied by hee l- bal l rubbings ,have l ong been recogn i zed as a val uable source of

informat ion,and th i s they unques t ionab fy are

, but

the re are many things about costume which they do

not show .

INTRODUCTION

Sepu lchral e ffig ies i n t h e round are of far great er

val ue as ev i dence for costume than monumen tal

brasses,because of t h e clearness wi th wh i ch d i fferen t

garmen t s m ay be t raced out , a task far from easy in

flat plates of engraved brass .

But , val uable as effig ie s are , they form a by no

means invariable guide to t h e actual costumes ord i

nari ly worn by t h e pe rson s represented . I t wi l l con

s tan t ly be found that in th e i r sepulchral e ffigies ce rtain

persons are shown in official or formal costume rathe r

t han the i r everyday common garb . Thus,pri ests and

bi shops are shown in euchar i st i c or processional vest

m en ts , and sove re ign s somet imes in the i r coronat i on

robes , and usual ly with t h e royal crown on t h e head ;but w e must not infe r from this that these we re

t h e vestments and robes worn i n ordinary, eve ry

day l i fe .

Th e us e of such garmen t s in carv ing t h e effigies

of t h e dead w as s imply a conven ien t method of

showing symbol i cal ly t h e rank or profess ion of t h e

weare r . As a matte r of fact , t h e sovere ign of t h e

M i ddle Ages wore his crown on ly upon very rare and

special occasions , and mass-vestm ents we re special ly

and exclus ive ly worn at t h e ce lebrat ion of mass in

t h e church . Bishops d i d not wal k about t h e stree ts

wear ing t h e mitre and carrying the i r epi scopal staff,as one might infe r from represen tat ion s given on th e

modern theatr i cal stage ; ne i the r w as a complete su i t

of cumbe rsome armour t h e regular wal king at t i re of

xxi i E NGLISH COSTUME

t h e kn ight , as some of t h e popular nove l i sts would

have us be l ieve .

In orde r to understand t h e motives and force s

which shaped ancient costum e i t i s essent ial to re

membe r that mediaeval people were common - sense

m en and wom en . Comfort,conven ience

,and pro

priety we re t h e ch ief pr inciples which influenced

them in t h e choi ce of mate rial s and shapes for the i r

c lothing . I t i s not exagge rat ion to say that noth ing

h as done more to obscu re and confuse popular ideas

on ancien t costume than t h e gorgeous and ove r

e laborated representations of great h i stori cal d ramas

whi ch have been fu rn i shed by ou r theat r i cal auth ori

t ies during t h e past twenty o r th i rty years . Th e

defect s m ay not be i n bad taste , indeed many are

ce rtain ly ve ry attract i ve,but they are due in t h e fi rst

place to a misconcept i on and misreading of th e ev i

dence on t h e subject , and secondly to a ve ry natu ral

des i re to produce st r i king spectacular e ffects .

ENGLISH COSTUME

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2 ENGLISH COSTUME

Pie tte from t h e cave depos i ts at Brassempouy , Mas

d’

Azi l,

etc. ,among which are some which p ictu re

human be ings . Some of these figures are repre

sented partial ly nude , or wear ing t ight-fit t ing leg

coverings , but in others i t i s qu i te easy to d i st inguish

t h e garments represented . One very remarkable torso

of a smal l human figure found at Brassempouy i s

special ly noteworthy. I t i s not a sketch , but a carv

ing in t h e round i n i vory . Th e body garment , or

tun i c , which i s qu i te plain , reaches bare ly to t h e

th igh,where i t te rm inates abrupt ly in a straight hori

zon tal edge .

‘Th e legs , a large part of wh ich remains ,are e i th er ‘

qf

’

ai te nude or covered by garmen ts which fit

qui te On anothe r fragmen t of carved ivory a

h umanc h ead IS represen t‘

ézd Showing that t h e hai r , which

i s pai ted apparently on both r ight and left s ides and

rotInd t h e back of t h e head , descends to th e lowe r part

of th e neck behind,and is cut off straight a l i tt le above

yebrow s in fron t .(

Th ewhole of th e hai r appears

to‘

be 3 ed in s eparate locks , be ing e i t her plai ted

or ‘ti ed at‘ frequent in te rval s to preven t t h e in

convenience of tang l ing .

In th e Cavern of Gourdan a bone w as found upon

which i s a sketch of seven individual s wal king in s ingle

file . Th e sketch i s hard ly defin i te enough to show

whethe r any c loth ing i s worn , or w hether t h e head

and shou lders are partly cove red by long hai r fal l ing

from th e head . Th e legs are e i the r nude or covered

with trouse r- l i ke garmen ts . Th e figures are appar

en t ly in te nded to represen t women .

Anothe r represen tat i on of t h e uppe r part of awoman ,

CARVI NGS I N BONE REPRESENT I NG STONE AGE COSTUME

PRE HISTORIC COSTUME 3

carved out of part of a tooth , w as found at Mas-d’

Azi l .

Th e on ly garment shown seems to be a col lar round

t h e neck,un less th e natural furrows in t h e tooth are

intended to indicate th e fo lds of a gown .

In t h e Neol i th i c Age w e have no represen tat ions

of t h e human figure which enable us to found any

opin ion as to t h e costum e worn . Th e remains of

Spindle-whorl s and othe r indicat i ons of sp inn ing and

weaving found on Neol ith ic s ites Show with su fficien t

clearness that arti cles of cloth ing were not confined to

t h e skins of an imal s , but that some kind of cloth

mate r ial w as manufactured .

Professor Boyd Dawkins 1 gives th e fol lowing usefu l

summary of th e subject

Th e'

ar ts of spinn ing and t h e m anufacture of linen w e rein t roduced in to E u rope in t h e Neoli th ic Age , and t hey h ave

‘

been prese rved w i th but li t t le variat ion from t hat pe rioddown to t h e pre sen t day in

'

certain rem ote part s of E urope ,and have on ly been supe rseded in m odern t im es by t h e com

plicated m ach ines so fam i liar to us . In t h e Neol i th ic household t h e spindle and t h e dis taff w e re alw ays to be found ,and th e ci rcular pe rforated spindle -w horls

,m ade som e t im e s

of s tone , and at other t im es of pot te ry or bone , are ve rycom m on ly m et with in t h e Neoli th ic hab i tat ion s and tom bs .Th e t hread i s proved , by t h e discove ries in t h e S w is s lakes ,to have been composed of flax , and t h e com bs , w h ich havebeen used for push ing t h e th reads of th e warp on to t h e

w eft , S how that i t w as w oven in t o l inen on som e k indof loom . I t is ve ry probable also that t h e art of m ak ingw oollen clot h w as also know n

,although from i t s pe rishab le

nature no t race of i t h as been handed dow n to us .

1 Early M an in B r i tai n , p. 2 75.

4 E NGLISH COSTUME

Th e Neol i th i c Age w as succeeded by th e Bronze

Age , a per iod , or stage , of human cul ture extending

from th e i n troduction of bronze to t h e introduction

of i ron . Of th i s pe r iod w e have more ce rtain know

ledge , t h e conten t s of nume rous sepulchral mounds ,or barrows , explored in E ngland havi ng enabled us

to form a fai r ly comple t e i dea of t h e costume , dress ,arts

,and pu rsu i ts of t h e Bronze Age folk .

Th e fol lowing particu lars as to t h e cloth ing and

personal ornamen ts i n us e during t h e Bronze Age in

Britain are main ly taken from t h e l ucid account given

by Professor Boyd Dawkins,

1 who h as col lected hi s

facts from various eminent author i t ies on prehi stor i c

archaeology , includ ing Si r A . W . Franks , Canon

Greenwe l l , Ke l le r , Mont e l ius , etc.

Th e r i ch and t h e chi e fs we re clothed in l inen or in

wool len homespun . I n Scandinavia they wore wool len

cl oaks,and a round woo l len cap on t h e head

,and

the i r legs and fee t we re protected by leathe r leggings

and sandal s . A dagge r , attached to t h e gi rdle in a

sheath of wood or l eat he r , and an axe were the i r con

stan t compan i ons . Th e face w as shaven,and th e

beard , moustaches , o r whiske rs were somet imes

pl ucked out . Th e hai r w as worn long , and arranged

into a pyramid su fficien tly large , in some cases , to

al low of th e us e of a hai rpin twen ty inches long .

Ear- r ings , necklaces , and pendants and amul et s of

stone,bone , glass , bronze , and even go l d we re al so

worn . Brace let s made flat , round , or ho l low,and

1 E arly M an i n B ri tai n , pp. 355- 8 .

BRONZE AGE COSTUME

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6 ENGL I SH COSTUME

Th e body h ad gone to decay . I t h ad been en

ve loped in a wool len fabric,enough of which remained

to show that i t h ad reached from head to foot . I t w as

very rotten,and i t w as imposs i ble to recover any but

smal l parts of i t,or to prove whe the r t h e body h ad

been lai d in t h e grave in i ts ord inary dress or s imply

wrapped in a shroud . I t i s on t h e whole probable that

in this case , as in those of som e t ree- burial s d i scove red

in D enmark , t h e person h ad been interred in t h e dress

worn by him in dai ly l i fe,though

,perhaps , i t m ay be

al leged that t h e absence of anyth ing l i ke a button or

other fasten ing i s rathe r again st that view . Th e

material i s now of a dark brown colour, due most

l i ke ly to t h e tann in in t h e oak of t h e coffin .

Canon Greenwe l l adds that h e sees no reason for

hes i tat ing to refe r th i s inte rment to t h e people whose

usual custom i t w as to place t h e body of t h e dead

person in a stone c ist or in a grave with in t h e barrow

mere ly supposing that in th i s and in a few othe r in

stances they departed from the i r ord inary practice in

favou r of a wooden receptacle .

Several other B ronze Age burial s in Britain have

been found resembl ing th i s just descr i bed as far as th e

rude co ffin or receptacle for t h e dead is conce rned , but

in no case have remains of cloth ing been found . In

t h e tree-coffins of Denmark , al so of t h e Bronze Age ,t h e clothes worn by t h e deceased during l i fe have been

found in te rred wi th t h e body .

From a ce rtain Bronze Age grave in Jutland some

ve ry remarkable artic les of wool len cloth ing we re pro

cured some years ago by Messrs . Warsaae and Herbst .

PRE H ISTORIC COSTUME 7

These compri sed a cloak, ski rt , shawls , caps , and leggings

,al l made of wool len stuff. Traces also we re

found of leathe r art i cles , probably boots , at one end of

t h e wooden coffin in which t h e body h ad been in terred .

Amongst othe r th ings found we re sword , brooch ,kn i fe

,double-poin ted aw l

,a pai r of tweeze rs

,and a

large double button , or stud , al l of bronze ; a smal l

double button of t in , and a jave l in -head of fl in t .

Th e Bronze Age w as fol lowed by t h e per i od usual ly

cal led th e Early I ron Age , extending up to t h e begin

n ing of t h e Roman occupat i on of B ri tain . During

th i s age , al though the re i s abundan t ev i dence as to

t h e metal l i c ornamen ts,weapons , e tc . ,

the re i s not

much defin i te informat i on on t h e quest ion of costume .

That sp inn ing and weav ing we re carr ied on i s made

qu i te clear by t h e numerous spindle-whorl s,l oom

we ights, and weav ing- combs found in association with

remains characte r i st ic of t h e t ime .

Th e inhabi tants of Bri tain during t h e Early I ron

Pe r i od were th e race usual ly known as Anc ie n t

B ri ton s . Th e Dru ids , who combined t h e dut ies of

instructing youth and ce lebrat ing re l igious ri tes ,have been often figu red and descri bed in hi storical

works,but t h e info rmat ion w e possess as to the i r

costume and gene ral appearance i s of an indefin i te

and un re l iable characte r , and large ly bu i l t up on t h e

conjectures of seven teen th and e ighteenth century

ant i quar ies , consequen t ly , i t must not be accepted

wi thout caution . Howeve r , as w e shal l presen t ly

show,some evidence of t h e Druids h as been fou nd

in France .

8 E NGLISH COSTUME

That t h e Ancien t B ri tons used a var iety of dyed

material s for th e ir c lot h ing i s pre tty ce rtain . Blue ,obtained from woad

,i s be l ieved to have been t h e

favouri te colour , and th i s m ay have given r i se to t h e

t radi t i on which credi ts them with dye ing th e body

by w ay of ornament . I t i s ce rtain that in such a

c l imate as that of Bri tain warm clothing must have

been necessary for a great part of t h e year , and every

th ing poin ts to th e probabi l i ty that fogs and rain

we re more prevalen t at t h e t i me of t h e Ancien t

B ri tons than they are at t h e presen t day.

From t h e wri t ings of Ju l i us Cmsar w e l earn that

t h e inhabitants of t h e inter ior of Bri tain wore

clothing made of th e skins of an imal s ; but , whi lst

t h e inte rnal parts of t h e coun try we re in a very

barbarous and e lemen tary condit ion as far as gar

ments we re conce rned , i t i s certain that those who

dwe l t near th e coasts (part icu larly t h e coasts of t h e

south- easte rn parts of Bri tain), and enjoyed t h e

advan tage s of in te rcourse with occas i onal v i s i tors

from t h e Con t inent , we re much bette r provided for

in t h e matter of personal att i re , woven stuffs be ing

worn instead of t h e skins of an imal s .

Th e civi l d ress of those Bri tons who we re seen by

Jul ius Ca sar when h e effected a landing on ou r

shores w as probably iden t i cal w i th that of th e Gau l s,who w e know

,from Roman statues in th e Louvre

and othe r sources,we re usual ly c l othed in th ree

garmen ts,vi z .

( i) Braccae , or trousers , an artic le of dress by

which t h e barbar ic nations general ly seem to have

PRE HISTORIC COSTUME 9

been d i st ingui shed from t h e Romans . They we re

made by t h e Gau l s and Bri tons of the i r str iped or

chequered cloth,cal led breach

, brycan ,or breacan ,

breac in Ce l ti c s ign ifying anything speckled , spotted,str iped , or in any w ay part i -co lou red .

(i i)Ove r t h e braccae , or breeches , as w e now cal l

t h e garment,

w as worn a body-garmen t wi th short

s leeves , and reaching a l i tt le be low t h e knees . Th is

w as cal led t h e tun i c .

( i i i)Th e cloak , or mant le , cal led sagum ,from th e

Ce l t i c word sai c (which , according to Varro , sign ified

a skin or h ide,such having been

,as w e have seen ,

th e mater ial wh ich t h e inven t ion of cloth h ad supe r

s eded), w as , in Bri tain ,of one un i form colour , gener

al ly e i ther blue or black,whi le t h e predominating t in t

in t h e chequered tun i c and t rousers w as red.

Th e general character of t h e cos tume of th e ancien t

Gau ls and Bri tons sti l l survives in a measure in t h e

dress of t h e Scott i sh H ighlande rs . Thi s w as prob

ably t h e usual habi t o f every Ce l t i c tri be at t h e

t ime of th e appearance of t h e Roman legions on ou r

shores , and i t i s a matte r of no smal l interest to find

traces of t h e costume st i l l exi st ing among us .

There remain s yet another art ic le of dress to be

men ti oned which adds anothe r connecting l ink be

tween th e ancien t Bri ton s of t h e past and t h e mode rn

Gae l i c inhabitan ts of our i s lands . We refer to t h e

shoes of untanned leathe r,made of raw cow -hide with

t h e hai r tu rned outwards— i den ti cal , in fact , with t h e

brogues o f I re land and th e Scott i sh H ighlands .

Th e ch in w as shaved by m en of rank amongst t h e

10 ENGLISH COSTUME

Gau ls and Britons, but i mmense tangled moustache s

we re worn , so much so that Strabo descri bes those of

t h e inhabi tants of Cornw al l'

and t h e Sci l ly I sles as

hanging down upon the i r breasts l i ke wings . Th e

hai r w as tu rned back over th e crown of th e head , and

fe l l down in long and bushy curl s beh ind .

Th e ornamen ts of t h e Bri tons consi sted , l i ke those

of th e Gauls,of arm let s

,brace lets , and r ings of go ld ,

s i lve r , brass or copper , and i ron . E laborat e and costly

brooches of large s i ze we re used as t h e fast en ing of

th e sagum .

Bri t is h and Gaul i sh women wore a long pai s,cotta

,

or tun i c reach ing to t h e ankles , and ove r i t a shorte r

one , cal led th e gw n,whence w e get our modern word

gown . Th e sleeves of th is lat te r garmen t reached on ly

to t h e e l bow .

Fortunate ly for students of ancien t B ri ti sh costume

t h e dress of Boadicea,Queen of t h e I cen i , h as been

descr i bed by Dion Cassi us . S h e wore a tun i c of many

colours , al l in folds , and over i t , fasten ed by a fibu la

or brooch , a robe of coarse stuff. H er l ight hai r fe l l

loose ly ove r h er shoulde rs,and round h er neck w as a

golden torque . This n ecklace , or co l lar of twi sted

wi res of gold or si lve r,cal led torch or dorch in Bri t i sh ,

w as worn by both sexes in al l t h e Ce l ti c nati ons,and

w as pecu l iarly a symbol of rank and command . So

fond were t h e anci ent Bri tons of th i s kind of pe rsonal

adornment that those w h o could not procure them of

these prec ious metal s wore them of brass and even

i ron,and

,accord ing to t h e test imony of one wri te r , they

man i fested no smal l amoun t of pride in displaying them .

PREHISTORIC COSTUME 1 1

There appear to have been th ree orde rs of t h e priest

hood among th e Bri tons before t h e per iod of t h e Roman

occupat i on,vi z .

( i)Th e Dru ids , or sacerdotal order , who we re c l othed

in whi te -t h e emblem of hol iness , puri ty , and t ruth .

A bas - re l ief found at Autun represen ts tw o Druids in

long tun i cs and mantles,one crowned wi th an oaken

garland and bear ing a sceptre , t h e other hold ing in hi s

hand a crescen t , one of the i r sacred symbols . Th e

man tle of t h e former i s fastened on t h e left Shou lde r

by a porti on of i t be ing drawn th rough a r ing,and

instances of th i s fashion ,i t m ay be remarked , are to

be found subsequen t ly in Anglo-Saxon costume . These

rings have occas i onal ly been found , and from the i r

smal l s i ze have been considered by some ant i quaries

to have served as vot i ve brace le ts .

( i i)Th e bards , who were t h e poets , t h e historian s ,and t h e genealogists of t h e Ce l t i c nations, are sup

posed to have be en c lothed in long blue gowns .

( i i i)Th e Ovates , professing astronomy and medicine

wore garmen ts of green ,t h e symbol of learn ing , be

cause i t w as th e colour of nature . Th e d isciples Of

th i s orde r wore variegated dresses of three‘

colours

whi te , blue , and green ,accord ing to one accoun t

,and

blue , green ,and red

,according to anothe r .

With regard to t h e mi l i tary costume of t h e ancien t

Bri tons w e possess some in te rest ing informat ion .

Diodorus S iculus te l l s us that t h e Gaul s wore upon

t h e head he lmet s of brass , upon which we re var ious

appendages for t h e sake of osten tat i on , and al so,it

m ay be added , wi th a v iew of stri ki ng the i r antagon i sts

1 2 ENGLISH COSTUME

with aw e and fear by t h e exaggerat ion of the i r he ight

and ferocious appearance . Th e feathers in t h e hai r of

t h e Red Indian and th e hideous m i l i tary masks of t h e

Chinese we re s im i lar contr i vances calcu lated to impress

opponents in t h e fie ld of bat t le . These Gau l i sh ap

pendages to t h e he lme t represen ted bi rds and beas ts

o f var ious kinds . They we re,in fact

,t h e prototype

of t h e mediae val c rest . I t i s probable , al though not

absolu te ly certain,that t h e be t te r equ ipped of t h e

Bri ti sh soldie rs we re provided with he lmets and appen

dages of thi s kind . Th e Sh ie lds of th e Bri tons were

c i rcu lar,or oblong

,and flat . Those of ci rcu lar form

we re on ly two feet in diameter,and h ad a hol low boss

in t h e cen t re to admi t t h e hand of th e warri or who

carr ied i t. Shie lds o f thi s kind were he ld at arm ’s

length in acti on . They were formed inte rnal ly of

wicker,or basket-work ; exte rnal ly

,t h e bronze face

w as ornamented wi th a numbe r of concen tri c Ci rcles ,between which we re as large a numbe r of l i ttle knobs

as t h e space would perm it .

Roman shoes and sandals

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14 ENGLISH COSTUME

in mind , howeve r , that t h e ancien t trousers or panta

loon s we re ful l and gathe red about t h e ankle, and that

our modern trouse rs have during t h e past few centuries

passed through a qu ite independen t ser ie s of m odifica

t i ons . Sti l l , they are cover ings for th e legs , and th e

an cient name i s st i l l appl ied to th em .

Th e Romans s et t h e fash ion in E ngland for many

centu r i es I n refe rence to private or domest i c dress, and

traces of a,

classic origin can be clearly seen in t h e

costumes of t h e Saxons and Danes .

A few words on t h e var ious garm en ts of t h e Romans

m ay be usefu l .

TOGA .— This w as semici rcular in Shape , and worn so

as to form a kind of Short s leeve to t h e r ight arm, and

to cove r th e left arm down to t h e wri st . A kind of

l oop of folds w as made to hang ove r t h e s loped drapery

in front,and t h e garmen t w as su ffici en tly ample at t h e

back to enabl e i t to be drawn over t h e head when

requ i red . Th e toga w as composed of wool , and

al though sometimes worn in t h e natu ral colour,or

bleached , w as dyed for t h e us e of poor people , and

black in t imes of mourn ing .

Priests and magistrat es wore t h e toga edged with a

purple borde r ; kn ights wore t h e toga str iped with '

purple th roughout ; whi lst the toga of a gene ral w as

en ti re ly of purple , to which w as added a r ich em

broide ry of gold .

Th e toga w as essential ly a Roman garmen t, be ing

worn ne i ther by t h e Greeks nor th e barbarians . In

t h e earl iest ages of Rome , i t w as worn by women as

w e l l as m en . In t h e course of time t h e use of t h e toga“

ROMAN C I V IL IAN I N BR ITA I N , WEAR I NG THE TOGAFRO M A SEPULCHRAL M ON U M ENT I N TH E GU ILDHALL M USEU M , LONDON

RET IAR IUS ON ROMAN SEPULCHRAL STONE I N THE GU ILDHALL MUSEUM,

LONDON

ROMANO -BRITI SH COSTUME 15

became less general , but i t Was regularly worn on al l

state occas ions .

TUN IC.— This garmen t w as in troduced at a late r

period than t h e toga,and w as regarded as a kind of

luxury. I t reached , in t h e case of m en , hal f-w ay down

th e th igh ; but by women and e ffeminate m en i t w as

worn longe r . Th e tun i c , without th e toga, w as worn

by soldiers'

in camp and by infe r i or functi onar ies at

sacrifices . Senators wore a tun i c edged wit h a purple

border , cal led latus clavus ; kn ights wore one with a

narrow border .

MANTLE .— Th is garment , worn by sold ie rs ove r th e

armour and fastened on th e r ight shou lde r , w as der ived

from t h e pal l i um , or mantle , of t h e Greeks . I t w as

found to be less cumbe rsome than t h e toga,and there

fore large ly supplan ted it.

HOODED CLOAK (Bardocucul lus). —Thi s w as a gar

men t of more pure ly uti l i tar ian characte r than those

just men tioned . I t w as made of ve ry coarse brown

wool,and w as common ly

'

worn by t h e people as a pro

tect ion against cold and rough weathe r . I ts hood

(cucul lus) w as capable of be ing brought ove r t h e head

in such a w ay as to throw off t h e rai n , etc.

ST.OLA .—Th e under garment of t h e Roman ladies

w as a long tun i c descending to t h e feet,cal led stola.

Ove r i t th e pal la (an adaptat ion of t h e Greek peplum)w as someti mes worn .

General ly speaking , th e dress of th e Romans , during

t h e earl ie r cen turies of t h e Chri stian era,w as plain

, but

afte r t h e middle of th e fourth cen tury A .D . a greate r

16 E NGLISH COSTUME

us e of ornamen t makes i ts appearance , and fringe s,

tasse l s , and jewe l le ry we re worn in great profusion .

Tw o interesting pieces of Romano-Bri ti sh sculptu re

from London,and now in t h e Gui ldhal l Museum ,

which are here figured , represent a Roman in civi l

dress wearing th e toga,and a gladiator armed wi th

a three -poin ted lance and net . H e i s evident ly repre

sen ted as a retarius about to encoun ter h i s antagon i st .

Th e retari i,who gene ral ly wore a short tun i c and no

head-cover ing , and were armed with t h e t riden t,dagge r , and net

,fought by throwing t h e net so as to

entangle t h e adve rsar i es,whom they then attacked with

the i r weapons .

Some of th e tesse l lated pavements of th e Romano

Bri t ish per iod represen t in teresting costume , al though ,general ly speaking

,nude de i t ies , nymphs , etc. ,

are th e

favouri te subjects . Th e pavemen ts at Bignor , Sussex ,a part of wh ich i s he re Shown

,represent one or tw o

curi ous groups of humorous gladiatorial confl i cts .

ANGLO -SAXON CO STUME

Th e pe riod which i s included unde r th i s head ex

tends from th e withdrawal of t h e Romans from Britain

in or about 436 A .D . to t h e No rman Conquest in 1066 .

Of th e earl ie r hal f of th i s per i od ve ry l i tt le i s known .

No re l iable contemporary pi cture or manuscr ipt exi st s

to i l l um inate what i s one of t h e darkest chapte rs of

E ngl i sh h i story .

Th e con tents of Anglo-Saxon graves , howeve r , give

some extreme ly val uable informat ion regard ing ce rtain

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ANGLO -SAXON COSTUME 1 7

parts of t h e o rnaments which we re worn by t h e people

of t h e t ime .

What i s be l ieved to have been t h e earl iest method o f

burying t h e dead in use amongst t h e Anglo-Saxons

w as performed in t h e fol l owing manne r : t h e dead

body w as ful ly dressed and furn i shed with arms , such

as ci rcu lar h ide-cove red shie lds with i ron bosses ,kn i fe or kn i ves

,sword

,spear, e tc .

,in t h e same manne r

as in l i fe,and then wrapped in an ample winding

sheet' and placed in th e grave without any furthe r

protection than a f ew large stones . Thi s method of

burial w as very gene ral ly fol lowed by t h e Jutes , who

res ided in Ke nt,Hampsh i re , and t h e I s le of Wight , as

many of t h e graves in t h e extens ive Ken t i sh cemete r ies

clearly prove . In some cases,howeve r , t races of stone

and wooden co ffins have been not iced .

1

Th e graves of Anglo-Saxon ladies have furn i shed

our museums and pr i vate col lect ions with numerous

examples of t h e jewe l le ry andpe rsonal ornamen ts wh ich

we re so much in vogue amongst our ance stors . These

consi st of glass beads of var i ous colou rs , beads of

ambe r and othe r stones , ornamental combs made

of bone,hai rpin s made of metal s , and somet i mes

en r iched with s l ices of garnet , and brooches or fibulae

of a great var ie ty of forms,sizes , and degrees of

e laboration . Th e fibu la are perhaps t h e most impor

tan t of al l t h e ornaments,from t h e fact that d i st inct

types can be c learly recogn i zed , and th e di ffusi on of

tri bes by that means can be traced .

1 Ake rm an, J . Y.

,Remain s of Pagan Saxondom , pp. xv—xv i ,

18 E NGLISH COSTUME

What t h e actual c l othes we re which t h e Anglo

Saxon s wore du ring t h e pagan pe r iod i s a matter upon

which not much re l iable evidence i s avai lable . Frag

ments of texti les have been found in a good many

graves , usual ly adhe r ing to oxid ized or corroded objects

of me tal,or cemen ted to t h e bones or othe r objects by

metal l i c oxides , but anything l ike a comple te garmen t

i s want ing.

Judging from t h e con temporary costume of t h e

Franks (who h ad ove rrun a part of France as t h e

Saxons overran E ngland), w e are able to form an i dea

of what t h e early Anglo-Saxon costume w as , for i t i s

know n that the re w as some resemblance between t h e

dress of t h e two peoples .

A wri ter of th e fifth cen tury , in descri bing th e dress

of some Franks whom h e saw en te r t h e c i ty of Lyons,

i n 470 , says they we re att i red in a close ly-fit t ing body

garmen t,te rm inating above t h e knees , wi th exceedingly

short s leeves , scarce ly cover ing t h e shou lders,and

made of some striped mate r ial not Specified . O ve r th i s

tun i c,for such i t w as , they wore a sagum of green i sh

colou r wi th a scarlet borde r . They we re gi rt wi th a

broad be l t ornamen ted with me tal bosse s or studs , and

wore the i r swords suspended on th e left s ide by a bald ri c

crossing the i r breast . The i r th ighs and legs were

en ti re ly bare , but they h ad laced boots o f undressed

leathe r reach ing to t h e ankles . They h ad a ve ry

st range custom of shaving t h e backs of the i r heads

comple te ly , leaving the i r front hai r to grow to a great

length andpi l ing it on t h e top of the i r heads so as to form

a knot . They al so shaved the i r faces close ly, leaving

ANGLOS AXON’

COMDS

ANGLOS AXON BROOCHES

ANGLO-SAXON COSTUME 19

on ly very smal l whi ske rs . Th e absence of leg-cove r

ings i s an in teresting trace of Roman c iv i l i zation .

Tu rn ing now to t h e Anglo -Saxon costume at th is

t ime,the re i s reason to be l ieve , as w e have just

sai d , that i t bore conside rable marks of simi lari ty to

t h e Frankish . Th e ear l iest Anglo-Saxon MS . in th e

Brit i sh Museum , of clearly ascertained date , i s t h e

beautiful copy of t h e Gospe l s , known as “ Th e Durham

Book,

” having been wri t ten by Eadf rid,Bishop of

Durham,and i l l um inated by h i s successor

,Bishop

E t h elw old, about t h e year 720. Th i s MS . ,however

,

con tains on ly represen tati ons of t h e fou r E vange l i sts ,copied apparen t ly from some of t h epaintings brought

ove r by early m issionaries , and t he refore use less as

ev i dences of Anglo-Saxon costume .

During t h e last cen tu ry of t h e Anglo-Saxon per iod

w e have numerous MS S . ,author i ties on t h e costume of

t h e t i me , and these al l confirm t h e be l ie f that th e

Anglo-Saxon s in E ngland close ly resembled in costume

th e Franks o f France .

Th e sh i rt i s sai d , upon good au thori ty, to have been

a garmen t common ly wo rn by th e Anglo-Saxons as

ear ly as t h e e ight h cen tury , al though i t i s not easi ly d i s

t inguis h ed from t h e short t un ic . I t w as , of cou rse , worn

next th e skin ,and consequen tly w as not usual ly repre

sented in drawings . I t appears to have fit ted more

close ly to t h e body than t h e tun i c,and t h e folds of t h e

s leeve s , from t h e e lbow to t h e wri st , seem to have bee n

much smal le r than they are gene ral ly in t h e tun ic .

Th e mate r ial of which t h e shi rt w as made w as probably

wh i te l inen .

20 E NGLISH COSTUME

Th e tun i c in Anglo-Saxon times w as of two kinds,

viz . t h e short tun i c worn at t imes by al l classe s of

people , and t h e l ong tun i c , which i s gene ral ly under

stood to have been t h e dist ingui shing mark of supe r ior

rank . Th e short tun i c m ay be descri bed as close ly

resembl ing th e mode rn Sh i rt . I t w as apparen t ly put

upon th e body ove r t h e head in th e same manner,and

t h e ape rtu re at t h e top i s sometimes drawn no larger

than bare ly su fficie n t to admi t t h e passing through

of t h e head ; but at othe r t imes i t i s seen open upon

t h e bosom,and adorned with a border . Thi s garmen t

w as some times open from t h e h ipdownwards on e i the r

s ide , and in that form i t seems to have been t h e d is

t inguish ing badge of slave ry or servitude . When t h e

tun i c w as not S l i t at t h e S i des t h e weare r w as a freeman .

Short tun i cs we re un i ve rsal ly worn by al l c lasses of

society , but t h e long tun i c appears to have been worn

by person s of t h e most exal ted rank , and then on lyonstate days or othe r solem n occas ion s .

Th e sleeves of t h e long tun i c we re sometimes loose

and open ,but some times they fitt ed t i ghtly to th e

arms ; but they seem always to have reached to t h e

wri st . Th e garmen t w as bound about t h e wai st wi th

a gi rdle , and descended in l oose , gracefu l fo lds to t h e

feet . I t w as usual ly whi te , probably of l inen , but

sometimes i t w as of di ffe ren t colours .

This supe rtun i c , or su rcoat as i t i s somet imes cal led ,w as worn ove r t h e tun i c by pe rsons of rank . Th e

most importan t garmen t to be noti ced next , howeve r ,i s t h e cloak or mant le , an arti c le of dress worn by both

sexes in all ages . Th e sagum of th e Ancient Bri tons

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2 2 E NGLISH COSTUME

coun t ry . Unfortunate ly for our purpose t h e warr iors

are al l nude , al though on e bears a ci rcu lar shie l d as

a defence against hi s enemies .

Th e costumes of t h e ten th and e leven th cen turies are

admi rably i l lustrated in i l lum inated MS S . of that

pe riod , several good example s of which are in t h e

Bri t i sh Museum .

In Harle ian MS . 2 886 , for exampl e , the re are tw o

warriors rough ly ske tched . O ne i s in t h e act of des

patch ing hi s an tagon ist , a prostrat e and nude m an .

Th e othe r i s engaged i n s laying adragon . In both cases

diamond- shaped spear-heads are empl oyed . In each

case t h e dress is pract ical ly t h e same . I t cons ists of a

short tun ic ext ending to a poin t on ly a l i ttle be low th e

knees and main ly h idden by an ove r-garmen t reach ing

from t h e neck to t h e wai st,with close-fit t ing sleeves

extending quite to t h e wrists and considerably wrinkled

about t h e arms . A n outer man t le of loose charact e r ,and apparently o f moderate ly th ick mate r ial , i s fast ened

ove r t h e r ight shou lde r and hangs down on t h e left side ,whe re i t i s caught up again som ewhat by t h e left arm .

Th e fasten ing of t h e man tle on th e r ight shou lder

i s large and of curi ous shape. I t i s clearly a kind

of me tal brooch , and decidedly larger than one might

conside r necessary . I t m ay be descri bed as of an

obl ong shape , t h e longe r s ides be ing incurved or con

cave . There i s a species of boss or pin in t h e middle .

Th e large s ize and prom inen t characte r of these

brooches recal l t h e ve ry large and e laborate fibu la

of which th e pagan Saxons we re so fond at an earl ie r

pe r iod .

ANGLO -SAXON BEADS

ANGLO-SAXON COSTUME 23

B e low t h e over-garmen t just descr i bed an orna

men tal pouch or scrip i s seen on th e r igh t- hand side

of t h e weare r .

There are one or two strongly marked characte ri stics

of t h e costume of t h e tenth and e leventh centuries ,name ly

, ( 1)t h e hose i s composed of thin mate r ial s , so

that i t fal l s in wrinkles on t h e lowe r part o f th e leg ;

(2)mant les are general ly short and fastened by a more

or less prominen t brooch or buckle ove r t h e r ight

shoulder ; and (3)fighting m en are furn i shed with long

spears .

O n making a compar i son of t h e evidence afforded by

i l luminat ed MS S . as to t h e costume s worn in t h e latte r

part of t h e Anglo-Saxon pe ri od and that furn i shed by

S epu lchral and othe r remains of t h e dress o f t h e earl ie r

Anglo-Saxon period , w e find resemblances on cer tain

points which are decidedly importan t . Both brooche s

and Spear-heads are regularly found in Anglo-Saxon

graves of t h e pagan p er i od . Th e man t le w as doubt less

general ly worn during t h e earl ie r per iod , and w as

fastened by e laborate ly ornamen ted brooches . These

brooche s or fibula are th e most i mportan t and constan t

of t h e metal l i c ornamen ts found amongst Anglo-Saxon

remains ; and from t h e fact that they were frequen t ly

en riched with gi lding and ston es,and we re of large

s i ze , w e m ay infe r that they we re worn as ornamen ts on

an oute r garmen t,whe re they would be constan tly

vi si ble . Th e brooches,when found in graves , are

sometimes in pai rs,usual ly on th e breast

,whe re i t i s

probable they h ad been placed to fas ten t h e man tle in

which t h e dead body w as wrapped when buried .

24 ENGL ISH COSTUME

Th e we l l -known Bri t i sh Museum MS . , Harl . 603,i s of great val ue on account of th e evidence i t furn i shes

for t h e E ngl i sh costume of t h e e leven th cen tu ry , to

which pe r iod and country i t be l ongs . Th e various

garmen ts are coloured in outl ine in such a manner

as to enable one to dist ingui sh qu ite clearly be tween

them . Gene ral ly speaking , w e can gather from th i s

that ( I)t h e legs are bare ; ( 2)t h e chi ef garm en t m aybe descr i bed as a l oose ly fitting

,long- S leeved tun ic ,

cove r ing t h e body from t h e neck on ly to t h e mid- th igh

(3)t h e oute r garment i s a smal l man tle or cape , fastened

by means of a globu lar brooch or button on t h e top

of t h e r ight shou lde r of t h e weare r and fal l ing down

on ly to about t h e e l bow o f t h e l eft arm or a l i tt le

beyond . Some of t h e fight ing m en are furn i shed with

shoes , wrinkled stockings reaching on l y from t h e m id

cal f downwards,and long spears . Th e houses , bed

steads,sh ips

,cups

,vesse l s

,casks

, and many othe r

objects represen ted are of t h e greatest an ti quarian

interest.

Another B ri t i sh Museum MS . of Prudent i us,De

P ugna Vi tioram (Add . MS . gives us some

in te rest ing p ictures of e leven th cen tury fighting m en

wear ing short tun i cs fu rn i shed wi th long , c lose-fit t ing

sleeves and loose ly setting man t les fastened at th e

r ight shou lde r and fal l i ng in fron t a l i tt le be low t h e

wai st and al so over t h e left arm . Th e caps they wear

are distinctly curi ous , fitting round t h e head quite

t ightly l i ke n i ghtcaps and endi ng in curved,horn- l i ke

po in ts , which remind one of th e Phrygian cap or t h e

head-dress worn as typi cal of l i berty , etc. ,at t h e

ANGLO -SAXON COSTUME 2 5

French Revolution ,t h e on ly di ffe rence be ing that

t h e curved poin ts are supported by a vert ical and

apparently st i ff band reaching from t h e forehead to th e

apex of th e cap.

Th e moun ted soldiers are furn i shed with rather e la

borately poin ted spears .

In Jul ius A . v i . (Bri ti sh Museum MS .)w e have an

inte resting ser ies of pen -and- ink drawings i l lustrating

scenes in ru ral E ngl ish l ife . The re i s a curious l i ttle

pictu re for each month,viz

January— plough ing .

Feb ruary— prun ing t rees .

March— digging and rak ing t h e soi l .Apri l— feast ing .

May— tending sheep.

June— fe lling t im be r and cart ing i t aw ay .

July— reaping g rass w i t h scy thes .August— reaping co rn w i th s ick les or hooks harves t

cart

S eptem be r— t ending sw ine .

Octobe r— haw king .

Novem be r— burn ing wood , and bui lding (P).Decem be r— t h re sh ing co rn and tak ing i t aw ay inlarge baske t of pr im it ive charact er.

Throughout these scenes t h e workmen are shown

wearing tun i cs , probably gi rded or be l ted , with no

mantle nor cape nor head-dress , but furn i shed wi th

shoes and short , wrinkled stockings .

Th e beautifu l B en edictional of St . E t h e lw old affords

some val uable evidence as to t h e ten th cen tu ry. A

benedict ional , i t i s perhaps hardly necessary to say ,

i s a book contain ing r it es of benediction be l ieved to

26 ENGLISH COSTUME

have been used by a bishop excl us ive ly during Mass .

I t w as an ancien t custom for th e bi shop, on t h e fraction

o f t h e Host,to bless t h e people in t h e form of praye r

appropriat e to t h e day . Thi s benedict i on , given j ust

be fore t h e bishop h ad commun i cated , w as read from

t h e benedictional .

Th e part icu lar copy known as that of S t . E th e lw old

w as wri t ten by Godemann t h e monk, made abbot of

Thorney abou t 9 70 . I t w as writ ten for St . [E t h e lw old,

who w as Bishopof Winchester from 963 to 984 . Th e

book i s t h e property o f t h e Duke of Devonsh i re,and

w as descri bed and i l lustrated in t h e twen ty-fou rth

volume of A rch aeolog ia.

Th e ri chness of th e i l lum inations of t h e manuscript ,and t h e fact that they were almost ce rtain ly pain ted by

an E ngl i sh arti st,give i t a special val ue as evidence for

th e costume of th e pe r i od .

Th e pre l im inary min iatures in th e MS . represent

con fessors , vi rgins , apost les , etc. ,al l drawn wi th great

ski l l and de l i cacy. Th e drape ries , which are obviously

of th in mate r ial s , hang in gracefu l fo lds to th e feet of

t h e‘

figures of t h e vi rgins , and to t h e ankles in those of

t h e apost les , e tc . I n both sexes t h e robes are loose ly

confined round t h e wai sts by a broad band or gi rd le of

soft,thin mate r ial

,which i s drawn in to fo lds by t h e s l ight

t en sion resul t ing from us e round t h e wai st . Th e robe s

themse l ves are ample,and so large as to requ i re gener

al ly to be he l d up in t h e hand , e i the r r ight or left , or to

be thrown over t h e arm in loose folds .

Pe rhaps th e most inte resting of t h e who le se r ies of

pi ctures i s t h e last , which portrays a bishop in t h e act

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ANGLO -SAXON COSTUME 2 7

of giving t h e benedict ion to t h e people assembled

within a church . Th e bishop , probably in tended as a

represen tation of St . ZE th e lw old himse l f, i s here shown

as wear ing a blue chasuble wi th gold borde r and gold

appare l of t h e amice . Th e stole i s l i kewi se of gold

colou r, whi lst th e dalmati c i s of str iped mate r ial

co loured perpendicu lar ly red,blue

,and whi te . Th e

special poin t for not ice , howeve r , i s t h e th in mate rial

and ample s i ze of t h e chasuble , t h e forme r be ing we l l

indicated by t h e fo lds and creases caused by t h e upl i fted

arm,and th e latte r be ing abundan t ly shown by t h e fact

that t h e chasuble reaches qu i te to t h e wri sts .

O f t h e various scen es represen ted , that showing Our

Lord ’s en try into Je rusalem is Special ly noteworthy on

accoun t,not on ly of t h e costume , but al so for i ts repre

s entat ions of th e gateway and house s of Je rusalem .

Th e detai l s of t h e harness of t h e as s on which our Lord

rides are also we l l shown .

Th e Bodle ian manuscript, common ly known as

Cadm on’

s M etr ical Paraph rase of Scr ipture H is tory , i s

be l ieved to be a work of qu ite t h e end of t h e ten th

century, or possi bly t h e first year or two of th e e leventh

century th e date 1000 i s that to which t h e best auth ori

t ies agree in ass ign ing i t .

Cadm on h as been designated t h e fathe r of E ngl i sh

poetry . H e w as certain ly a most remarkable m an , and

deserves far more attent i on than h e h as h itherto re

ce ived. For th e present pu rpose , howeve r, t h e ch ief

inte rest l ies in th e i l lu strat i ons which depict scene s

in th e fal l of a porti on of t h e ange l ic host, t h e crea

t ion and fal l o f m an ,t h e his tories of Cain and Abe l

,

2 8 E NGLI SH COSTUME

and of th e prophet s , e tc. ,both before and afte r th e

F l ood .

Th e trees and vegetation,which are free ly introduced

into t h e scenes in th e Garden of E den ,are treated

in a semi-conven ti onal , semi-natu ral i sti c style which

affords evidence of great ski l l and arti sti c fee l ing.

Th e garments worn by Adam and E ve afte r t h e

expuls i on from E den are s l ight , and in th e case of

Adam on ly reach to t h e t highs . E ve,howeve r

,wears

a ki rt le- l i ke unde r-garmen t, a gown reach ing be l ow

t h e knees , with fai r ly loose s leeves , and an ample ker

ch ief fal l ing ove r t h e shou lde rs and tu rned back ove r

t h e brow . There i s a touch of de l icate pathos in t h e

scene Adam goes forth as a workman , equ ipped with

spade and baske t for t i l l ing t h e soi l ; and E ve , with

troubled face , fol lows , h er left hand placed near h er

husband ’s arm ,h er r ight hand sti l l grasping one of

t h e apples from th e tree in t h e Garden .

In t h e scenes represen ting th e story of Cain and

Abe l w e find that shoes are worn , and t h e legs are

partial ly covered wi th loose , wrinkled stockings , which

in some cases reach on ly hal f-w ay up to t h e knees .

For d igging t h e soi l th e regular S ingle- shou ldered

Spade i s used .

Th e pictu re s h ow m g Tubal-Cain i s of great value

because i t g ives represen tat i ons of him ( i)playing upon

t h e lyre , ( i i)working as a smi th at t h e anvi l , and ( i i i)ploughing . In addi ti on to t h e great inte rest of having

t h e exact forms of implemen t s in us e in E ngland at t h e

end of t h e ten th cen tury , these three scenes give a

good idea of t h e costumes worn by art ificers and bus

ANGLO -SAXON COSTUME 2 9

bandm en at that peri od . In each case th e ski rt s are

gathe red up round th e wai st so as to avoid t h e pol lu tion

of t h e forge and t h e plough furrow ,and in each case

al so,apparen t ly , a kind of thick leather apron i s worn

to protect th e garmen t s .

CH A PTE R I I I

NORMAN COSTUME

HE chief source of informati on on t h e costume

of Normandy and E ngland a l i tt le before and

a l i tt le afte r th e pe r iod of t h e Norman Conquest

i s to be found i n t h e remarkable piece of n eedlework

known as t h e Bayeux Tapestry . Th e very large num

bers of represen tat i ons of peop le of vari ous ranks , and

perform ing di ffe ren t duti es , would alone serve to give

a special val ue to i t,as t h e tradit ional record of i ts

having been worked by Mat i lda,t h e queen of t h e

Conqueror , gives i t great h i storic inte rest . Moreove r,i t i s apparent , on comparing i t wi th manuscript

sou rces,that i t s detai l s are to a ve ry large exten t

re l iable . O ne str i king pecu l iar i ty about t h e Norman

sold ie rs who accompan ied Wi l l iam w as t h e cur ious

fash ion of shaving t h e back of t h e head as we l l as t h e

hai ry parts of t h e face . Th e custom,which w as of

cons ide rable an t i qu i ty,gave r i se to t h e i dea amongst

t h e E ngl i sh that t h e Duke of Normandy h ad brought

ove r wi th him an army of pr iest s rather than so ld ie rs .

In process of t i me th e Normans began to wear r ich

and flowing garmen ts , and t h e hai r of t h e head and

beard we re al so pe rm i tted to flou ri sh . Th e costume of

t h e actual laboure rs or serfs of th i s period w as , how

30

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32 E NGLISH COSTUME

white mate rial wi th a red l in ing . These tun i cs we re

often open on th e l eft s ide from t h e wai st downwards

so as to expose nearly t h e whole of t h e left leg, whichw as cove red with a c lose-fit t ing garmen t above andwith

banded stockings,or bandages

,be low th e knee . In

at least one i l l uminat ion (Bri t . Mus . MS . ,Cotton . ,

Nero,C

, 4) the re i s a represen tat ion of a stocking

reach ing above t h e knee , where apparen tly i t h as been

Norm an soldie rs w earing m an t les(Bayeux tapest ry)

rol led back . In t h e same figure (which , by t h e w ay,

i s in te nded for Noah with h i s hat che t about to bu i ld

t h e Ark) t h e shoes are ornamen ted by d iagonal l ines

crossing each othe r .

Th e dress of th e Norman ladies represents a deve lop

men t of that of t h e ladi es of t h e Anglo-Saxon peri od .

One of t h e’

fi rst changes i s in t h e appearance of a l ong ,pendulous lappet from t h e under s ide of t h e s leeve

c lose to t h e wri st . Thi s grew somet imes to a length

of more than a yard,and suggests t h e long l i r i p ipe of

NORMAN CO STUME 33

late r times . Th e colours of t h e s leeves , too, gene ral ly

var ied from those of t h e mater ial s of t h e gowns, which

were flowing and ample . Train s were much worn by

Norman ladies , and occas ional ly w e see them shown

as tied up in kn ots . Th e wai sts were we l l cared for

Arm ed and m oun ted fol low e rs o f Duke W i l l iam (Wi l l iam t h e Conque ror)(From t h e Bayeux tapes try)

and kept in proper shape by means of lacing . Th e

hai r w as al lowed to grow very l ong and w as plai ted .

Th e earl iest Norman kings , as shown by t h e great

seal s , wore a tun i c reaching be low t h e knees , and a

mantle fastened by means of a brooch on t h e fron t of

t h e r ight shoulder . Th e swords and orbs surmounted

by th e cross, which they al so carry, are hard ly parts of

the i r costume .

Th e vestments worn by Archbishop S t igand ( 1052

D

34 E NGLISH COSTUME

as shown in t h e Bayeux Tapestry , are remarkable

for the i r comparat i ve ly plain character,and t h e front of

t h e chasuble i s curi ous ly short .

Th e typi cal Norman soldie r wore a hauberk, or

mi l i tary tun i c of chain mai l,which fitted t h e body

close ly , and w as s l i t a l i tt le w ay up in fron t and

behind for t h e conven ience of r iding . Meyrick,in

refe rr ing to th i s garment , gives t h e fo l lowing explana

t i on

It appears to h ave been put on by fi rs t d rawing i t on t h e

t h ighs , whe re i t s it s wide , and t hen put t ing th e arm s in tot h e s leeve s , w h ich hang loose ly , reach ing not m uch abovet h e e lbow , as w as t h e case w ith t h e Saxon flat - ringed tun ic .

Th e hood at tached to i t w as then b rough t upove r t h e head ,and t h e Open ing on t h e chest cove red by a square piece ,t h rough w h ich w e re passed s t raps t hat fas t ened beh ind ,hang ing dow n w i th tasse lled t e rm inat ion s , as did also t h e

s t rapw h ich drew t h e hood , or capuchon ,as i t w as called

,

t igh t round t h e forehead. Th e legs we re prot ect ed by ringedm ai l

,and t h e head by a con ical he lm e t w i th w e ll-deve loped

nose-guard.

An inte rest ing episode re lating to t h e dress

worn by Thomas a Becket , before h e accepted t h e

primacy,i s recorded by Wi l l iam F i tz-Stephen as

fol lows

H e (Thom as aBecket)w as s i t t ing one day at t h e [gam e

of ] E xcheque r , dressed in a cape wi th s leeves . Arch et inus ,

Prior of Le ices te r , cam e to s ee h im , com ing from t h e K ing’s

Cou rt , w h o w as in Gascony at that t im e, w h o speak ing to

h im free ly, re lying on t hei r fam i liar i ty , said to h im ,

“ Whydo w e us e a cape w ith s leeves ? That dres s be longs m ore

to those w h o car ry haw ks ; but you are an ecc les ias t ical

NORMAN COSTUME 35

pe rson , one in s ingulari ty , but seve ral in dign i ty : Archdeacon

,of Cant erbury , Dean of Has t ings , Provos t of Beve r

ley , a Canon h e re and the re , an A rch iepiscopal proctor, and,

as rum our very frequen t ly is cur rent at Cour t , you w i ll beA rchb ishop.

”

C H A PTE R I V

TH IRTEENTH CENTURY CO STUME

H IRTEENTH centu ry costume i s remarkable for

i ts s impl i c i ty and grace . Thi s i s due , perhaps ,to t h e use of fin e and gracefu l ly fal l ing mate r ial s

qu i te as much as to s impl ic ity of fash ion . Such orna

men ts as orphreys or appl ied en ri chm en t were used

more spar ingly , but t h e actual fabri cs were probably of

more cost ly character than before . Someth ing of t h e

beauty of existing represen tat ion s of th i rteen th century

garmen ts i s unquest i onably due to th e good taste and

de l i cate t reatm en t of th e art i sts of t h e peri od ; but an

age that produced such good art i sts could hard ly fai l to

produce al so good costum e make rs ; and t h e hands

which we re capable of producing such beauti fu l pic

tures of cl inging folds were ce rtain ly able to produce

and appreciate th e o riginal garments .

That th i s refinemen t i s due to a fore ign (probably

French) influence , no one who h as stud ied t h e art of

t h e two kingdoms can doubt . Th e min iatu res show a

species of ski l l in t h e de l ineat ion of th e featu res,th e

drawing of t h e hai r and beard , and in t h e gene ral

treatmen t , which came almost certain ly from France .

O ne of th e i mportant sources of informat ion as to

th e civi l and mi l i tary costume of E ngland during th e

36

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TH IRTEENTH CENTURY COSTUME 37

earl ie r hal f of t h e th i rteenth centu ry i s Vi tce claornm

Ofiaram , a manuscript work gene ral ly attr i buted to

Matthew Pari s . Th e manuscri pt, which i s now in t h e

Bri ti sh Museum (Cott . MS .,Ne ro , D ,

i s embe l l i shed

wi th a number of m in iatu re s depi ct ing scenes in th e

l i ves of O ffa I and Offa I I . They are be l ieved by

Knights in chain-m ai l fight ing (thi rt eenth cen tury)(From t h e Li ves of th e Tw o Ofi

’

as)

some authori ties to have been actual ly drawn by

Mat thew Pari s , al though doubts have been thrown

both on thi s poin t and on t h e authorship of t h e

text . 1

Many of t h e pi ctures from t h e manuscript have been

publ i shed i n outl ine i n S trut t’

s Mann ers,Cus tom s

,

A rm s,H abi ts

,etc. ,

of th e I nh abitan ts of E ngland,

1 S ee art ic le on Mat thew Paris in t h e D ict ionary of Nat ional B io

g raph y .

38 ENGLISH COSTUME

Vol . I . They are s imply invaluable for our present purpose . O ne of t h e stri king th ings they

teach i s t h e simpl i c i ty and s im i lari ty of E ngl i sh

costume at th i s peri od . As Mr. Oswal d Barron,

P . S .A . (Th e A nces tor, V . 100)h as pointed out , kings ,

l ords , churchmen , and m en of condi t ion wear long

Sw eyn slain by Ofi'

a. (From a thi rteen th century MS . , t h e

L i ves of th e Tw o Ofi’

as)

gowns to t h e fee t , ornamen ted for great folk wi th

orphreys or bands of embroidery at t h e neck,which

i s cut somewhat low . Th e first ser ies Shows a fash ionof s leeve with wide ends cut off at t h e mid- forearm

,

and showing t h e tight s leeve of a smock or other

garment be low. Some of t h e late p ictures Show th e

s leeves ending at t h e wrists . A notable point aboutal l t h e s leeves Shown in thi s manuscript i s that th euppe r part in eve ry case i s cut wide ly

, and h as a

EFF IGY OF K I NG JOHN . WORCESTER CATHEDRAL

TH IRTEENTH CE NTURY CO STUME 39

cur i ously large armhole , reach i ng in some cases

almost to t h e wai st. Ove r th i s gown i s worn an

ample cloak,which some times bears a hood , fastened

at t h e n eck wi th a brooch or band .

Th e dress of t h e common fol k and of m en of rank

O ffa I I crow ned king of t h e Me rcians. (From a

thi rteenth cen tury MS .)

when active ly employed i s a l i ke gown or coat ending

at t h e knee , wi th which i s worn a shorte r cloak al so to

t h e knee . Th e be l ts or gi rd les which gi rd t h e coat s

and gowns at t h e kn ee appear as plain thongs ; they

give no indication of t h e r i ch buckle s and heavy bosses

which soon afterwards came in to fash ion .

40 ENGLISH COSTUME

Th e head-dresses are we l l worthy of careful atten

t ion . They compr i se caps , hats , hoods , and coifs .

Th e hood cover ing head and neck i s not shown as

worn over t h e head except in t h e case of t h e humble r

fo l k . Th e common headgear in warfare i s th e co i f

of mai l . Barre l he lms,and i ron caps fitted with

nose-guards of t h e anc ien t fash ion,are al so found .

E xcept for t h e head-pieces no plates appear beyond

greaves , or bainbergs and smal l knee-caps .

I t i s worthy of remark that th e ord inary dress of t h e

churchmen w as t h e same as that of th e laymen , except

for the i r cu ri ous caps .

Seve ral i mportan t detai ls of m i l i tary costume or

armour are given in some of t h e scenes . Chain

mai l encases t h e en t i re bodies of t h e warr i ors , but

knee-caps and greaves are worn . In one interesting

example (here figured)a kn ight , who h as been struck

in t h e neck by a spear,wears a mask of plate strength

e ned and ornamen ted wi th a cross boutonnée . The re

i s no i ron cap on th e kn ight’s head in th i s case , al

though i n othe rs such head-defences , and sometimes

furn i shed with nose-guards,are depi cted . Othe r kinds

of i ron caps are con ical i n form ,with a more or less

deve loped poin t at t h e top .

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EFF IGY OF K I NG EDWARD I I

CH A PTE R V

FOURTE ENTH CENTURY COSTUME

HE re ign of E dward I I,which began qu i te ear ly

in th e fourteenth cen tury w as a peri od

of great extravagan ce in dress . E dward I I

h imse l f w as noted for h i s l uxuriousness in th i s respect ,and h i s favouri tes about t h e Court we re effeminat e and

dissipated . I t w as in t h e Royal Cou rt of E ngland ,durihg th i s monarch

’s twenty years ’ re ign , that many

of t h e fantasti c and nove l fash ion s in dress , for which

t h e fourteen th cen tu ry became famous , were in t ro

duced. At fi rst confined to t h e Court c i rcle , t h e

fash ions in time grew into popular i ty al l ove r th e land .

Fai rh ol t,in Cos tum e in E ng land, remarks that t h e

appare l of E dward I I , as represen ted in t h e sepu lchral

e ffigy at Gloucester , disp lays none of t h e l uxurious

ness for which that monarch w as famous ; but thi s

seems hardly remarkable when i t i s remembered that

t h e King is represented , not in th e gay atti re of eve ry

day l i fe , but in hi s coronation robes , which from the i r

official and sacred character could not be expected to

reflect t h e fol l ies and fash ions of th e t ime .

Whateve r m ay be t h e evidence of sepu lchral e ffig ies

as to t h e plainness of t h e dress of ce rtain distingui shed

individual s,there i s no poss i bi l i ty of m istaki ng t h e

4 1

4 2 E NGLISH COSTUME

evidence of t h e e ffig ies and monumental brasses of

humbler fol k. Of thi s kind of i l lustrat i on of E ngl i sh

costume our old churche s affo rd much that i s of t h e

greatest value . I t i s,perhaps , i mpossi ble to find

a more pleasing occupat ion ,for such as are keen ly

inte rested in costume , than th e col lect ing of evidence ,in t h e form of rubbings

,photographs , or drawings ,

of t h e var ious garments worn by m en and women of

di fferen t stati ons of l i fe,or engaged in t rade , e tc .

Thi s i s, perhaps , part i cu larly true of t h e fourteen th

cen tu ry because of t h e great beauty and mer i t of t h e

figures , whethe r engraved on plates of me tal , in t h e

form fami l iarly known as monum en tal b rasses , or in

t h e round,in th e shape of sepu lchral e ffigies . More

ove r , it w as t h e custom to repre se nt costume of th i s

pe ri od wi th great preci s i on and vigour .

Fortunate ly, th e evidence for fou rteen th cen tu ry

costume i s not confined to e ffigies . We have i l lum i

nated manuscripts and ve rbal descr ipti ons as we l l as

l i terary refe rences .

Wil l iam of Malmesbury , t h e chron i cler , te l l s us that,at t h e beginn ing of t h e fourteen th cen tu ry ,

“ The

esqui re endeavou red to outshine t h e kn ight , t h e kn ight

t h e baron,t h e baron t h e earl , t h e earl t h e King him

se lf, in th e r i chness of h i s appare l .”

The re we re two great changes in t h e costume of t h e

fourteenth century in troduced as innovati ons , and not

pecul iar to E ngland , but common to t h e con tinen t of

E urope . These we re ( i) t h e in troduct i on of part i

coloured dress , and ( i i)t h e custom of wear ing lappets

hanging from t h e e l bows . Planché, in his Cy clopcea’ia

FOURTEENTH CE NTURY COSTUME 43

of Cos tum e, regards these two new fash ions as char

acteris t ic of fourteent h cen tury costume .

Th e use of part i- colours in dress i s attr i bu ted to t h e

increasing popu lari ty of heral dry at t hi s period , and

th e very natural custom of se rvan ts and retainers

be ing fu rn i shed wi th clothes of t h e herald ic colours

o f the i r maste rs seems to have been very gene ral ly

fol lowed as a popu lar custom,without any spec ial

s ign ificance be ing intended .

Th e cote-hardie , or close-fit t ing tun i c reaching to

t h e middle , and fu rn i shed wi th t ight s leeves , m ay be

said to be a characteri sti c fourteen th centu ry garmen t .

Ove r i t w as worn by th e weal thy a broad , jewe l led

gi rdle with dagge r and pouch . Thi s gi rd le appearsto rest on t h e h ips , but in real i ty i t w as attached by

means of hooks to t h e tun i c . Shoes and l ong , parti

coloured hose cove red th e feet and legs .

I t wi l l be conve n i en t at th i s point , before proceeding

to cons ide r t h e general costume of t h e people , to

glance at some of t h e contemporary sources of in

formati on,beginn ing with some good examples of

fourteen th centu ry i l luminat ion s in manuscripts .

Some importan t examples of th e fourteen th centu ry

costumes of se rvan ts,both domest i c and agricu l tural

,

are to be found in t h e Lout trel l Psal te r , an i l luminated

manuscr ipt, executed for S i r Geoffrey Lout tre l l , kn ight ,about t h e year I 330. Th e great value of these pi ctures

i s that , in addi t ion to som e represen t i ng tumble rs ,j uggle rs

,etc . ,

in t h e main they depi ct t h e occupat ions

of cooking and serving up join ts for t h e table , al so

ploughing , sowing , harrowing , weedi ng , reaping ,

44 E NGLISH COSTUME

t hresh ing , corn -grinding,sp inn ing , archery , and a

numbe r of other games,in which t h e m en and women

are c lad in atti re which i s obvi ously t h e regular dress

of t h e per iod .

Th e great var ie ty of head-dress represen ted i s one

of t h e featu res of t h e manuscript , and, al though there

are many garmen ts upon which i t furn i shes valuable

informat i on , th e head-cover ings are pe rhaps t h e most

prominen t and var ied . Indeed t h e Lout t rel l Psal ter

gi ves us a perfect epi tome of t h e dre ss worn by th e

working classes of E ngland during t h e ear l ie r hal f of

t h e fourteen th cen tu ry . Most of t h e authori t ies on

m ediaval dress give detai l s of fine and sumptuous

garm en t s on ly,such as wou ld be worn by royal and

n oble personages ; t h e importance of a storehouse of

fact s re lat ing to t h e dress of t h e l ower orde rs , such as

th i s , i s therefore , of course , ve ry great .

In t h e accompanying reproduct ions of portions of

t h e manuscript s are shown

( i)A labouri ng m an andwoman engaged in breaking

up clods of soi l by means of long-handled mal lets .

Th e m an wears a gi rdled tun i c , a head-dress e nve loping th e head and neck , and fal l ing in a ki nd of l i ripipe

behind , and boots wi th leggings , probably in t h e form

of bandages,reach ing hal f-w ay be tween t h e foot and

t h e knee . Th e woman h as a simple gown ,ornam ental

be l t, apron ,and head-dress much l ike t h e m an . Ne i the r

wear gloves .

( i i) A ploughman and hi s “ mate e ngaged in

ploughing with a team of oxen . Th e ploughman

wears a head-dress s imi lar to t h e labou re r just descri bed ,

BREAK I NG CLODS OF EARTH WITH M ALLETS

PLOUGH INGRURAL COSTUME , FROM TH E LOUTERE L I , PSALTER

(FOURTEENTH CENTURY)

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46 E NGLISH COSTUME

vi s i b le parts ; and (3)a hood cove r ing t h e shoulde rs ,attached to which i s a cape or tippet . Th e legs

,i t

m ay be added,are clothed in tight hose

,and th e fee t

are protected by Shoes . Shoes during th i s cen tu ry , i t

m ay be remarked , were usual l y laced up at t h e s ides ,or fastened across t h e in step.

A Brit i sh Museum manuscr i pt whi ch i l lustrates t h e

subject of E ngl i sh costume in th e early part of t h e

fourteenth cen tury i s that known as Roy al M S . ,

19 B , xv. ,contai n i ng t h e Apocalypse of St. J ohn

written in t h e F rench language , but t h e min iature s

as we l l as th e cal igraphy are t h e work of E ngl i sh

hands .

Thi s manuscrip t shows that t h e c ivi l costume of th e

per iod w as decidedly s imple , th e gowns fal l ing in

gracefu l l ines to th e ankles without gi rd les , and t h e

hats composed of soft mater ial s , and so made as to be

comfortable to th e head . Th e necks of t h e gowns and

coats are cut somewhat low. In one pictu re of a lady

w e have awhite wimple and ke rchief, t h e latter arranged

on t h e head so that one end fal l s ove r and hangs down

from t h e left-hand side of t h e head in a w ay suggesti ve

of t h e l i r ip ipe of later t imes . Some of t h e m en wear

con ical caps of wh i te colour wi th a green tu rned-upbrim . Th e soft material of which t h e pointed cen tre

of th e caps i s composed i s we l l indicated , and suggests

s im i lar head-dresses worn by t h e peasan try which

afte rwards deve l oped into l i r i p ipes , which are so we l l

i l lustrated in t h e i l luminations of t h e Lout t rel l Psal te r .

As far as mi l itary costume i s conce rned , th e manuscr ipt

shows us few startl ing nove l t ies . General ly hauberks

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48 ENGLISH COSTUME

about fifty years . As Mr. O swal d Barron h as pointed

out in Th e A nces tor -1

Fas t ened by laces and tags to th e back or s ide of t h e

shoulde r , t hey fi lled seve ral use s . They helped to cove r t h ew eak spot at t h e armpi t w h ich th e kn igh t w h o would us e h i sarm s freely m ust pe rfo rce have i l l protect ed . L ike t h e h ighridged plates of a lat e r pe riod , they offe red som e defenceagain s t a sw eeping sw o rd b low at t h e neck , and, above all ,t hey offe red a new fie ld for t h e work of t h e arm s -pain t e r.We re they not som e t im es found unem b lazoned th i s las treason m igh t have been pres sed as t h e m ain argIIm en t for

t he i r us e . That t he i r ado rnm en t w as som et im e s of th e

r iches t is shown by t h e inven to ry of t h e goods of t h e

w retched P ie r s de Gavas ton , w h o ow ned alet tes garn ishedand fre t ted w i th pearls . The i r shape is usually square or

ob long , but t h e round and othe r shapes have been noted.

Most of th e kn ights in th i s manuscript are shown

armed from head to foot in mai l , not in plate armour .

The i r head defences are general ly of round ,‘ bas in

shaped form ,and some wear th e great he lm , strength

ened by bars and stays , and with a high poin ted top.

The re are no instances of crests worn on t h e he lms .

Tw o kn i ghts are furn i shed with t h e latest fash ion i n

head- pieces , a basc inet wi th a movable vi zor,w hich

i s represen ted as pushed back over t h e crown of th e

bascinet .

Th e Soci ety of An ti quaries of London possesses,amongst many othe r pictures of great val ue for th e

student Of E ngl i sh costume , a ser i es of four pain t ings

on tw o wooden pane l s represent ing scenes in t h e l i fe of

1 Vol. VI I I , p. 146.

SECOND MARR IAGE OF ST. ETH ELDREDA (ST. AUDRY)TO THE K I NG OF

NORTHUMBR IA(LATE FOURTEENTH CENTURY COSTU M E)

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ST . ETHE LDREDAI N MONAST IC GOWN AND CROWN

(LATE FOU RTEENTH CENTURY COSTU M E)

FOURTEE NTH CENTURY COSTUME 49

St. E t h eldreda. Th e paint ings , which are executed

with great sp i ri t i n oi l co lours with a charm ing back

ground of patte rned gesso-work , are .probably of t h e

end of t h e fourteen th centu ry . They are tradi t i onal ly

stated to have be longed to E ly Cathedral , whe re they

probably served as t h e doors of an aumbry or cup

board . S t . E th e ldreda, of course , w as a loCal sain t .

S h e h ad a‘conven t on t h e very s i te afte rwards occu

pied by E ly Cathedral . Th i s w as destroyed by t h e

Northmen,and t h e body of t h e sain t w as translated

from th e old Saxon to t h e n ew bu i ld ing , fin i shed by

Abbot Richard ear ly in t h e twe l fth century . A ser ie s

of pain tings represen t ing scenes in t h e strange l i fe

h istory of E th e ldreda, pain ted for us e in E ly Cathedral ,m ay probably have special s ign ificance ; and i f th e

pane l s were not used to enclose h er actual re l i cs,they

m ay have been in tended as doors for securing clothing

or other souven i rs of th e Saxon queen .

Whateve r m ay have been t h e use of these painted

doors,there can be no quest ion as to t h e beauty of t h e

pictures and t h e h igh degree of in terest they have for

our present purpose .

In t h e left -hand uppe r p ic tu re w e have a representa

t ion o f t h e second formal marr iage of St . E th e ldreda

to n rid,King of Northumbria. Ten persons appear

In t h e pi cture , of whom t h e King and Queen and

offic iating bishopare t h e most importan t . Th e King

wears a gi rded robe of baudekin ,ove r which i s a dark

man t le,l ined , edged

,and caped with e rm ine . H e i s

attended by a noble dressed in a simi lar robe and

wear ing a red mant le with e rm ine l in ing and cape .

50 E NGLISH COSTUME

Th e next subject, to t h e r ight of t h e above , consi sts

of a groupof s ix figures . Th e King h as a long scarle t

robe wi th a large pouch hanging from hi s gi rd le . Th e

Que en (S t . E t h e ldreda), who sti l l wears h er crown ,h as

assumed a monast i c garb,cons i sting of a black man t le

or robe , l ined and edged wi th e rm ine,possi bly a

wimple , and a ke rchief or ve i l over h er head . S h e i s

eviden tly about to re ti re to t h e abbey of Cold ingham .

Th e ladies who attend h e r wear tu rban - l i ke head

dresses , but the i r robes are not of a monast ic characte r .

In t h e th i rd pi cture St . E t h e ldreda, in monasti c dress ,crowned , and carrying a book in t h e r ight hand

,i s

inspect ing t h e bui lding of t h e church at E ly . Mason'

s,

in canvas or leather aprons , are busy squar ing,

Shapi ng,and sett ing t h e blocks of stone . Mortar for

t h e pu rpose i s con tained in shal low ,bow- l i ke vesse l s

,

and t h e several too l s they are using,which are we l l

shown ,compr i se hamme r or adze , set - square , cal l ipe rs

or compasses , and axe .

Th e fourth and last pictu re represents t h e t rans la

t ion in 695 of t h e incorrupt body of t h e sain t , vested

as before . Four nuns care fu l ly place th e body in th e

Roman sarcophagus . A bishop (possi bly int ended as

a portrai t of Archbi shop Chiche ley), vested in -a m ag

n ificent chasuble of baudekin ,with an attendan t priest

carrying hi s staff, officiates or d i rect s .

Th e translat ion of St . E t h e ldreda ( 17th October)i s an

interesting day in many respects . Forme rly i t w as

t h e custom to ce lebrate i t by a fai r at which cheapfancy objects were off ered for sale to country people .

Th e day of th i s fai r came , by a simple process of

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THE TRANSLAT ION OF ST . ETH E LDREDA

(LATE FOURTE E RTH CEN ’

I URY COSTU M E)

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52 E NGLISH COSTUME

how ve ry eas i ly t h e var i ous garment s fal l . Th e ve i l

ove r t h e head,t h e flowing mant le , and t h e de l i cat e

fo lds of t h e gown al l indicate that th i n and probably

rich mate r ial s we re at this t ime used in making gar

men t s for ladies ’ wear .

Th e style and shape of t h e armour and ornamen ts

worn by Si r John Greke are ce rtain ly not less refined .

I t i s an admi rable instance o f t h e cyclas per iod o f

armou r , and close ly resembles i n type t h e e ffigy to t h e

second Si r John d’

Aubernoun .

CHA PTE R V I

FIFTEENTH CENTURY COSTUME

N some respects the re w as l i tt le change in t h e

costume of t h e fourteen th and

fiftee n th cen tu ries in E ngland .

Now,as he retofore , social status or

rank and age we re indicated by

greate r length of garments .

Th e ch ief advance in fash ion i s to

be found , as might be expected ,amongst t h e weal thie r classes , and

towards th e end of t h e cen tu ry .

Pe rhaps t h e chief change obse rvable

in t h e costume of t h e t i me i s t h e

open ing out of t h e fron t of t h e sur

coat , t h e resu lt be ing that t h e double t

beneath i s shown .

Th e mant le w as worn fastened ove r

t h e r ight shoulde r , as m ay be seen

in t h e e ffigy (he re shown)of R i chard

Martyn,1402 , which i s taken from a

monumen tal brass at Dartford . Th e

special point of int erest i s that h e i sRichard Martyn ,shown wear i ng t h e mant le fastened by

1402 . C ivi l ian w ean

three but tons ove r t h e r ight Shou lde r . ing t h e m ant le fastened ove r t h e rightshoulde r (Dart ford ,

be i ng worn as part of t h e ord i nary Kent)

53

This i s an i nstance of t h e mantle

54 ENGLISH COSTUME

costume of a wealthy m an , and i t i s worthy of

note that th i s w as one of t h e character i stics of th e

costume of qui te t h e ear ly part of t h e fifteen th

cen tu ry.

An i mportan t picture , from th e point of V iew of

costume,i s t h e port rai t of Margaret of York, th i rd

wife of Charles t h e Bold of Burgundy and si ster of

King E dward IV of E ngland,which be longs to th e

Socie ty o f An ti quaries of London . Margare t w as th e

daughte r o f Richard Duke of York,and Ceci ly Nevi le ,

daughte r of t h e Earl of Westmorland . S h e marr ied

t h e last Duke of Burgundy of th e French l ine in

1468 , and t h e p ictu re i s be l ieved to have been pain ted

abou t that pe r i od . Th e figure , which i s l i fe-s ize ,includes on ly t h e head and shou lde rs of t h e lady .

On h er head i s a tal l,poin ted , black head-dress , which

i s partly cove red by a gauze ve i l , one end of which fal l s

on to t h e r ight Shou lde r . Th e lady ’s hai r i s enti re ly

concealed by t his head -dress

Th e dress i s composed of a mate rial , poss i bly

ve lvet , o f orange- red colour , and h as a brown edging

fol lowing t h e hori zon tal ly- cut fron t across t h e bosom .

Round t h e neck i s a r ich broad band or col lar o f

gold,ornamen ted at regular in te rval s by rows of

pearl s arranged i n double and t r ip le rows . From

th i s co l lar a large jewe l i s suspended on t h e

breast . A gold chain composed of large oblong

l inks al so hangs round t h e n eck . There are no ear

r ings .

Th e picture,which i s in eve ry w ay a remarkable

piece of work , i s be l ieved to have been painted by

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F IFTEENTH CENTURY COSTUME 55

Hugo van der Goes , a F lemish arti st , born at Ghen t ,w h o appears to have been employed upon t h e

publ i c decorati ons for Margare t’s wedding .

Th e monumen tal brasses and

othe r sepulchral e ffig ies , which

i l l ustrate t h e costume of thi s

per iod , are at once nume rous and

of great importance on accoun t

of the i r accuracy,

espec ial ly in

matte rs of detai l . Othe r most

usefu l sou rces of informat i on on

t h e subject are to be found in

i l lum inated MS S . and mural

pain t ings .

E ffigies in t h e round , such as

those of S i r John Ch ydioke , 1455,

at Chri stchurch,Hampshi re , and

John Beaufort , Duke of Somer

set (d. at Wimborne M i n

ster, Dorset , are admi rable ex

amples of t h e costume of t h e

period and many othe rs exi st i n

diffe ren t E ng l i sh churches .

One of t h e disappoin tments

about al l t hese arch a olog ical

“ docum en ts,howeve r , i s t hat

they afford l i tt le , i f any , clue as

to t h e mate r ial s employed in th e costume , and on ly

partial ly so as to colour .

I t i s fortunate,the refore , that t h e written records

of t h e clothe s of th e per iod , prese rved in wi l ls and

Robe rt Ske rn , 1437.

C iv i l ian ’s costum e

56 E NGLISH COSTUME

inventories,give us preci se ly t h e knowledge w e requi re

on these tw o poin ts .

Some important info rmation i s contained i n t h e

wi l ls of t h e fi rst hal f of t h e fifteen th cen tury. Not

on ly are t h e garments t hemse lves referred to in

preci se te rms so as to c learly i ndicate t h e parti cu lar

ones in tended,but t h e fact that they are referred to

at al l in t h e testamen tary docum en ts as individual

p ieces of cloth ing i s s ign ifican t,

and affords a

clear indication of t h e great val ue placed upon

them .

Th e fol lowing are s ome noteworthy bequests of

c loth ing , arranged unde r t h e date of probate , ex

tracted from wi l ls in t h e Court of Probate , London

14 10. Robe rt Aueray leave s to Wi lliam Bege lon a

g rene Gow ne and a boyd percyd w yth Ray , of t h e Co rdyw ynerys leveray.

14 18 . Thom as Tuoky , e squi re , bequeathed“a gow n of

b lew w o rst ed fur red w i t protes and pol le s o f Mart rons ;A lso a gow ne of g ray russe t fur red w i th Ione t is and w y ldeCat is ; also a gow ne of g rene frese , in w ard , &c . , and

fu rred wi th b lak Lam be ; also in w ard , &c . , a furre of beve rand ote r m edled ; also a He w k of g rene and othe r m e l ly

parted also a Doubeled of de fence cove red w i th red le th er

also a Cloke of B lake russe t ; A lso aDobelet cove redw i th B lak got e Le th er.

14 1 7— 1 4 18 . S t ephen Thom as , of Lee , E s sex, in a

codici l draw n up at Rouen ,bequeat hed “

m y Russe t

gow en that I w e red and’

m y b lac houd, and a nold [anold] bas s ene t .

14 1 9— 14 20 . John Rogerys s on ,

of London , bequeathedto t h e sam e Robe rd m y E lew e gow ne and m y hode o f

Rede and B lak ; And to Thom as Pykot m y w h i t Ray

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58 E NGLISH COSTUME

1433. John Barnet , d rape r , of London .

“ My sanguyn

goune to be sold and do for m y soule .

”

1434 . Margare t e As s h com be , w idow , of London . I

beque t h e to th e w yf of Wi lliam Hoton m y cosyn ,a ryng of

gold w i t h a c rucifix aboune,also y be-que the to Clem ens , t h e

w om an that kepes m e , a gow ne of Mus terdevylers and a

kyrt ell of m us terdevylers w i th g rene s leve s , and an hode of

b lak of lure, and an h od of blew e .

”

1436 . Richard Bokeland,e squi re

,of A ll Hallow s th e G reat ,

Tham es S t ree t , London . Allso I w ol t hat Thom as Rothew e ll have m yn Prym our and m yn purple goune furred w i thm art rons . Allso I w ol t hat Iohn Me lbourne have m y scarle t

goune fur red w i th m artrouns .

”

1438 . Richard D ixton,e squi re

,of Ci rences t e r , Glouster

sh i re .

“ I tem to John Mody a gow ne of g rene Dam aske lyned,and a nothe r gow n e o f Russe t furred w ith b lak .

”

1442 . John Wyn te r , esqui re .

“ A lso to He r ry Perreura new gow ne of Rus se t fu rred w i th b lak lam be and a

lyned gow ne of rus se t of m y m ais t re Fas tolf l iverey.

In t h e wi l l of Joan Cande l l ,1

1479 , w e find be

queath ed,

To Isabe ll Hynde ley m y bes t kirt i ll of violet . To E lizabe th Was s e lyn a gow n of th e colour of b lak . To E l izabe thForm an a hal ling (hang ing for w alls of t h e hal l)of g rene ,e tc . To Jane t Gum by a s ingle gow n of m ur ray , e tc .

Th e wi l l of I sabe l Grims ton,

2o f Flyn ton ,

1479 , be

queat h s ,

To m y daugh ter, E l is Grym s ton ,m y furd gow n

,a rede

girdill barnes t wi th s i lver and gi lted, m y b lak g irdi ll s i lve r

1 Tes tam en ta E boracen s ia, Vol . I I I , p. 246.

2 0p. ci t , Vol. I I I , p. 2 53.

EFF IG IES OF S IR THOMAS ARDERNE (C IRCA ANDMAT ILDA , H IS WI FE , I N ELFORD CHURCH

STAFFORDSH IRE

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60 E NGLISH COSTUME

s o y”m y w yff have t h e kepyng yrof during h i r lyff b e rying

h i t to ye ch irch in th e said fe s t s .

I sabe l la Longem an ,widow

,in 152 1 , bequeathed to

t h e church of Al lhal lows , Hoo ,

Th e cove rle t t hat l ieth ove r m e w hen I am borne to

ch urch e .

SUMPTUARY LAWS

Th e S tatu t es of t h e Realm of E ngland con tain many

most in teresting Act s which were passed with a V iew to

regulat ing t h e wearing of expens ive and fine garmen ts

and pe rsonal ornamen ts .

In t h e e leven th year of Edward I I ( 1337 for

exampl e,an Act w as brought i n to force prov id ing that

no one Should wear fur upon h is c lothes , except ing t h e

royal ty,nobi l i ty , “

and people o f Holy Church ” w h o

spen t at least a hundred pounds a year of the i r benefice .

Th e penal ty imposed on those of l owe r posi t i on w h o

wore fu r w as forfe i ture of t h e proh i bi ted art i c le,and

such furthe r pun i shmen t as t h e Ki ng might s ee fit to

di rect .

An Act of t h e th i r ty - seven th year of E dward I I I

( 1363— 1364)made i t un lawful for handicraft sm en and

yeomen to wear clothes of a higher value than forty

sh i l l i ngs th e whole cl oth ; and cloth of S i lk , cloth of

s i lve r,gi rdles

,r ings , garters , ouches

,r i bbands and

chai ns,and other arti cles of gold we re al so prohi bi ted .

King E dward IV,in t h e th i rd year o f h is re i gn

( 1463 Chapter V, passed an Act deal ing wi th t h e

wearing of excessi ve appare l,and proh ibi t i ng i t on th e

ground that i t w as“to t h e great Displeasure of God

,

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62 E NGLISH COSTUME

not al lowed to us e or wear in Array forhis Body , anyBo l sters nor stuffing of Wool

,Cotton

,nor Cadas , nor

any stu ffing in hi s Double t , but on ly Lin ing according

to t h e same .

Again , t h e length of gow ns,jackets

,and cl oaks w as

t h e subject of preci se regulations . Thus no kn ight

under t h e estate of a lord , no esqu i re , nor gen tleman ,

nor any other person ,w as perm itted to wear a gown ,

jacke t,or coat un less i t w as long enough to cove r t h e

uppe r part of t h e th igh . S e rvants in husbandry ,labourers , etc . ,

were not al lowed to array themse lves in

cloth if th e pr ice the reof exceeded tw o shi l l ings t h e

broad yard .

In t h e twen ty-second year of E dward IV ( 148 2

Cap. 1, t h e regulat ions touching appare l we re made more

str ingent . Cloth of gold and si l k of purple colou r

we re prohi bited to al l except t h e King, t h e Queen , t h e

King’s mothe r,t h e King’s chi ldren

,and t h e K ing ’s

brothe rs and s i sters . No one unde r t h e estat e of a duke

might wear gold of t issue , and no m an lowe r than a

lord m ight wear p lain c loth of gold . Doublets or

gowns tr immed wi th ve lve t we re l im i ted to those of or

above t h e rank of kn ight ; and damask or satten in

t h e gown were l im ited to esqu i res of t h e King ’s body .

Damask, sateen , and gown s of chamlet we re rese rved

for those who we re of t h e degree of esqui res or

gentlemen .

In t h e fi rst year of Hen ry V I I I ’S re ign ( 1509An Act agayns t wear ing of costly Apparre l l

”w as

passed , in which t h e us e of cloth of gold of pu rple

colou r and purp le s i l k w as restricted to th e King and h is

F IFTE ENTH CENTURY COSTUME 63

i mmediate fami ly , and s im i lar regu lation s to those of

E dward IV above referred to we re m ade as to t h e

wear ing of ve lvets,fu rs and othe r costly mat e rial s .

Fore ign “ wool len cloth and fore ign furs we re pro

h ibi ted to ce rtain ranks , and t h e length of c loth em

ployed in long gowns , r i d ing gown s , e tc . , became t h e

subject of l i m i tat ion s .

In t h e s ixth year of Hen ry VI I I ( 15 14 anothe r

Acte of Appare l l”w as passed in which much t h e

same regulati ons we re lai d down .

In t h e fol l owing year , t h e seven th of Hen ry VI I I

( 15 15 a longer statute w as made,of wh ich th e

fol lowing is a quotati on to Show t h e preci se regula

t ions laid down ,t h e latte r part of th e Act be ing

summari zed for th e sake of brev i ty and unnecessary

repe t i t ion of legal formu la .

THACTE OF APPARELL

Forasm och e as t h e g re t t e and cos teley ar rey and apparell

us id w yt h in th is realm e , con tarye to good s tatute the reofm ade , hath ben t h e occasyon of g re t te impove rys s h yng of

dyve rs of t h e K ing’s S ubjec t s and provokyd dyve rs of t hem

to robbe and to do extorcyon and othe r un laufull dedys to

m ayn teyn t h e irby t he i r cos teley ar rey In es ch ew yng w h erof

be i t ordeynd by t h auctori te of t hys presen t parliam en t thatno pe rson of w hat e state condycion or deg re t hat h e be , us ein h is apparell any c loth of gold of p

r

poure colou r,or sylke

of pr

poure colour or fu rr called furre of b lak geynet t s , buton ly t h e K ing t h e Quene , t h e Kyngs m ode r t h e K ingsCh yldren , t h e Kyngs Bre th ern and S us t ers [upon payn to

forfe i t t h e said appare ll w h erw it h soeve r] yt t be m yx te and

for us ing t h e sam e to forfe i t for eve ry tym e s o [off endingxx . li . And t hat no Man othe r than t h e K ings Ch i ldren]

64 E NGLISH COSTUME

unde r t h e es tate of a Duke or Marques us e in any apparel l

of h i s [body or upon h is horses or hors harnes any c loth of

Gold of ] Tys sue uppon (pain ?) of forfeyture o f t h e sam e

apparell w h erw yth soeve r y t t b e m yxt e [garded or b row derd

out t hat for us ing t h e sam e to forf e t t for eve ry] tym e so

off endyng xx m arcs

And t hat no m an o the r t han t h e [K ings Ch i ldren or undre

t h e] deg re of a Duke or Duks s on and he i r apparaun t

Marques or E rle , us e or w e re in hys apparell any furre of

Sab les , uppon payne to forf eyte t h e sam e appare ll and for

us ing t h e sam e to forfayte for eve ry tym e s o off endyng xx

m arcs . And t hat no m an unde r t h e deg re o f a S on of a

Duke , Marque s or E rle , and t h e S onnes and H e i rs apparaun tof and unde r t h e deg re of a Baron

,us e in hys appare ll of

hys body or hys ho rse or h ors eh arneys any cloth of gold or

clot h of sy lve r , n e any suche appare ll m yxt e garded and

im brow derd w yth gold or sy lve r,uppon payn of forfeyture

of t h e sam e appare ll and for us ing th e sam e to forfeyt te for

eve ry tym e s o o ff ending x m arcs ; And that no m an ,unde r

t h e deg re of t h e s on of a Duke E rle or t h e Deg re of a

Baron or a Knygh t o f t h e Gar te r , w e re any w ol len clothem ade oute of th is realm e of E ngland I re land Walys Calyceor t h e m arches of t h e sam e or Barw yke e xcept on ly inbonet t s , uppon payne of fo rfe i ture of t h e se id cloth , e xceptb e fo re except , and for usyng t h e sam e t o forf e t t e for eve ry

tym e s o off ending x m arcs . And that no m an,under t h e

deg re of a Knygh t of t h e Garte r w e re in hys gow ne or cote

or any othe r hys apparell of hys body , or apparell of hys

ho rse , any velve t t of t h e colour of crem esyn or blew e uppon

payn to forf e t t e t h e sam e apparell and f or usyng t h e sam e

t o forfayt e for eve ry t im e s o off endyng x ls .And t hat no m an , unde r t h e Deg re of t h e s on heyre

apparaun t of a Baron Knygh t Squyers for t h e Kyngs

body hys Cupberers Kervers and S e rve rs h avyng t h e

ordynary f ee f or t h e sam e , and th e Cupberers Kervers

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66 E NGLI SH COSTUME

he i rs apparaun t s of all pe rsons above nam yd m ay w e re inthe i r duble t t s ve lve t t of b lak colour and in t he i r gow ne s

Jake t t s and cote s dam ask of b lak Russe t t taw ny colou rand cham let

, w yth out off ence of t h is s tatut e .

Th e Act goes on to provide that no ordinary p erson

shal l wear Saten or Dam aske in the ir gow nes Jaket t s

or cotes ” ; but a gent leman having a c lear annual

income of a hundred marks derived from lands, etc .,

w as excepted .

No m an unde r th e degree of a gen t leman ,except

graduates of t h e Un ive rs i t ies,yeom en

,grooms

,pages ,

and ce rtain offi cial s of t h e royal househo l d w as per

m i t ted to wear fore ign furs , upon pain of forfe i tu re of

t h e same and t h e paymen t of a fine of forty sh i l l ings .

E mbroide red garmen ts we re proh i bi ted to al l be

neath t h e rank of a s on of a Kn ight of t h e Garte r .

S imi lar restr ict ions we re p laced upon t h e quan t i ty of

cloth used in a garmen t and t h e qual i ty of th e art icle

worn,t h e price even be ing preci se ly defined .

No one beneath th e degre e of a kn ight, with cer

tain specified except i ons , w as al lowed to wear any

pynch yd s h yrt or pynch yd partle t of lynnyn cloth

or playn s h yrt garnys s h yd or made w yth sylke or

gold or sylve r, on pain of forfe i tu re and t h e pay

men t of a fine of t en shi l l ings .

By an Act of t h e fifth of Queen E l i zabe th ( 1562

cap. 6, ve ndors of fore ign appare l were not pe rm i tted

to se l l t he i r wares to any one not having an annual

income of £3000 .

A recen t wri ter 1 on E ngl i sh costume in t h e M i ddle1 D. J . Medley in Social E ngland, Volf I I .

PORTRA IT OF ARTHUR, PR I NCE OF WALES, F IRST SON OF HENRY VI I .

(BORN 1486. D IED 1502)

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C HA PTE R V I I

S IXTEENTH CENTURY COSTUME

H IS centu ry cove rs a per iod of great importancein t h e h i story of E ngl i sh Th e m ag

n ificence and even extravagance of th e Tudors

in t h e matte r of dress are we l l known . Henry VI I I

and Queen E l i zabeth stand out in hi story as two of th e

most go/rgeously c lad sovere igns E ngland h as eve r

known .

\Th e van i ty that de l ighted in fine clothes

natu ral ly favoured perpe tuat i on in t h e di rection of

portrai tu re , and some of th e most val uable sources

of informat ion w e now possess on th e fash ions’

and

fo i bles of th e t ime are to be found in t h e numerous

royal portrai ts wh ich Holbe in and hi s successors

pain ted .

Pe rhaps t h e most noteworthy of al l th e leade rs of

E ngl ish fashion before th e e ighteen th c entury w as

Queen E l i zabe th . H er pe rsonal van i ty, h er Special

l ove of e laborate and costly dresses , and t h e enormous

wardrobe which s h e possessed , un i ted to make h er , in

every sense of th e te rm , th e leade r of femin ine costume

during a large part of th e sixteenth cen tury.

Th e portrai ts of Hen ry V I I I pain ted by Hol be in

are not on ly extraord inari ly fine as maste rp ieces of th e

portrai t painter ’s art , but are al so probably t h e best68

K I NG HENRY VI I I

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PORTRA IT OF QUEEN MARYFRO M A DRAWI N G OF THE OR I G INAL BY LU CAS DE HE RE

S IXTEE NTH CENTURY COSTUME 69

evidence now in existence for t h e costume of th e most

remarkable of our Tudor kings .

Th e most favoured costume of Henry V I I I seems

to have been a r i ch ly ornamented doublet,somet imes

of cloth of gold enr i ched wi th jewe l s , and s lashed at

frequen t in terval s in perpendi cu lar l ines . Ove r th i s

w as a r i ch surcoat of crimson mate rial o r c loth of gold

embroidered wi th gold and l ined wi th e rmine . Th e

cod-piece w as promin en t and e laborate ly ornamen ted .

Th e head- dress w as a r ich ly jewe l led, flat cap with

handsome flowing feather . Chains,r ings

,and a

varie ty of othe r jewe l le ry completed t h e att i re , which ,in sp i te of a certain vulgar i ty and loudness

,must be

descr i bed as magn ificent in t h e extreme,and not out

of harmony wi th t h e burly form of t h e weare r . Th e

portrai ts are usual ly three-quarte r length,but such as

S how t h e en ti re figure (th e portrai t in Viscount Di l lon’s

col lect i on at Ditchley , for instance)represen t th e King

in close-fit t ing hose , and square- toed and highly

e laborated shoes . A glove i s usual ly carr ied in one

hand .

F ine portrai ts of Henry VI I I,showing him in

e laborate and ri ch atti re , exist at St . James’s Palace,

London ; t h e Royal Co l lecti on at Windsor Cast le ;and Tr in i ty Hal l

,Cambridge .

Th e ruff as an art i c le of ladies ’ costume be l ongs

essent ial ly to t h e pe riod of Queen E l i zabe th , includ ing

th e per i od when s h e w as princess as we l l as t h e t im e

when s h e occupied th e throne . Mr. F . M . O’Dono

ghuc , poin ts out that th e en ti re history of t h e

r i se and progress of th i s remarkable artic le of atti re

70 ENGLISH COSTUME

m ay be t raced in th e portrai ts of E l i zabeth,

1and

,

indeed,h e founds h i s c lassificat ion of those port rai ts on

t h e form of t h e ruff. H e poin ts out that t h e first sug

gest ion of t h e ruff i s found in th e smal l fr i l l worn as

decorat i on s of t h e col lar by both m en and women

during t h e re i gn s of H en ry VI I I,E dward V I

,and

Mary . E l i zabeth h ad not l ong succeeded to t h e

th rone before t h e ru ff began to be worn much large r,

and soon i t became a very striking featu re o f costume .

Th e in troducti on of t h e art of clear- starching from

Hol land,and t h e use of poking- st i cks for t h e

arrangement of t h e folds favoured t h e growth of ruffs ,which qu ickly increased to an aston i sh ing size .

Th e ruff appears in var ious forms and styles , but no

regu lar ch ronological orde r or sequence h as yet bee n

made out . On t h e con t rary,th e di fferen t styles seem to

have been more or less con temporaneous . They indi

cat e , not a regu lar se r ies of gradat i ons from one shape

to anothe r , but t h e whim or caprice of each individual

wearer .

General ly speaking , t h e ruff w as shaped by arranging

t h e lace and othe r de l i cate mate r ial s employed in close

convolutions o r qui l l ings . Some t imes ruffs took t h e

form of a number of radiat ing pipes . ,In th e earl ie r

stages of t h e wear ing of th e ruff, a ci rcu lar form w as

persi sten t ly worn . Later on one finds a smal l open ing

in fron t , and some times t h e ruff did not en t i re ly e nclose

th e neck , but w as at tached to t h e shou lde rs,and rose

h igh behind t h e head .

Ruff s we re worn by judges in forme r times , and they1 Catalogue of th e Port rai ts of Queen E l iz abeth , 1894 , p. x iv et s eq.

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72 E NGLISH COSTUME

Th e dress, composed of r i ch brown mater ial , wi th

bold ye l l ow patte rn , fits c lose to t h e body and shou lders,and the re are large , l oose s leeves of dark brow n fur fal l

i ng from a poin t a l i tt le above t h e e l bow in each case .

At t h e neck t h e dress opens into a widespread col lar,

di sp laying a necklace and cross fastened round th e

neck . O n h er breast i s a handsome ename l led jewe l,

and a large pearl depending from it . Another beauti

fu l jewe l of Ci rcu lar form hangs by a cord from a

jewe l led gi rd le round t h e wai st . Th e ski rt of t h e

dress i s open in front , discl os ing an embroidered

ki rtle of great beauty. Th e sleeves are we l l deve loped

and en r iched with numerous stones of square form

in gold sett ings , straps and embroidery somewhat re

sembl ing that of t h e ki rtle .

Th e portrai t w as pain ted in 1554 , th e year of Mary’s

marr iage with Ph i l i p of Spain . What g ives i t i ts

ch ief inte rest , perhaps , i s that i t represents a grand

E ngl ish lady about th e middle of t h e s ixteenth

cen tury rather than a queen .

Another p i ctu re of Queen Mary I , al so by Lucas

de Here , i s in t h e possess ion of S i r W . Cuthbert

Qui l te r , Bart . I t w as recen tly exhi bi ted at th e Royal

Academy (Winte r E xhi bi t ion , 1908 , No . S h e wears

in th i s portrai t a sal mon or flesh-col oured gown wi th

embroide red col lar of deep brown . H er ki rtle , or“ fore part, as i t i s styled in some E l i zabethan

accounts , i s of dark colour, i f not qu i te black ; t h e

outer gown , which h as a l oose , open col lar, i s of

dark brown or reddi sh h ue and i s purfled or edged

and tr immed with gold lace . E xtra sleeves , ri ch ly

QUEEN JANE SEYMOUR

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74 E NGLISH COSTUME

Another portrai t of E l i zabeth in t h e Royal Col lection

at Hampton Palace i s con tain ed in an al legorical

pictu re wi th repre sen tat ions of Juno , Venus, and

M in e rva. Th e Queen i s crowned and bears a sceptre

i n t h e r ight hand,and an orb in t h e left . H er dress i s

dark wi th l ight s leeves , t h e ski rt open in fron t showing

a ki rt le diape red wi th pearl s . Th e picture w as painted

by Lucas de H e re .

A portrai t of E l i zabeth uncrowned , and whi le sti l l

young , pain ted by an arti st be longing to th e school

of M . Gh eeraedts , gives some in te rest ing detai ls of

costume . H er hai r,plain ly dressed

,i s confined in agold

caul studded wi th pearl s . Th e ruff i s edged with go ld .

Th e dress i s of crimson ve l vet,cut square at t h e

bosom . Th e neck i s covered wi th a musl in part letwhich i s adorned with pearl s and gold , and open in

fron t in such a w ay as to Show a penden t jewe l . S h e

wears no ear- r ings . Th e pictu re i s undated,but the re

i s an inscript ion , be l ieved not to be con temporary , to

t h e e ffect that i t represents “th e Lady E l i zabeth h er

Picture when s h e w as in t h e Towe r. ”

Anothe r i mportan t portrai t of E l i zabeth when young

i s in t h e Nati onal Portrai t Gal le ry . O n h er head i s an

arched head-dress of jewe l s from which gauze ve i l fal l s

behind . S h e wears a r ich ly patte rned black dress

ornamented wi th a kind of ne twork or latt i ce-work of

gold cords and pearls,with whi te puffings on t h e

shou lders and bodice . Th e dress i s cut low and square

at th e bosom,t h e neck be ing partial ly cove red with a

whi te network ornamen ted wi th a black patte rn . A n

ename l led badge representing a phoen i x r is i ng from

Que en El izabe th , as Princess , in 1554

(From a pain t ed pane l discove red at L i t t le Gadde s den ,H e rt s)

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78 E NGLI SH COSTUME

at t h e wrists . Double necklace of smal l pear l s i s

l ooped up to t h e r igh t breast,and an enam e l led jewe l

i s on t h e left breast . Gi rdle of jewe l s and pearl s .

A s h r ia’

ge (Ear l Brown low). - High- crowned black

h at and red dress,whi ch i s open at t h e n eck and down

t h e front of t h e sh i rt,displaying a whi te ki rt le .

H ampton Court Palace (Royal Col lect ion).— H ead

dress of red s i lk tr immed with pear l s ; a th i ck ve i l al so

adorned wi th pear ls,and white sat in puffs fal l ing ove r

t h e S houlders . White dress,s lashed and studded with

pearl s , i s h igh at t h e neck,wi th a j ewe l led col lar .

Ru ffles at t h e wri sts .

Nat ional P or trai t Gal lery .— VVh ite satin dress wi th

narrow slashes and gold bands,studded with red and

black square jewe l s s e t i n gold , and brown ve i l which

i s gathered up in plai ts over t h e head and studded with

pear l s . E l i zabe th i s here Shown in somewhat ad

vanced age .

H en/2am H al l (Earl of Stradbroke). —~S im i lar to t h e

above .

Lora7Roth sch i ld

’

s Col lect ion .-High-necked black dress

wi th poin ted stomache r and white m ah oi tered S leeves ,which are decorated wi th bal l- l i ke flowers of gauze and

rows of pear ls , and ve i l wi th wi red-out bowed wings ,edged wi th pear ls . Large diamond wi th three pearls

penden t from it on t h e bosom ,with a pe l i can “ in

pie ty”in gold above i t

,two long chains of pearls and

jewe l s and jewe l led gi rdle .

Sudeley Cas tle (Mrs . Den t). —E l i zabeth wears a smal l

head-dress,smal l qu i l led ruff

,high- necked dress, and

long gi rdle .

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80 E NGLISH COSTUME

bows and opened in fron t,showing whi te ki rtle be low

it .’

Th e sleeves are fu l l and drawn in at th e wri sts .

Th e grey lace ruff i s in te rest ing, be ing formed of flat

pieces overlapping one another l i ke t h e section s of a

fan, and the re i s also a smal le r ruff inside , fitt ing close

to t h e face .

Woburn A bbey .— In a picture be l onging to th e Duke

of Bedford at Woburn Abbey,and commemorating

t h e Span i sh Armada,t h e Queen i s shown wear ing a

black head-dress adorned wi th feathe rs and jewe l s ;a large , high- r i s ing ruff fitt ing close under t h e chin ;a stomacher and t h e ski rt of oute r dress , both of whi te

sat in and jewe l led ; sleeve s and under- ski rt black,and tr i mmed wi th pearl s and jewe l led bows ; and ful l

s leeves drawn in at t h e wrists wi th lace cuffs .

H atfield H ausa— There i s a pictu re he re in which

t h e Queen i s wear ing a large head-dress edged wi th

standing-up jewe l led ornamen ts and r ich ruff,’

fitt ing

close under t h e ch in ,with winged gauze ve i l fal l ing

behind . Th e dress i s black,t h e stomache r cove red

wi th rows of pearls and othe r jewe l s, and s h e h as r i ch

lace cuff s .

Sal tram (Earl of Morley). —Th e ch ief point of interest

about th i s portrai t i s that t h e Queen h as jewe l s in h er

hai r,a large pearl on t h e forehead , and a chain of

pearl s,garn i shed with white sat in bows

,suspended

from h er shoulders .

Ch ar lecote Park (Miss Lucy).— In th i s portrai t E l i za

beth wears a crown- l i ke head-dress of pear l s , and black

dress decorated with gold and jewe l s . Th e ski rt ,open in front, shows a white ki rtle ornamented with

MARGARET , DUCHESS OF NORFOLK(D I ED 1 563, AGED SHE A S THE SECOND WI FE OF THO M AS

,FOURTH DU

KE O F NOR FOL

K

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8 2 E NGLISH COSTUME

Pow erscour t Cas tle.— Jewe l led head-dress from which

fal l s a ve i l green dress with whi te s leeves and part let,whi ch are ornamented with flowe r patte rn

,and qu i l led

ruffles at th e wrists . A pearl n ecklace i s festooned on

h er breast, and a gi rdle of pearl s and jewe l s enci rc les

h er wai st.

Welbeck A bbey .—Th e costume consi sts of a large

head-dress of jewe l s and pearl s ; r ich lace pi ped ruff,fitt ing cl ose to t h e ch in ; white dress patterned w i th

flowers ; and a dark man t le adorned wi th roses which

descends to t h e ground behind ; a jewe l led col lar wi th

penden t badge hanging from th e S hou lders ; and a

pear l n ecklace reach ing to th e wai st.Lord H othfield

’

s Col lect ion — Thi s i s a l i fe-size bust of

th e Queen showing a head-dress of pearl s and red

stones ; a red rose near t h e left ear ; piped ch in ruff ;white dress decorated wi th gold fleu r-de- l i s , with large

diamonds and red stones at t h e shou l ders ; and neck

laces of large pearl s , diamonds , and rubies ove r t h e

breast.

Longf ordCas tle.—This i s a remarkable portrai t pain ted

late in t h e Queen ’s l ife . Th e costume compr i ses arched

head-dress of jewe l s and white puffs , plain qu i l led ch in

ruff dentel led at t h e edge s,and high-n ecked black

dress decorated with pearls arranged in groups of four .

P etw or th (Robert Down ing , — An0ther portrai t

of E l i zabeth late in l i fe . Th e main featu res of t h e

costume are l ow, jewe l led head-dress , with pearl hang

ing on t h e forehead ; h igh-necked black dress with

cl ose-fit t ing white sleeves patterned wi th black flowers

and studded wi th jewe l s ; large gauze oute r s leeves ;

S IXTEE NTH CENTURY COSTUME 83

broad band of gold brocade , adorned wi th jewe l s , down

t h e fron t of t h e dress ; gi rd le of pearl s and jewe l s

enci rcl ing t h e wai st ; and ruffies and long lace cu ffs at

th e wrists .

H ampton Cour t (Royal Col lecti on).— Portrai t of t h e

Queen in old age . Th e head-dress of white satin and

jewe l s i s t iara- l i ke,and h as a gauze ve i l fal l ing from i t

behind ; r ich qu i l led ruff fitting close unde r t h e ch in ;black bodice ; whi te s leeve s patterned wi th black

flowers ; lace ruffles at t h e wrists ; large pear l in t h e

ear ; and three necklaces of pear ls fal l ing over t h e

breast

Corsh am (Lord Methuen). — Life- s i ze portrai t of

E l i zabeth wear ing an oute r robe borde red with e rm ine

which i s open in fron t and h as hanging sleeves . Th e

stomache r and sleeves of th e unde r-dress are en r iched

with jewe l s . Th e hai r i s also decorated with jewe l s ,and a pearl hangs from h er forehead . Th e dress i s

h igh at th e neck,and th e escal l oped ru ff fits c lose

unde r t h e chin .

Th e fol lowing are a few detai l s of pictures of Queen

E l i zabeth in which S h e i s represented as wear ing a

radiat ing ruff, open in front .

Th e Tr in ity H ouse,Tow er H i l l .— O n t h e head i s an

arched crown of pearl s and a ve i l wi th wi red-out gauze

wings .

f esus College, Oxf ord — Th e Queen wears an Open ,arched crown ; a r ich p iped lace ruff ; lace-edged ve i l ,with wi red-out gauze wings ; bod ice of dress cut low

and square,and patterned wi th pearl s and jewe l s ; an

84 ENGLISH COSTUME

ename l led device with figure of Diana attached to t h e

left S leeve , and a figure of a kn ight on horseback

at tached to t h e right one ; short necklace , wi th red

penden t jewe l and jewe l led hai r .

Tr in i ty Col lege , Cam br idge .- Brocaded dress out low

and square,with long poin ted stomache r , deep lace

cu ffs , and open , hanging oute r sleeves ; whi te feathe r

and large pearl s in t h e hai r . From t h e end of t h e

stomache r descends a pink r i bbon which i s looped up

to a c i rcu lar jewe l wi th penden t pearl .

B ough ton H ous e,Nor than ts (Duke of Buccleuch).

Thi s represen ts E l i zabeth at t h e age of 6 1 Th e

Queen wears a white dress with long poin ted stomache r

and large farth ingale . Th e stomache r i s r i chly jewe l led

t h e ski rt patte rned wi th a geometr ical des ign and

studded wi th pearl s,and t h e sleeves ornamen ted with

l ines of puffings , d ivided by jewe l s . No head-dress ,but there are seve ral jewe l s in t h e hai r , and th ree large

pearl s hang on th e forehead . A close-fit t ing necklace

of five rows of pearl s i s seen through th e open ing in

fron t of h er high- r i s ing , r i ch piped lace ruff. Deep

lace cuff s at t h e wri sts .

Condover H al l — A portrai t of t h e Queen in old age .

S h e i s wear ing a black cap, high- r i s ing piped lace ru ff,close-fit t ing pearl necklace , and red dress . Th e

stomache r i s of whi te sat in edged wi th pearl s , and fu l l

s leeves patterned wi th arabesques .

Gorh am bury .— In thi s portrai t t h e Queen wears a

c l ose black head-dress and large qu i l led ruff, above

which i s a pear l necklace descending in three ropes

down t h e cen tre and si des of t h e stomache r . Th e

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86 E NGLISH COSTUME

Parham Park (Lord Zouch). -Blue head-dress sur

mounted by a crown of pearl s ; large ruff of ve ry ri ch

b lue lace ; ve i l wi th wi red-out wings edged wi th

pearl s ; ye l low-brown dress decorated wi th a large

leaf patte rn ; and pointed stomacher and large far

t h ingale . S h e al so wears numerous jewe l s.

Maison D ieu, Dow n — Arched crown of pearl s ;

e rm ine- l ined mantle ; large lace ruff ; crimson dress ,with long stomache r and large farth ingale ; lace cuffs

and chains of pear l s at t h e wri sts ; numerous dia

monds,pear l s

,and other jewe l s .

S t . [am es’

s Palace, London (Royal Col lecti on).

Head-dress formed of gauze flowe rs wi th wi re stal ks on

which are pearl s ; low-necked black dress,t h e uppe r

part of whi ch i s sown wi th pearls , and th e sat in ski rt

adorned with ve l vet quatrefo i l s ,“

pear l s, etc .

H atfield H ouse (t h e Marquess of Sal i sbury).— High

head-dress , plum ed and jewel led a flowe red dress cut

low and square at t h e bosom ; loose oute r robe , with

open , hanging sleeves ; gauze ve i l , with large , wi red

out wings edged wi th pearl s ; wide ru ff , with smal l ,close-fitt ing fri l l round th e neck , and s im i lar fri l l s at

th e wrists ; al so rubies , pear l s , an ename l led j ewe l , etc.

S h erborne Cas tle.— Thi s fine picture represen ts

Queen E l i zabeth seated in a l i tte r and carr ied by six

noblemen , su rrounded by cou rtie rs . Th e Queen wears

a high-peaked head-dre ss ; l ow-necked whi te dress

en t i re ly cove red wi th puffings and studded with jewe l s,with close-fit t ing s leeve s and lace cuffs ; and wide

sp reading ru ff with smal l , c lose-fit t ing inner fr i l l . S h e

al so h as seve ral jewe ls in th e hai r, etc.

QUEEN EL IZABETH( PA INTER UNK I

'O\VN)

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88 E NGLISH COSTUME

as works of art,are of smal l val ue as i l lustrat i ons of

th e actual costumes of th e per iod in which they we re

pain ted .

Major Hol ford possesses a superb portrai t of t h e

fi rst Lord De laware , which w as recen tly exh i bited at

t h e Royal Academy (Win te r E xhi bi tion , 1908 , No .

Th e picture i s o f t h e highest exce l lence as a work

of art,and i s poss i bly of even more value as an i l l us

t rat ion of t h e costume of a gen t leman of high rank

in t h e latte r hal f of t h e S i xteen th cen tu ry.

Th e sh i rt i s of embroidered , l ight-coloured satin , and,al though l i ttle of i t shows , enough i s vi s i ble to expose

t h e cord fasten ings by which i t w as t ied at t h e neck.

Th e oute r cloak, th e jacket or tun i c , trunks , ne ther hose ,and cap are al l of black co lour , some of them be ing

slashed , or rathe r decorated , with pul l ings-out of

crimson . Th e black.

cap i s most interesting ,’

be ing

decorated wi th a whi te pl ume , whi lst i ts whole su rface

i s powde red wi th jewe l s al ternate ly tr iangular and ci r

cular in form . Lord De laware di ed in t h e year 1595,which w as a cons iderably late r date

,probably , than

that of t h e portrai t. Wil l iam S tret es , t h e painte r

of thi s fine pictu re , w as painter to Edw ard V I in 1551 ,

and i s known to have executed a famous portrai t of

t h e Earl of Surrey dated 1547. Th i s portrai t of Lord

De laware m ay , pe rhaps , have been painted in or about

t h e year 1550.

An admi rable descr ipti on of t h e wardrobe of a lady

about t h e middle of E l i zabeth ’s re ign i s contained

in a song enti t led A n ew courtly sonnet of th e Lady

THOMAS HOW'ARD, FOURTH DUKE OF NORFOLK. (BEHEADED 1572)

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90 E NGLISH COSTUME

Th y garters fringed wi th th e gold,And s i lver ag le t s hanging byWh ich m ade thee b lithe for to be holdAnd yet t hou w oulde st not love m e

Some of t h e var ieties of caps worn during th e re ign

of Queen E l i zabeth are mentioned in Th e B allad of th e

Caps , a poeti c e ffusion of t h e s ixteenth century , of

which t h e fo l lowing are a few extracts

Th e Monm outh-cap, th e saylors t hrum ,

And t hat w he rein t h e t radesm en com e ,

Th e ph ys io, law e , t h e capdiv ine ,Th e sam e that crowns t h e m use s n ine ,Th e capthat fools do coun t enance ,

Th e goodly capof m aintenance ,And any cap, w h ate

’

re i t bee

I s s t i ll th e s ign of som e degree .

Th e s ick ly cap, both plain and wrought ,Th e fuddling-cap, howeve r bough t ;Th e qui lted , furr

’

d, th e ve lvet , sat in ,

For w h ich so m any pates learn lat in .

Th e crew e ll cap, t h e fus t ian pate ,Th e perriw ig , t h e capof late

And any cap, w h at e’re i t bee

Is s t i ll t h e S ign of som e deg ree .

Th e fol lowing extract from H eywood ’s Rape ofLucrece

,a sixteenth century composition , i s an in

teres t ing commen tary on t h e popu lar costume of t h e

O ye fine sunny count ry lasses ,That w ould for brooks change crys tal glas s es ,And be t rans h ap

’

d from foot to crow n ,

And s traw beds change for beds of down

S IXTE ENTH CENTURY COSTUME

Your part let s turn in to nebatoes ,

And s tead of carrot s eat potatoe sYour fron t let s lay by , and your rai lsAnd fringe w ith gold your draggl

’

d tai ls .Now your haw k-nose s shall have hoodsAnd billem en t s w it h golden studsS t raw hat s shall be no m ore bongraces ,F rom th e b r igh t sun to h ide your faces ,For hempen sm ocks to he lpt h e itch ,Have l inen sewed wi th S i lver st i tchAnd w heresoe ’

er they chance to s t rideOne bare before to be the ir guide .

9 1

C HA PTE R V I I I

S EVENTEENTH CENTURY COSTUME

HE story of E ngl i sh costume during t h e re ign

of James I i s practi cal ly a con t inuation of that of

t h e latter part of E l i zabeth ’s re ign . James I

favou red t h e wearing of qui lted and stuffed double ts

and breeches , and thus set t h e fashion in this di recti on .

Towards t h e end of h i s re ign ,howeve r

,short jacke ts

,

or doublets , with tabs and fal se s leeves hanging

beh ind , took t h e place of th e long-wai sted doublets .

Th e hose , too , instead of be ing slashed or laced , we re

cove red wi th loose , broad straps ri ch ly adorned wi th

buttons or embroide ry , t h e si l k o r ve lve t trunks be ing

visi ble at t h e in terval s .

Tw o effig ies on t h e tomb of Si r Richard Bake r in

Cante rbu ry Cathedral give exce l len t i l lustrations of t h e

costum e worn by a lady and gent leman at th e beginn ing

of th i s centu ry . Th e lady , who l ies in what h as been

appropriate ly cal led t h e “ toothache ”att i tude , wears

a ru ff at th e neck and a gown with tightly-fit t ing bodi ce

and somewhat fu l l ski rt , t h e hips be ing d istended by

means of farth ingales . Th e s leeves , which are shaped

to t h e arm ,are fastened wi th s ix buttons at t h e wri st,

and have turned-back cuffs .

S i r Richard Baker wears a ruff at th e neck, smal l

92

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SEVENTE E NTH CE NTURY COSTUME 9

rufl'

s at t h e wri st s,body and leg

—armou r,and padded

tru nks .

Th e very las t stage in t h e decadence of armour i s

represen t ed in t h e e ffigy of George Hodges , w h o died

abou t 1630, and whose monu

m en tal brass i s at IVedm ore ,

Somerset . Th e costum e h e wears

(see accompanying i l l ust rat i on)i s a bu ff coat gi rded wi t h a sash ,breeches of leather bu t toned at

t h e sides,andjack boo t s prov i ded

wi th spurs . Th e on ly remnan t

of defen s ive armour v i si ble i s

t h e gorget of plat e abou t t h e

neck .

Th e in t roduct i on of kn ee

breeches as a garm en t general ly

worn by civi l ian s occurred soon

afte r t h e comm en cemen t of t h e

seven teen t h cen tury . These gar

men ts we re e i th er bu t toned at

t h e S i des or t i ed about t h e kn ees .

Th e e ffigy of a c i v i l ian ,o f

about t h e year 1630 ,at Croydon ,

here given,i s clothed in knee

breeches,a doublet wi th a ski rt

G eorge Hodg e s ,di ed about

1630 . (F rom m onum en talb ras s at

so short that i t m ay more properly b e cal led a lappet ,

plain fal l ing co l lar and wr i s tbands ( in st ead of fr i l l s

at t h e n eck and wrist s,as form erly), Short c loak ,

wi th thrown - back co l lar or ve ry sm al l cape , and

shoes .

94 E NGLISH COSTUME

Th e e ffigy of E l i zabeth Cu lpepe r (Ardingly , Sussex),1633, m ay be taken as a good specim en of a lady’s

costume in t h e t ime of Char les I . Th e hai r,i t wi l l be

noted , i s worn in flowing curls . A kerch ief i s thrown

ove r t h e head , and fal l s down behind th e figure . Th e

C iv i l ian , ci rca 1630 E ffigy of E l izabe th Culpeper,(Croydon , Surrey) 1633 (Ard ing ly, Sussex)

use of str iped mater ial in sleeves and th e r i ch ly

o rnamen ted fron t of t h e under-gown are worthy of

note .

Th e Tsham Col lection , now in t h e Victoria and

Albert Museum ,contains a very good example of an

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S ILK BROCADE GOWN OF THE T IME OF QUEEN EL IZABETH

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96 E NGLISH COSTUME

drawn tightly to t h e wai st by m eans of a be l t fasten ing

wi th a hook- clasp . Altogethe r i t i s a s imple but

e ffect ive costume .

Some in tere st ing in format ion as to what kind of

garments were worn by a fash ionable and we l l- to-do

young gen tleman of t h e middle of t h e seven teen th

cen tu ry m ay be gleaned from t h e Dai ly E xpen s e -book

of jam es Mas ter,from 1646 to 1676 , which h as been

publ i shed by t h e Ken t A rch a ological Socie ty.

1

Th e fol lowing are transcri pts from 1646 to 1655 of

such en tr ies as re late to costume,together with t h e

time of pu rchase and t h e amoun ts pai d for t h e var i ous

articles .

Thi s ser i es of extracts wi l l give a good idea of t h e

general characte r of a gen tleman ’s clothing of t h e

period .

Th e extracts are l im i ted to t h e first ten years of

t h e E xpense—book,because i t seems undes i rable to

devote a larger proporti on of t h e book to th i s par

t icular subject , al though the re can be no doubt as

to t h e great value of t h e informat i on as i l l ustrat ing

t h e costumes of t h e pe r iod .

A few en tr ies of special i mportance al so are se lected

from t h e E xpense-book subsequen t to t h e year 1655.

1646 g s . d.

2 0 Nov . For 2 pai r of cordovan doub le seam ed

g love s1 1 Dec . For 6 pa of band s t r ings

1 A rch eeolog ia Can t iana,XV

,152

— 2 16 ; XVI , 2 4 1—59 ; XVI I , 32 1—52 ;XVI I I , 1 14

-

56 .

SEVENTE ENTH CE NTURY COSTUME 9 7

For 4 yards an halfe of Span ish c lothfor a sute cloake at 2 3

8 t h e yardFor an el l , quar te r halfe o f Taff atye

For 2 bands 2 pa of cuff sFor 3 ya of b lack ribbonFor 2 8 yar of ribbon for poin t s tagg ingth em

For 8 yar. of s i lve r r ibbon at 1 5dya

For 4 pa. of plaine boothose topsFor 3 ya. 3

1, of s i lve r lace w e igh ing 2 ow n 2"

For an h at

For a w h i te hatbandFor 2 pa. of ancle w os ted socksFor a pa(i r)of pe rfum ed g lovesFor 4 pa of plan e bands and cuffsFor a pound of sw ee t poude r for linnenPaid to t h e Tai lour for m ak ing m y sad

coulour cloat h sui t and cloake

For a pa. of boot s w i th golos h ooe sFor halfe an e lle of sarcene tFor a pare of s i lve red spursFor vamping a pai r of boot s and givento ye s h oom aker

’

s boy

For s ole ing a pa. of boot sFor 2 pa of co rdovan double seam ed

g lovesFor a pai r of b lack topps wi th gold ands i lve r fringe

For 6 pa of linnen socksFor m ending m y b lack sut eFor a pa of halfe s i lk s tock ingsFor 3; of a yard of w rough t sat linFor a pa of pe rfum ed g lovesFor 4 ounces of powde r for hai re

E NGLISH COSTUME

Paid to m y Tai lour for m ak ing m y leadcoulo r cloath sute wi th poin t s

For new lin ing m y college gow ne

For a pai r of t h inne w axt s h ooes

For 2 1 ya of 2d r ibbon to t r im m y sut e

For 3 yards of b lack ribbonFor vamping and colouring apa of boo t s

For a pa of Span ish leathe r s h ooesFor m ending m y sut e and m y gow ne

For a pa. of pe rfum ed g love sFor 3 ya of b lack r ibbonFor 8 ya of se rge at ya for a sutec loake

For an e ll quar ter halfe of taff a at 1 28

e ll to lineFor 4 dozen and half of l i t t le S i lve r lace

w eigh ing 10 ounces and a li t t le over at8d ye ounce

For 3 pa. of plaine boothoseFor 2 pa. of t h reed s t irrOphoseFor 2 pa. of glove sFor 8 ya of coloured g lovesFor black r ibbon

1 9 Aug”. For a pa. of red se rge toppsFor a pa. of g ray w os ted s tockingsFor apa. of b lack Span ish leathe r s h ooesFor a pa of t h inne w axt boot sFor 2 ounces of pow de r for haireFor a pa. of tan

’d gloves powder forhai re

For a Shag h at bandFor a frock for m y footboyFor 3 pa of th reed ancle socks

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100 E NGLIS H COSTUME

For an h at w th a b lack s i lke hatbandFor a pa of darke coloured boot sFor m ak ing a sad colour cloat h sute , 8:a g ray riding c loake in Novem be r las t

For a cloake bag

For vamping a pa(i r)of Span ish leathe rboot s las t sum m e r

For 6 ya of b lack r ibbonFor m ending 87. alte ring m y footboyscloath s

For 1 1 e lls of locke rum at IS

401per e l l t o

m ake m y footboy 4 sh i rt s for t h red

For a pa of co rdovan g lovesFor a s tuden t s gow ne at secund ha'

ndFor 6 holland plain bands 6 pa of

cuff sFor a pa of band s t ringsFor 2 pa of plaine boot hose topsFor a b lack be lt w i t h a fr inge upon i t

For a pa of scar le t w os ted s tock ings forJack

For 2 pa of s h ooe s for m y footboyFor a band a pa of cuff sFor a pa o f g lovesFor 8 ya halfe of se rge de roan for

sute and c loak at 65 per yard 2 1 1

For an e lle 4 of Talf ata to line m y

doub le tFor a pa of w h i te Span ish leathe r boot s .

For 1 8 ya of 4d hai r colou r ribbon

Fo r a pa of hai r colou r s i lk topsFor 2 pa of glovesFor a pa of sum m e r r iding boot s

2 6

2 9

2 0

2 1

SEVENTEENTH CENTURY COSTUME

1648 751 5 June . For a pa of Span ish leathe r s h ooes

For a pa of w h i te r iding topsFor m ak ing a sad coulour se rge suteand cloath wi th but tons and but tonholes 3

For m ak ing 4 sh i r ts for Jack &cFor s ole ing Jack

’s s h ooesFor dress ing an h at for m y footboy

10 July. For a pa. of w oollen s tockings for JackFor 2 yar 3 quart e rs of g ray cloath fora c lose coate at 1 4

8

ye yardGiven to ye tailour f or m ak ing of i t up

9 Aug . For 4 yards 87. an halfe of b lack cloat h

to m ake m e a m ourn ing cloake at 1 68

ya 3

For a b lack hatband, St a ya a h a of

black ribbon 28 6 1. For w ine I

S

For a pa. of t rim m ed m ourn ing g love sFor m ak ing m y m ourn ing sut e cloake 4

For b lack ribbon to m y old black sut e1 8 S ep

t. For s oleing m y foo tboye s s h ooe s

4 Oct . For vamping 2 pa of boot s 0For an ouldpa. of boot s for Jack bough t

of Mr HugginFor dress ing an h at

For an e lle of Holland for 6 h andkerch iefs

For but ton s to t hemFor m ending m y footboys s h ooesFor a pa of w ax t s h ooes for m yse lfFor apa of w ax t s h ooes for m y footboy

2 Dec . For m aking 2 pa of b reeches a doubletfor Jack 1

I 64S—

49

3 Jan . For vamping coulouring a pa of b lackboot s

5

4

5

6

2

1

1

3

1 2

OO

H

N

O

-P

-F

I O I

O

O

S

O

C

N

O

O

O

O

ON

O

O

-P

0

102 ENGL I SH COSTUME

I 64S—49

5 Jan . For apa of g reene s i lk s tock ings2 7 For a pai r of g ray w oollen r iding s tock

ingsFor a pa o f b lack riding topsGiven to Jack for w ooll to m end 2 pa of

s tock ings6 Feb . For dress ing 2 hat s1 9 For 2 pa of w h i te gloves , 1 pa of

b row ne

2 6 For 6 pa of l innen socks2 Mar . For vamping a pa of boot s

For a pa of s h ooes f or m y footboy2 0 For s ole ing m y footboye

’

s s h ooes

6 Apr i l . For 6 holland pla. bands 6 pa of

cuff sFor 4 pa of pla(in)boothose tops 2 grat 1 1

82 l it t le at 63

For 4 pai r of bands t ringsFor 1 2 e l ls of fine hol land , at 68 ye e lleto m ake m e 4 w hole sh i r t s

For 3 ya an halfe of w h it e bone lace

7 May . For se t t ing upa pa of boot s2 4 For a pa of co rdovan g loves2 8 For 4 ya

127 of Span ish cloat h of a sad

colour to m ake m e a sut e 8c cloake at

2 08

p. ya. bough t of b rothe r Wals ing

h am

30 For a pa. of halfe w axt boot s2 7 June . For a pa. of Span ish leat he r s h ooes

30 July. For b lack ribbon

4 Aug . For 4 ya half of r igh t french scarle tat 45

SI O

For 3 ya. 3 quar. of s e rge de s h aloon at

6 S ye yardFor 2 ya. 3 quar of scar le t m oh ayr at 6

°

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19 4 E NGLISH COSTUME

! I s . d.

For a pa of am ber g love s and t r im m ingt hem

For tagging m y po in t sFor 4 yards halfe of de Be r ry to m akea coat

For a pa. of w h i te g lovesFor m ak ing m y sad colour cloth sutec loake w i th poin t s 3 0 o

For m aking m y sat t in wais tcoat m y

g reat coatFor a pa. of scarle t se rge topsFor a leathe r b e lt w

t ha g reat S i lve r

fringeFor a pa. of cordovan g love sFor 1 8 e l ls of holland to m ake m e 6

sh i r t s at 5152dye e ll

For 1 e ll of holland at 1 18 6d ye e ll

For 2 ya of bone lace to lace a bandcuff s

For 2 ya. of lace for boothose topsFor 1 ya of l it t le lace to put be ye cuffsFor 6 ya. of ribbon , a seale , a po of

plum m s

For g reen r ibon &c .

For a pa of Span ish leathe r s h ooesFor an E nglish dem ie cas to r , band andh at case

For 6 pa. o f band s t r ingsFor 1 fine pa of band s t ringsFor a g reat pa of boothose tops plaineFor a plaine band and cuff sFor 2 pa of g lovesFor vamping and colouring a pa o f boot sFor a pa of halfe w axt boot s a pai r ofSpan ish leathe r s h ooes 1 9 o

SEVENTEE NTH CENTURY COSTUME 105

75 s . d.

For 3 yards of r ibbon 1 0

For 1 8 ya of sat t in 81. s i l . r ibbon for m ysute

For a pa. of jesam in g lovesFor 2 pa. Of w h it e g loves 2 8 6d

For a leat he r h at -caseFor 2 0 e lls of holland for 2 pai r of sh eet sat 3

S

3dye e lle

For 2 e lls of fine holland for 6 h andkerch iefs 81 caps

For a pa of tann’

d leathe r g love sFor m ak ing m y sad colour c loth suteFor 6 set t of h andkerch iefe but ton sPaid to ye talour for m ak ing Jack ’slive ry

For 2 se t t of h andkerch iefe but ton sFor a pai r of m ild (m i ll

’

d hoseFor a pa(i r)of scar le t w os ted topsFor a pa(i r)of w h it e g love sFor lace for 2 caps

For dressing m y h at

For a ya 3 qu. of Span ish cloath to m akem e a sut e at 2

8 6d ya

For 2 pai r of w om en’s w h ite g loves

For 1 2 yards of gold and s ilver ribbonFor a pa O f b row n g loves 4 ounces ofhai re poude r

For 3 yards 3 quar te rs of red cloat h t o

m ake m y m an a coat at 1 28

ye yardFor 3 ya 3 qu . of as h colour baze to facei t

For a shoot ing g love , b race &cFor 6 yards of b lack r ibbon

106 E NGLISH COSTUME

For a pai r of tanned leathe r g lovesFor 8 yards a quart e r of s tuff e for a

cloake at 68

For 1 ya 8: 3 quart e rs of cloat h to m akem e a sut e at £ 1 6 8 ye yard

For 3 pa of glove sFor poude r for hai reFor a F rench shag h at and bandFor a pai r of l innen r iding t opsFor a dem ie Casto r (beave r h at)For new dying m y h at a new l in ingtai t

For m ak ing m y sad co lour s tuff e cloake

For 1 2 yards of 2 d b lack r ibbonFor 1 7 e lls of holland to m ake m e 6

sh i rt s at 58 &cFor 4 ounce s of hai re poude rFor a pai r of g ray w os ted s tock ingsFor an e l l . 1 quarte r and half a quar te r oftaffaty to line m y doub le t

For 3 ya i of Span ish cloat h t o m akem e a cloake

For 1 8 doz of s i lve r but tons a neckbut ton at 2 5 8d ye doz .

For 72 yards of 6d r ibbon for poin t sFor 2 4 yards of fancy r ibbonFor a pai r o f jes sam in g lovesFor a F rench beave r (h at)For 1 yard 3 quar t e rs halfe of Flande r slace to m ake m e band and cuff s

For a l it t le lace for ye cuff sFor 2 yards of lace for ye boothose topsFor ye band, cuff s and boo those topsFor a band , cuffs and boot hose tops o f

cam brick 1 13 Spen t a London 1

8

4

16

4

1 2

O

O

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108 E NGLIS H COSTUME

For 18 yards of s i lve r lace w e igh ing 14

ounce s to lace i tFor a F rench dem i -cas to r wh i te bandFor a pai r of g reen s i lk tops and fourounce s of poude r

For an oyled h at case a box com be

For kn i t t ing 2 pai r of s t irrop hose and

2 pai r of socksFor apai r of g ray w os ted s tockings and a

pai r of w h i t e g love s1 8 Nov . For a pe riw ig

For m ak ing m y lace’

t suteFor a pounde of hai re poude rFor dress ing m y h at

7 Deer. For a pai r of w ax t s h ooes se t t ing upand

colouring a pai r of boot sFor 3 pa of g loves , 3 yar . of b lack 8d

n bbon

For a perriw igFor apa of w h i te se rge s tock ing s laced

Paid to Jolly for pai rs of boot s and 3

pai rs of s h ooes 3 5 0

For 9 dozen of ribbon t o m ake 1 2 doz of

poin t s at 61ol . ye yard

For 2 4 yards of fancy r ibbonFor a pai r Jes sam in g love sFor a leaden plat e for m y h atFor a pe rriw ig new cur l ing of anothe rFor a pa of s ea-

g reene s i lke tops a

pai r of band s t r ingsFor 2 qui lted capsFor m ending m y c lo thsFor 6 pai r of w om en

’s w h i te glove s

SEVE NTE ENTH CE NTURY COSTUME 109

d.

For apai r of w om en’s g reen si lke s tock

ingsFor 2 pai r of linnen boothoseFor 9 yards 5 of s tuff e to m ake m e a

sut e 8L coatFor a new perriw igFor 3 e lls 75 of sarsne t to l ine ye

duble t 8L coat

For 3 dozen of sat in r ibon at 10s ye dozenFor a law n e band cuff sFor 4 pai r of linnen socksFor a pai r of Span ish leathe r s h ooesFor 17 e l ls of hol land to m ake 6 sh i rt s at

482dye e lle

For a pai r of b lack talf ata boothoseFor a leathe r be ltFor a pai r of Span ish leathe r s h ooesFor a pair of b lack s i lke tops 81. b lack

g lovesFor 5 yards of b lack ribbon 8

dye yard

For m ak ing m y sad colour cloth sutecloake w

t h but ton sFor a pai r of b lack glovesFor a pa of g ray w o rs t ed s tock ings a

pai r of b lack g love sFor an oyled h at caseFor 2 pa of w h i t e g love sFor 2 pa of s h ooes

For a new perriw ig 85 curling 3 o the rFor apai r of s h ooes vamping 2 pai r ofboot s

For sole ing a pai r of s h ooes

Paid to ye taylour for m ak ing m y s tuff e

sute coat 85 m y 2 m ourn ing sut es

For 5 yards of s tuf fe to m ake m e a coat

1 10 E NGLISH CO STUME

For 3 yards of se rge to l ine i tFor 3 ya. of b lack r ibbonFor a pai r of g loves 85 spen t at London

For 2 cam brick bands 85 1 pai r of cuffsFor 3 pai r of g love s 85 a pai r of s lippe rsFor new dy ing 3 hat s 85 spen t at LondonFor a n ew pe r iw ig 85 curling 4 othe rsFor a pai r of w h i te se rge topsFor a pai r of Span ish leathe r shoos and

golos h ooes

For a French dem i cas tor 85 s i lk bandFor a pound of hai re poude rFor a pai r of w om en

’s s i lke s tockingsFor a new lace ing and dying m y r idingh at

For a pai r of r iding g loves and a w h ipFor 14 yards of se rge to l ine m y char iotat 3

91odye yard 2 13

For 18 ounce s 85 halfe of s i lke fringe at

2S

4dye ounce 2 3

9 June . Paid to ye Talour for m y close s tuff e

coate 85 m y m ourn ing sut e wt lDpoin t s 6 8

For a pai r of w atch e t s i lk tops 85 a pai rof g loves

For a n ew bo rde r of hai re curling 2

othe rsFor 2 pai r of linnen boothose 85 a plainband and cuff s

For a pa of g loves spen t at LondonFor a pai r of s h ooes

For 6 pai r of l innen socks1 July . For 2 cam b rick bands

For an e l le of fine holland

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1 1 2 E NGLISH COSTUME

For an e lle of fine holland to m ake bandsFor an e lle 85 quar te r of holland to m ake6 h andkerch e i f s

For 3 garn ish of h andkerch eif e but tonsFor a pai r of shoe s t ringsFor 1 7 yards of gold d rugge t to m akem e a sut e 85 coat 85 l ine ye dub let at

1 28

ye yardPaid to M r. S nead for m ak ing m y golddrugget s ut e coat 85 for an h at band

For a pai r of Span ish leathe r s h ooesFor half a pound of hai re pow de r 85 an

ounce of Jes sam in but te rFor se t t ing upa pai r of boot sFor 3 garn ish of handke rch ie f but tonsFor a pai r of g reene s i lke s t irrOphoseFor a pai r of saw n e l it t le boothoseFor a pai r of f ring

’

d linn in r iding boothose

For apai r of k id’s gloves 85 halfe of hai re

poude r .

For a pai r of w ax t s h ooe s

For a pai r of w ax t s h ooes

For 1 2 yards of 2d r ibbon 85 a b lack cap

For a pai r of Span ish leath e r s h ooe sFor 2 law ne bandsFor halfe a pound of hai re poude rFor 2 Cam brick bands 2 pai r of cuffs 2

pai r of boothose tops 85 leggs 85 1 pai rof french band s t r ings

For a french Dem ie Cas to r 85 bandFor dying 85 lin ing anothe r 85 for a

leathe r h at caseFor 1 1 yards of b lack cam ele t . de Hol

land to m ake m e a sute 85 cloake (at10

s

ye yard)

SEVENTE ENTH CENTURY COSTUME 1 13

s . d.

For 2 yards 85 half of w h i te Tabye to linet h e doub le t 1 2 6

For 7 yards 85 5} of b lack ve lve t to line

ye cloake at £ 1 53

ye yard 9 1 1 6

For a pai r of g ray w o rst ed s tock ingswth tops

For a pai r of w h i t e w ol len s t irrOphoseFor a pai r of b lush colour s i lk s t i rrOphose w oven

For 36 yards o f b lew 85 s i lve r sat t in

ribbon at ye yard 2 2 o

For a pai r of Jes sam in g love s 85 m ak ingm y s h ooe s t rings

1 9 Dec. For 4 yards 85 3 of Cam ele t t de Hollandto m ake m e a coat

For 4 yards of se rge to l ine i tFor apai r of Jes sam in glove s 85 a pai r of

w h i te g lovesFor a pound of Jes sam in poude r 85 a

pai r of w h i te g lovesFor 4 yards of g ray Span ish Cloat h to

m ake m e a sut e and coat at £ 1 63 ye

yardFor 2 law ne bands 85 2 pai r of cuff sFor 4 yards of s i lve r r ibbonFor a b lack fringed be ltFor apai r of w h i te se rge r iding s tock ings

For a yard and 1} of S cotch cloath to

m ake m y footboy 6 handke rch ie fs at1 6d ye yard

For 10 e lls of Lockeram to m ake h im

4 sh i rts at 14dt h e e ll 1 1 4

1 3June . For 2 pai r o f t h reed s t irrOp-hose , 85 a

pai r of anek le socks

1 14 E NGLISH COSTUME

16 56 s . d.

2 1 Nov. For 5 yards of Ken t i sh Cloth to m akem y footboy a sut e 85 coat ,

“

m y

groom e a coat 3 o o

I 6S6-

57

1 7 Jan . For Spinn ing 2 pounds of w ooll for Jack ’sstock ing s

For kn i t t ing 2 pai r of s tock ings for Jack

For 8 yards of se rge de Roan to m akem e a sut e 85 coat at 3

8 60I ye yardFor 6 yards 85 3of F rench Taby to linet h e sut e and coat at 7

8 6d t h e yardFor 4 2 yards of b lack and s i lve r lace

w e igh ing 6 ounces 85 5 and 3 d ram sat 4

s

per ounce to lace sute and coatFor a pai r of pearle colour s i lk s tock ingsFor a pair of b lack garte rs and s h ooe

s t rings13Nov . For 4 yards of Span ish cloth to m ake

m e a sute and coat

For 9 yards of Taby to line t h e sute 85coat at 7

s

per yard

Paid for a Perrew igFor a new capfor m y Perriw ig

Some'

usefu l l i sts of t h e seventeenth century gar

men ts and mate r ial s , with th e pri ces pai d for them,

have been prin ted by Rev . Dr. J . Char les Cox in Th e

A nces tor,Nos . 2 and 3, unde r t h e t i tle of Th e H ouse

h old B ooh s of S ir M i les S tapleton ,B art . but there i s

no space for extracts in th e presen t volume .

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HLY ORNAMENTED YELLOW SAT I N GOWN OFQU ILTED AND RIC

ABOUT THE YEAR 1725

C HAPTE R 1x

E IGHTE ENTH CENTURY COSTUME

HE costume of t h e e ighteenth century , i f lacking

in th e refinemen t and grace of ear l ier t imes , w as

di st inctly quain t and pi cturesque . During t h e

re ign of Queen Anne t h e fash ion w as in t h e di recti on

of square-cut coats with ample ski rts and long , ample

wai stcoats descending to t h e knees in such a w ay as

to conceal t h e breeches , which we re worn wi th long

stockings . Pockets , cuffs , and buttons were strongly

marked features of t h e coat . Garters , buckled shoes ,a white cravat , shi rt with gathered-up cuffs at t h e

wrists,cocked h at , and long, flowing wigs comple ted

th e male att i re during t h e first half of t h e cen tu ry .

In t h e accompanying i l l ustrat i on i s shown a dress

of qu i lted and r ich ly ornamen ted ye l low sat in,with

qu i l t ed white satin under-gown or fore-part wrought

in e laborate floral designs . Th e s leeves have tu rned

back cuffs,and are shaped to t h e arm . Th e uppe r

part of t h e gown h as a turned-back col lar and i s cut

l ow. Th e gown i s be l ieved to be long to t h e earl ie r

hal f of t h e e ighteen th cen tury,pe rhaps about t h e year

1 72 5, and i s an exce l len t example of t h e dress of t h e

per iod .

1 I 6 ENGLISH COSTUME

THE COCKED HAT

Th e cocked h at,as w e now know it from t h e dramati c

and pi ctorial representations of D ick Turp in and othe r

highwaymen of ancien t times , i s a type of a very large

class of hats . I t i s l ineal ly descended from t h e h igh

crowned hats which we re in favour during t h e re igns

of E l i zabe th and James I , and which l inge red on unt i l

t h e t i me of Charles I I . Before t h e latte r per i od , how

ever, t h e r im became remarkably broad , and when

much worn or exposed to rough and windy weathe r ,i t w as l iable to hang down in an uncomfortable fash ion

close to t h e head . At that stage t h e hats were com

m only known as s louched hats . Th e broad-brimmed

h at, su rrounded with feathers , prevai led in t h e re i gn

of Charles I I,and con tinued during a great part of

that of Wi l l iam I I I . But , from t h e inconven ience of

t h e broad br im, one flapw as made to be cocked up,

and w as placed e i the r in fron t or at t h e back of th e

head .

Th e advantage of thi s arrangemen t w as at once seen ;and anothe r part of t h e r im w as fastened up

,making

a h at with two upturned flaps . About t h e t ime of

Queen Anne , t h e th i rd flap w as i ntroduced , which

formed t h e complete cocked h at .

I t thus becomes apparen t that th is particular formof head-gear h ad no special s ign ificance in i tse l f, but

rathe r that i t grew out of th e undue proport i ons which

t h e h at - r ims of t h e seventee nth cen tury h ad assumed .

I n th e middle of t h e e ighteen th cen tu ry th e cocked h at

w as worn as a mark of genti l i ty, professional rank ,

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E IGHTEENTH CENTURY COSTUME 1 17

and dist inction from th e lowe r orders , who wore them

uncocked .

Th e cocked h at,cocked at tw o points , sti l l continues

r

years worn by t h e Pres iden t of t h e Society of An ti

a new fe l low,and

,al though t h e practi ce of actual ly

wearing i t h as ceased , t h e h at i s sti l l p laced on t h e

table before t h e Presiden t at eve ry mee ting of th e

Society .

WIGS

In t h e str ict sense of t h e t e rm these we re hard ly,

perhaps , parts o f costume , but i t wi l l be conven ient

to deal wi th them in this p lace .

Th e history of t h e pe riwig begins during t h e time

of Queen E l i zabeth o r a l i ttle before . What i s be

l ieved to be t h e earl iest men t ion of i t in E ngland i s an

en try among th e Privy Purse expen ses of Hen ry VI I I ,whe re t h e i tem “ for a perw yke forSexton th e King’s

fool,20 shi l l ings , occurs unde r t h e date o f Decembe r,

152 9 . In t h e middle of t h e s ixteen th cen tury they we re

ve ry gene ral ly worn,and towards t h e end o f t h e cen tu ry

t h e demand for hai r for maki ng them h ad become so

great as to rende r i t dange rous for ch i ldren to wande r

about al one , as i t w as common for them to be en ti ced

away and depr i ved of the i r hai r .

In t h e middle of t h e seven teenth century pegiw igs

of immense s ize we re worn by t h e c le rgy as we l l as

1 18 E NGLISH COSTUME

t h e I t i s a curious fact that t h e wear ing of such

arg iw igs h ad an i mportan t and lasting effect on

certain arti cles of eccles ias t ical at t i re,t h e epi scopal

ch ime re and‘

the parson ’s surpl i ce both be ing opened

in fron t in orde r to accommodate them .

In order to keep these enormous pe r iwigs in good

orde r , smal l , sl ightly hol lowed cyl inde rs of p i pe-clay

we re made hot and used as a kind of shape for winding

t h e long curls upon . These objects,of wh i ch large

numbers are found in London and othe r large cen tres

of popu lat ion ,are cal led wig- curlers

,bi l boquets

, and

rou lettes. They we re oft en cal led “ pipes ” from t h e

fact that they were made of pipe-clay,and th e use of

these warmed rou lette s wi th a wig , in orde r to restoret h e cr i spness and neatn ess of i ts cur l s

,w as in th e

e ighteen th cen tu ry cal led “to put a wig in pipes .

”

Th e Daily E xpense-book of James Maste r , from

which a ser ies of extract s i s given above , affords

several interesting gl impses of t h e growing fashion

of wear ing t h e wig .

Thus,unde r t h e date 18 N w e find

an en try of t h e paymen t of gs for a

per iwig . O n t h e 23rd of t h e th e sum

of fifteen shi l l ings i s pai d for a per iwig . e fo l low

ing February a per iwig and new curl ing of anothe r

cost seventeen sh i l l ings . O n t h e 18 th of May fo l low

ing ,a new pe riwig i s purchased for s ixteen S h i l l ings .

In Septembe r of t h e same year one pound i s

expended on a new per iwig “and curl ing 3 othe r .

As time wen t on ,i t i s clear that t h e wigs became

more e laborate and more expens i ve , for a perrew ig”

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1 20 E NGLISH COSTUME

Bob-Wigs,

” “ bag-wigs,

” “ campaign wigs ,” “ t ra

ve l l ing wigs,

”etc. ,

we re othe r forms . Th e cau l iflowe r

wig w as a rathe r shape ly,close-cropped wig , much

affected by t h e clergy . Dr . Jeremiah M i l les , Dean of

E xete r,who died in 1784 , i s represented as wear ing

such a wig in t h e exce l lent portrai t bust be long i ng to

t h e Socie ty of Anti quar i es , at Burl ington House.

1

Th e extravagances of th e fash ionable world in t h e

second hal f of t h e e i ghteent h cen tu ry are we l l shown

by some beauti fu l gowns for ladies ’ wear pre served in

t h e Museum at Stockholm . In one splendid example

of a court dress , compris ing a r i chly ornamen ted ki rtle ,a c lose ly fitt ing bodice ending in a stomacher- l i ke

poin t, and an outer gown

, open in fron t , extending

on ly just so far as to be vis i ble on each side near th e

hips , t h e s ides of t h e dress are distended to a total

width of nearly five feet . This dress w as made in 175 1 .

I n another lady’s cou rt dress of t h e year 1766, t h e hip

i mprovem ents are even more angu lar and pronounced ,

1 Th e w ig l inge red on as part of t h e episcopal costum e beyond th em iddle o f t h e n ine t een th cen tury. D r. George Murray, Bishop of

Rocheste r, w h o d ied in 1 860 , is be l ieved to be one o f t h e last of

th e Eng l ish episcopacy to w ear t h e w ig .

Th e chain buékle .

co rded buck le .

de tached buck le .

Jas en is t bob .

drop-w ig .

snai l-back .

spinach seed.

art ichoke .

etc. , e tc .

STAY BUSK,I NSCR I BED E .E . 177b

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1 2 2 ENGLISH COSTUME

Many'

of t h e costumes worn on t hese occasions we re

remarkable on ly for the i r pecu l iar i ty— thus , one man

appeared as hal f mi l le r, hal f ch imney- swee anothe r

as Adam , dressed in fles h -coloured s i lk and an apron

Of fig- leaves . ButW 1

pounds .

m éf d/

s t h e end of t h e e ighteen th cen tury i t w as th e

fash i on for both ladi es and gen t lemen to wear two

watches,t h e short chains of which hung down from t h e

wai st-be l ts in t h e case of t h e ladies , and from smal l

pocket s or fobs in t h e breeches of t h e gent lemen .

Th e gentlemen of t h e day wore the i r wigs clubbed ,that i s , made into a kind of club-shaped mass

,and muffs

of large s i ze were worn even at t h e theatre .

Th e i mportance of t h e muff as an arti c le of fash ion

able costume in t h e year 1787 i s indicated by t h e fact

that one of blue fox var ied in pr ice from a guinea’

and a

hal f to t en gu ineas , and muffs of natu ral black fox we re

offe red for sale and bought at prices ranging from four

gu ineas to fifty guineas .

MACARON I COSTUME

Th e per iod be tween 1770 and 1 775, roughly speaking ,w as marked by one of t h e most extraordinary and m on

strous eccen tr i c i t i es of head-dress , in both ladies and

gent lemen,which t h e world of fashion h as eve r wi t

nes s ed. During th e prevalence of that fash ion , i t w as

no uncommon th ing for ladies to keep the i r head

dressed for a mon th at a t ime without d i stu rbing t h e

A MACARON I

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1 24 ENGL IS H COSTUME

bounds of fash ion ; and i s now j ustly used as a t erm

of reproach to al l ranks of people who fal l into this

absurdity .

” This w as wri tten in 1772 , but th e popu lar

est imat ion o f a Macaron i must have fal len sti l l lowe r

at a late r date,for in one defin i t i on , wri tten nearly

hal f a century afte rwards,w e find him descri bed as

“a coarse , rude , low person .

”

Th e Macaron i w as t h e fop or dandy of hi s day , but

unfortunat e ly t h e absurd ities of his costume we re not

confined to hi s ow n sex . Th e ladies adopted th e Maca

ron i style , and the i r ch ief aim seemed to be to v ie wi th

each othe r in t h e magn i tude and extravagance of the i r

head-dress .

I t i s not to be wondered at that t h e car icaturists and

wi t s of t h e day made fun of these absurd ities . Indeed ,t h e Macaron i s made fun of them themse lves , introducing

them in the i r most wide ly extravagant forms into m as

querades .

They paraded t h e wal ks of Hyde Park , exci t ing

t h e r idicu le of eve ry beholde r . Upon t h e top of his

head t h e Macaron i wore an exceedingly smal l cocked

h at,with go ld button and loop , and a go l d tasse l on

each side,to preserve i t s equi l i bri um . Coat , wai st

coat,and breeches we re al l equal ly short and t ight

fit t ing ; t h e last be ing frequen t ly of striped si l k, with

large bunche s of ri bbon at t h e knees . Th e cane ,often used to l i ft t h e h at from t h e head , w as as fan

tas t ic as t h e rest of th e costum e : i t w as general ly of

porten tous length , and decorated wi th an abundance

of s i l k tasse l s . Large bunches of seal s and chains

at tached to tw o watches , a white n ecktie fastened unde r

E IGHTE E NTH CENTURY COSTUME 1 2 5

t h e ch in with an i mmense bow, whi te si lk stockings

in al l weathe rs , and smal l shoes wi th d iamond buckles ,completed th e at ti re .

Some of t h e extravagances of t h e e ighteenth

cen tury costume are detai led in t h e fo l lowing l ines ,wri t ten in 1 776 :

G ive C loe a bushel o f ho rsehai r and wool ,Of pas te and pom atum a pound,

Ten yards of gay r ibbon to deck h e r swee t S kull ,And gauze to encompass i t round.

O f all t h e gay colour s th e rainbow displays ,Be those ribbons w h ich hang on h er head

Be h er fiounces adapted to m ake t h e folks gaze ,And about t h e w hole w ork be t hey spread.

Le t h er flaps fly beh ind, for a yard at t h e leas t ,Le t h e r cur ls m ee t jus t unde r h er ch in

Let t hose cur ls be suppo rted , to keepupth e jest ,Wi th an hundred, in s t ead of one

, pin .

I t i s a noteworthy fact that t h e end of 't h e e ighteenth

cen tury,which witnessed th e grot esque ou t burst of

extravagance in t h e Shape o f t h e Macaron i fashi on ,a phase which m ay be regarded as t h e final deve l op

men t of th e olde r fashion,wi t nessed al so t h e in t roduc

t i on of a new style,scarce ly less absurd

,in t h e form

of t h e tal l h at .

THE TALL HAT

Th e tal l h at, one of t h e most remarkable and uncom

fortab le parts of mode rn at t i re,w as fi rst publ ic ly worn

in London on 15 January , 1 79 7. Th e first to introduce

1 26 E NGLISH COSTUME

th e fashi on of wear ing i t w as John Hether ington ,a

habe rdasher resi ding in t h e Strand , London . Th e

resul t of wearing such a startl ing nove l ty in head-gear

w as that a large crowd of Spectators gathered round

t h e haberdasher before h e h ad proceeded far along t h e

stree t . He ther ington w as arraigned before t h e Lord

Mayor on a charge of breach of t h e peace and in

c i ting to r i ot,and w as requ i red to give bonds in t h e

sum of 500. Th e evidence produced wen t to Show

that Mr . H ether ington ,who w as we l l connected , ap

peared on t h e publ i c h ighway wear ing upon his head

what h e cal led a s i l k h at (which w as produced), a tal l

structu re having a shiny lustre,and cal cu lated to

fr ighten t im id people . As a matter of fact , t h e o ffice rs

of t h e Crown stat ed that seve ral women fain ted at t h e

unusual s ight,whi le chi ldren screamed , dogs ye lped ,

and a young son of Cordi w m er Thomas,w h o w as

return ing from a Chandler’s shop, w as thrown down by

t h e crowd which h ad col lected , and h ad his r igh t arm

broken .

One of th e London newspapers,in comment ing on

thi s curious commoti on ove r t h e in troduction of a new

h at , regards t h e innovation as“an advance in dress

e form ,and one which i s bound , sooner or_ _ later , toW

stam i ts characte r u on t h e en t i re commun i ty . Th e

new h at Is destined to work a revolu t i on in head ear ,h m“

and w e th ink th e officers of t h e Crown e rred in placing

I t seems open to questi on whether t h e tal l h at w as an

ent i re ly new inven t i on of t h e e ighteen th cen tury , be

cause i t i s qu ite poss i ble that th e i dea may be traced to

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1 2 8 E NGLISH COSTUME

we re made of enormous s i ze,and they must have

appeared as inarti sti c as they were use less acces so i‘ ies

of dress in a warm theatre .

Muffetees we re smal l muff s or mi tten s worn around

t h e wrists . They were made of e i ther fur or worsted ,and of var ious co lours .

A sat i r i cal song on male fash ions in t h e t i me of

Queen Anne m ent i on s scarlet and green m uffe tees as

worn by m en at that t i me .

An early e igh t een th cen tu ry beau i s thus summed

up by D’

U rfey in Wi t and M i r th ( 1 706)

A w ig that ’s full ,An empty scull ,

A box o f burgam ot ;

A h at ne’e r m ade

To fit t h e h ead,

No m o re t han that to plot ;A hand t hat ’s w h i te

,

A r ing t hat ’s r igh t ,A sw o rd—knot , patch and feathe r ;A g racious sm i le ,And g rounds and oyl ,

Do ve ry w e l l toge t he r .

Th e al lus i on to t h e h at not fi tting t h e head clearly

refe rs to t h e fash ion of t h e per i od for beaux to carry

t h e h at unde r t h e arm , not on t h e head,so that t h e

large powde red per iwig might not suffe r thereby .

Hoop petticoats we re ve ry fashionable in t h e early

part of t h e e igh teen th cen tury,and one of t h e earl iest

bal lads refe rring to t h e custom w as one wri t ten about

th e year 1 733, comm encing

E IGHTE ENTH CENTURY COSTUME 1 2 9

What a fine th ing have I seen to-day

0 m othe r,a hoop

I m us t have one , you cannot say nay

0 m othe r,a hoop!

For husbands are got ten th is w ay to be sure ,Men

’s eyes and m en’s heart s they s o n eat ly allu re ,

0 m othe r , a hoop, a hoop 0 m o the r , a h OOp!

Th e fol low m g descript i on of a fashionable lady ’s

costume in t h e year 1 754 i s extracted from Th e

Un iversal Magaz ine of that year

Th e dre ss i n t h e year fif ty- th ree t hat w as w o rnIs laid in t h e g rave , and ne w fash ions are bo rnThen hear w hat our good cor re sponden t s advance ,’Ti s th e pink O f t h e m ode , and

’

t i s dated from F ranceLe t your capbe a but te rfly , s ligh t ly hung on ,

L ike th e she l l of a lapw ing jus t h atch’

d,on h er c row n

Beh ind,like a coach ho rse , sho r t dock

’

d cut you r hai r,

S t ick a flow e r b efo re , sc rew , w h i ff , w i th an air ;

A Vandyke in fri ze you r n eck m us t su r round ,Turn you r law n s in to gau ze , le t you r B russe ls be b lond,Le t your s tom ache r reach from shoulde r to shoulde r ,And your b reas t w i l l appear m uch fai re r and bolde rWear a gow n or a sacques , as fanc ie s prevai l ,But w i th flounces and furb e low s ruffi e you r tai lS e t your h OOp, show your s tock ings and legs to your knees ,And leave m en as li t t le as m ay be to guess‘

For o the r sm all ornam en t s do as b efo re ,Wear ribbands a hundred , and ruffle s a sco reLe t you r talk , like your dre ss , be fan tas t ick and odd

,

And you ’ll sh ine at t h e Mal l ’

t i s tas te a- la-m ode .

C H A PTE R X

MED I/EVAL AND LATER GARMENTS

HERE are many m edia val garmen ts whose

names and forms are forgotten by th e fash ion

able world of t h e presen t t ime . I n t h e case of

som e w e sti l l possess su rvival s e i the r in form ,or name ,

or both : but th e maj ori ty have undergone so much

modificat ion as to be utte rly un l i ke t h e or i ginal s wh ich

w e s ee i n contemporary represen tation s of m edia val

costume . I n t h e presen t chapte r brief descriptions

wi l l be found of some of t h e more in te rest ing , im

portant , and l i t tle - known garments o f t h e M i ddle Ages

and more recen t t imes .

BARBE

Thi s w as a piece of l inen ,pleated into folds

,worn by

widows ove r or unde r t h e ch in,and fal l ing straight

down to t h e breast . I t w as worn as part of th e dress of

ladies in mourn ing as we l l as by actual widows,and

w as in vogue during t h e fourteen th and fifteen th cen

turies . From t h e “ Ordinance for th e Reformat i on of

Appare l l for th e good E states of Women in th e tym e of

Mourn ing ”

(Harle ian MS . ,made by Margaret ,

Countess of R i chmond , mothe r of H en ry VI I,w e

learn that th e barbe w as pe rm i t ted to be worn above130

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132 ENGLISH COSTUME

kind of rol led-over top enci rc l ing t h e leg just above t h e

ankle , lace-holes and laces extending to t h e toes, and

e i ther no hee l s or very smal l hee l s . Th e so les of th i s

ear ly type of shoe s we re often made of wood .

After t h e Norman Conquest shoes we re of various

colours,probably colou red leathe r

,includ ing ye l low

,

blue , green ,and red, and they became r iche r as t ime

advanced .

Chausses , a term especial ly used for armour for th e

legs , w as al so used to indicate t h e pan taloons or

tight cove rings for th e legs and fee t , introduced from

France .

Many extravagant and fantastic forms of boots or

shoes we re worn duri ng t h e re ign of Wi l l iam I I, and

as t ime advanced thei r points we re made more and

more extravagan tly long . During t h e re igns of

Hen ry I and Stephen peak- toed boots and shoes , pro

vocat i ve of sati re and r idi cu le , became t h e vogue for

lay folk , al though they we re not perm i tted to be’

worn

by t h e clergy .

A curi ous type , fash ionable at th i s per iod,w as that

known as pigacia, t h e poin ts of which resembled th e

tai l of a scorpion . Anothe r variety w as that known as

t h e cornado , in which t h e curl of a ram ’s horn w as

s imulated .

I n t h e fourteenth cen tu ry t h e shoes worn exhi bi ted

exagge rated right and left tendencies, t h e poin t im

mediate ly beyond t h e great toe be ing lengthen ed ,whi lst t h e curve on t h e oute r s ide of th e foot w as

strongly marked so as to show t h e precise outl ine at

that poin t .

MEDIXEVAL AND LATER GARMENTS 133

Th e extravagan t length of t h e toes o f shoes reached

i ts greatest deve lopmen t , perhaps , during th e re ign

of R i chard I I , a period which w as remarkable for

e laborate and cost ly costume . At thi s epoch t h e long

toes of boots and shoes are sai d to have been attached

to t h e knees of t h e weare rs in orde r to make wal king

a possi ble exe rci se .

In a monumental e ffigy at Margate , Ken t (that to

Nicho las Cant eys , who d ied in some good

examples of shoes are represen ted , in which t h e whole

of th e surface of t h e leather i s powde red wi th stars of

vari ous s izes,and th e fasten i ng i s by means of lacing

upt h e s ides .

Another example , al so of t h e re i gn of

Hen ry VI , i s to be found i n a brass of a

frankl in in Fave rsham par i sh church ,Ken t . In th i s instance t h e boots are

fastened in fron t by mean s of two straps

and buckles . Boots reach ing somewhat

highe r up t h e leg ,and fastened in fron t Boots, ci rca 1480

by four sets of straps and buckles , are

represent ed in an in te resting

monumen t in E l ford Chu rch ,Staffordsh i re

,of about t h e year

1480.

In t h e next example here

figured w e have a spurred,de

fensive boot of t h e year 1568

from t h e monumen tal brass to

S i r Richard Molyneux at S ef

Boot and spur, 1568 ton , Lancashi re . Th e s l ipper

134 ENGLIS H COSTUME

l i ke shoe from th e monumen tal brass to Wi l l iam

Hodges , 1590, at t h e chu rch of Weston - su b - E dge,

G l ouceste rshi re , i s an interesting form of th e’ latte r

end of th e century in which t h e crude markings m ayrepresen t cuts or s lashings in th e leather .

Shoe , 1590 Jack-boots, 1629

Th e brass to S i r E dward F i l me r , at East Sutton,

Ken t, depicts some good examples of jack-boot s of t h e

year 162 9 , a type which unde rwen t many variations

du ring t h e seventeen th century .

A valuable i l l ustrated account of boots and shoes

at var i ous periods of hi story m ay be found in th e

Vi scoun t Di l lon ’s ed i tion of Fairh olt ’s Cos tum e in

E ngland, Vol . I I .CAS SOCK

Th e original form of t h e cassock seems to have been

t hat of a long,l oose gown

,but t h e te rm h as been used

loose ly and vague ly . By some i t h as been regarded

as a loose kind of mi l itary cloak worn by sold iers ,

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136 E NGLISH COSTUME

COAT

Th e coat seems to have been fi rst known in E ngland

by that name in t h e fift een th century . By a gradual

process of change t h e coat m ay be said to have been

evolved f rom t h e vest or long ou te r garmen t worn

t owards t h e end of t h e re ign of Charles I I . Th e

lower part of t h e s leeves of thi s garmen t we re adorned

by a tu rn ed-back cuff,and some t imes t h e sleeves were

ful led and puffed . During t h e re ign of james I I t h e

coat became a very popular garmen t . As t h e length

increased t h e s ides we re found to be inconven ien t , and

t h e corne rs we re accordingly fasten ed back (some tim es

wi th a button)to keep them out of t h e w ay. Th is w as

ve ry apparen t in t h e mi l i tary cos tumes of th e last

centu ry . I t does not appear that t h e s ides of t h e coat

were cut away un t i l t h e re ign of George I I I .

Th e two but tons at t h e back of a modern coat are an

i nte rest ing survival of those bu t tons which in forme r

t imes assi sted to support t h e sword- be l t . They speak

of a t ime when swords were worn as much by private

ind iv i dual s as by m embe rs of t h e mi l i tary and naval

p rofessi ons .

Th e var i ous changes and modificat i on s th rough

which t h e coat h as passed , from t h e vest of t h e time

of Charles I I to t h e fami l iar form of ou r ow n day ,

would afford a su ffic ien t theme for a long chap t e r , but

as space does not admi t o f that , i t wi l l on ly be poss i ble

to touch briefly upon t h e subject.

Th e poi nts of t h e coat- co l lar tu rned back on t h e

breast remind one of th e e ighteen th cen tury me thod ,

GENTLEMAN ’S COAT AND TRUNKS,EARLY E IGHTEENTH CENTURY

(F RO M THE I SHA M COLLE CT ION)

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138 E NGLISH COSTUME

Ladies wore t h e cote-hard ie of greate r length , some

t imes reaching to th e fee t .Th e s ide less cote-hard ie

,which w as a ve ry fashion

able female garm en t in t h e M idd le Ages,i s repre

sen ted in vari ous stage s of deve lopment , in t h e ser ies

of e ffig ies figured by T. and G . Hol l i s and Stothard .

Many of t h e monum en tal brasses publ i shed by t h e

brothe rs Wal le r and in th e portfol i os of th e Monu

men tal B rass Society, and var ious handbooks on t h e

subject , are equal ly usefu l . I t wi l l obviously be

impossi ble and unnecessary to refe r to more than a

ve ry smal l p roport ion .

Th e earl iest of t h e monumen tal b rasses to show

thi s garmen t i s t h e memorial to S i r John de Greke

and lady, at West ley Waterless Church , Cambridge

sh i re , t h e date of which h as been supposed by good

authori t ies to be about th e year 132 5. Th e lady

wears a ke rch ief and wimple . H e r undermost gar

ment i s a close ly fitting gown ; ove r th i s i s a cote

hard ie with t h e s ides cut away al l round th e arm .

These edge s,as we l l as t h e edges of t h e man tle

throughout , are decorated by an inne r l ine which

gives an invected or scal loped appearance . Portu

mate ly , th e mant le i s wide ly open ed in fron t, so that

i t i s poss i ble to s ee t h e arrangemen t of t h e dresses

qu i te we l l . Th e mater ial of t h e cote i s qu i te th in , and

from a fo ld which i s brought under t h e r ight hand one

can s ee that th e cut in t h e s ide of t h e garment extends

from ove r t h e shou lde r almost to t h e wai st .

Th e e ffigy of Lady Montacute ( in Oxford Cathedral),so famous for othe r detai ls of costume , al so show s a

MEDIE VAL AND LATER GARME NTS 139

remarkably good example of a side l ess cote-hard ie .

Th e date of t h e monumen t ( 1354)indicates t h e deve lopment of t h e fashion at abou t t h e middle of t h e fou r

t een th cen tu ry . Th e cuts on each side are edged with

an ext reme ly ri ch ornamen t of formal fol iated work .

Th e mater ial of wh ich t h e cote i s constructed i s of

t h e most beau t i fu l descr iption . Th e ground colou r i s

a r i ch rose-pink , and ove r i t i s a patt ern of powdered

leopards ’ heads , roses , and perhaps v ine leaves and

scro l ls,t h e latte r i n green ,

t h e forme r in ye l low and

pink . Anything more beaut ifu l i n t h e form of a

m edia val garmen t i s almost inconce i vable .

Ornamen tation round t h e open ing on each s i de of

t h e cote-hard ie w as ev i den t ly a great feature in t h e

lat te r part of t h e fourteenth cen tu ry , and t h e m ethod

of wearing t h e man t le open suggests that t h e orna

men ts we re in tended to be seen and admired . A

good example i s to be found on th e brass to t h e

wife of S i r Thomas Wal sh,di ed 1393, at Wan l i p

church,Le i ceste rsh i re .

FARTH INGALE

Thi s cur i ous artic le o f att i re i s pract i cal ly con tem

porary in i t s origin with t h e ruff ; in other words , i t

came into use a l i t t le before or at t h e access ion of

Queen E l i zabeth,and cont inued in vogue , wi th some

extraordinary deve lopmen ts , during h er l ong re ign ,

reach ing its most exagge rated form in th e t im e of

Ann e of Denmark,t h e second queen of james I .

A t fi rst t h e farth ingale w as be l l-shaped , be ing smal l

at t h e hips and broaden ing out consi derably as i t

140 ENGLI SH COSTUME

descended . By t h e end of t h e s ixtee n th cen tu ry i t

became much deve l oped on t h e hips , and assumed

what h as been cal l ed t h e whee l - shape .

Th e farthingale,which m ay be regarded as t h e

prototype of t h e e ighteenth cen tu ry hoop , and t h e

crinol ine and “ dress- i mprover ” of more mode rn

t imes , w as clear ly in i ts or igin a contr i vance for

d isp laying to t h e best advantage th e rich and costly

fabrics used for t h e dresses o f t h e pe r iod . In pro

cess of t im e,howeve r

,i t i s equal ly c lear that th e

farth ingale w as admi red by people of fash ion for

i ts ow n shape,and for t h e proportions i t i mparted to

th e var ious parts of dress . Thi s i s indicated -by th e

fact that t h e ful ly deve loped farth ingale w as invariably

accompan ied by a long,sti ff

,and poin ted stomache r

(s ee STOMACHER), t h e effect of wh ich w as to emphasize

t h e breadth and bu lk of th e farthingale .

FRONTLET

Th e frontle t w as a str ip or band of cloth , s i l k , or

ve lve t,oft en r i ch ly ornamen ted

,worn by ladi es ove r

t h e top of t h e head and descending on each side of

t h e face down to t h e waist . (S ee HEAD DRESSES O F

LAD I ES .)GLOVE S

Th e early h istory of gloves i s involved in some

obscuri ty . Planché,in hi s Cy clope dia of Cos tum e

,

remarks t hat glov es'

do not appear to have been worn

in E ngland before t h e end of t h e tenth o r t h e begin

n ing of th e e leven th cen tury , and probably t hey we re

of Ge rman manufacture . These early gloves we re

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MED IE VAL AND LATER GARMENTS 14 1

ve ry rare and cost ly, and were worn on ly by t h e most

exal ted personages . The re i s confirmat ion of this i n

t h e fact that gloves form part of t h e coronat i on gar

ments of t h e E ngl i sh sove re igns and are al so part of

epi scopal vestmen ts .

Before gloves came in to common use th e hands we re

kept warm by mean s of t h e l ong S leeves o f t h e gowns .

Fai rh ol t , in his Cos tume in E ngland, points out that

even “ in th e fou rteenth cen tury gloves we re com

m on ly worn wi th long tops , and carr i ed in t h e hand

or thrust beneath th e girdle ,” so that at that early date

they h ad ceased to be en ti re ly art i cles of u t i l i ty and

conven ience , and h ad become parts of fashionable

costume .

Gloves were somet imes worn in t h e h at in th e M i ddle

Ages , and wi th three di st inct m ean ings , viz . as th e

favou r of a mistress , t h e memorial of a friend , and t h e

chal lenge to an en emy .

Epi scopal gloves were woven throughout and adorned

with embroi dery and jewe l s . Th e accompanying sketch

i s from t h e monumen tal b rass to Robe rtWyv i l l , Bishopof Sal i sbury . Th e gloves represent t h e type worn by

bi shops in t h e year 1375.

Th e actual gloves of Wi l l iam of Wykeham ,Bishop

of Wincheste r,w h o died in 1404 , st i l l exi st at New

Col lege,Oxford

,where they are treasu red as re l i cs of

one of t h e most powerfu l and remarkable m en of hi s

t ime,a m an who w as not on ly a great bu i lder , and a

dist ingui shed dign i tary of t h e Church , but also Lord

Chance l lor of E ngland . Wykeham ’s gloves , which

are woven of faded red si l k,have on t h e back t h e

14 2 E NGLISH COSTUME

sacred monogram “ I H S in a ci rc le su rrounded

by t h e rays of t h e sun .

Th e gloves of Queen E l i zabe th are prese rved in t h e

Bodle ian ‘Li brary at Oxford . O ne glove of Mary

Queen of Scots i s preserved in Saffron Wal den

Museum . O thers which once be l onged to t h e same

Queen are in t h e Ashmo lean Museum,Oxford . O ne

of t h e gloves of james I , made of crimson s i lk , i s in

private possessi on . In al l these royal gloves t h e

finge rs and th e ch ief part which cove rs t h e hands have

been left unornamen ted , but fringe and e laborate em

bro ide ry en r ich t h e gaun t l ets , or those parts which

surround and reach a conside rable distance up t h e

wrists .

Th e gloves common ly worn by ladies and gentle

m en of t h e per iod extending from t h e re ign of E l i za

beth unt i l t h e end of t h e e i ghteen th cen tury, general ly

appear to have ornamen t ed gaunt let s , and probably

they did not di ffe r great ly from those of royal personages of t h e time , except in r i chness of mate r ial and

”

e laboration of ornamen t .

An exce l lent example of gloves of t h e per iod of

Que en E l i zabeth , from t h e I sham Col lect i on , Is I n t h e

Victoria and Albe rt Museum (s ee t h e accompanying

i l l ustrat i on). Th e gloves are of l ight brown leathe r,wi th deep gaun t let s o f white s i lk embroide red with

co l oured si lks , si lve r gi l t and s i lve r thread , and also

st r ips and spangles . They are edged wi th si lve r-gi l t

lace .

There are a good many in te rest ing surv ival s of t h e

forme r symbo l i cal mean ing associat ed with t h e wear

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144 E NGLISH COSTUME

Before glancing at th i s ser ies of effigies engraved on

brass , howeve r , i t m ay be conven ient to begin wi th t h e

ear l ier figures in i l lum inated MS S .

Th e ev i dence for t h e costume of ladies prior to t h e

ear l i e r years of t h e fourteenth cen tu ry con si sts of

i l luminated MS S .,sepu lch ral e ffig ies , and othe r carv

ings . In t h e magn ificen t i l l uminated Psal ter executed

for Robe rt of Lindsey , abbot of Pe te rborough from

1 2 15 to 1 2 2 2,and now preserved , as one of t h e finest

exist ing E ngl i sh manuscripts of i ts t ime,in t h e l i brary

of t h e Soci ety of An t i quaries of London ,w e find a

very charm ing head-dress worn by t h e Blessed Vi rgin

Mary. I t cons ist s of a loose ly sett ing wimple cove r

ing l i t t le o f t h e neck and s ides of t h e face,a ke rch ief

cove r ing t h e topof t h e head and kept in posi t ion by a

cl ose ly fi tt ing st i ff band round t h e head . Thi s band

h as at two vi si ble places poin ted addit i ons suggest i ve

of t h e ornamen ts of a Corone t . Th e wimple and

ke rchief are both , apparen tly, o f thin , fine mate r ial .

Th e head-dress i s ve ry s imple and dec idedly gracefu l ,and

,from t h e hi story of t h e manuscript , must be o f

qu i te early th i rteenth cen tury date .

Anothe r source of informati on on th i s subject i s th e

fine se ries of sculptures adorn ing t h e west fron t of

\Ve l l s Cathedral , 1 th e period of whi ch extends from

abou t 1 2 2 0 to 1 240. In t h e lowe r t ie r of figure s there

i s a statue , be l ieved to represent S t . Mary Magdalen

with h er box of o in tment,whose head i s cove red with

a t ightly fit t ing st i ff band,whi l st a ke rchief forms a

species of loose wimple hanging from t h e band on t h e

1 S ee Arch w alog ia, Vol. L IX , pp. 143, 2 06 .

ME DIE VAL AND LATER GARMENTS 145

head . The re are two or three othe r female head-dresses

resembl ing this , and in more than one case the re i s a

dist inct ly- represented band passing tightly under th e

ch in , and so arranged , apparent ly , as to secure ly fix

t h e head-dress upon t h e head .

A sti l l c learer i l lustrati on of t h e detai l s of thi s species

of head-and- ch in-band head-dress i s to be found in t h e

e ffigy of a lady, apparen tly of t h e latte r end of t h e

th i rteen th cen tury , in Romsey Church , Hampshi re .

Th e ear l i est of t h e head-dresses of women Shown on

brasses i s that commemorat ing Margarete de Cam oys ,

about th e year 1310 , at Trotton Church , Sussex . Th i s

i s a gracefu l and we l l -proportioned piece of work.

Th e figu re wears an ample cote-hardie , a ki rt le wi th

tight-fit t ing ,buttoned s leeves

,a wimple cover ing t h e

point of t h e ch in and th e ears,and a ve i l and kerch ief

(or coverch ief)enve loping t h e whole of t h e upper part

of t h e head and fal l ing down to t h e shou lde rs in

de l i cate folds which indicate a fine and probably qu i t e

soft mater ial . Th e hai r, which i s confined across t h e

forehead by an ornamen tal fi l let, i s al l owed to appear

on e i ther s ide of t h e brow in t h e form of smal l S ingle

curls . Th e outer garmen t , or cote-hardie , h ad once

been ornamen t ed by n ine shie lds of arms,all of which

have been stolen .

Another very simi lar e ffigy is that of Lady Joan de

Cobham ,of about t h e year 1320, in Cobham Church

,

Ken t . Fu rther specimens exhi biting practical ly t h e

same style of head-dress are‘ ( i) on th e reve rse of a

pal impsest brass at Norbury Church , Derbyshi re , repre

senting , probably , Mat i l da, wife of S ir Theobald de

146 E NGLISH COSTUME

Lady o f S ir John de

C reke , about 132 5

(West ley Wate rless ,Camb ridgesh ire)

Ve rdun , died 131 2 , and buri ed in

Croxden Abbey ; ( i i)a hal f-effigy of

a lady, of about t h e year 1350, at

Upchu rch , Ken t ; and ( i i i) t h e e ffigy

of t h e wife of S i r John de C reke,

132 5, here figured .

Another deve l opmen t re lat ing to

t h e arrangement of t h e head - dress

w as t h e plai t i ng of t h e hai r on e i the r

s ide of th e face somewhat in th e form

of ears of corn . Thi s form o f hai r

d ress ing i s found in connecti on with

t h e s leeve less cote-hard ie .

Th e n ext stage i n head- dress i s that

known by t h e te rms z igzag , nebule,

or ret i cu lated forms . Thi s kind real ly

consist s of close caps or cau ls in

which t h e hai r i s enclosed . Th e t erms

z igzag and nebu le indicate a spec i es

of waved fr i l l s th e re t i culated form,

as t h e word indicates , w as a k ind of

ne twork som et imes jewe l led . A n ex

ce l len t example of t h e wavy , or nebu le,kind of cau l i s represen ted in t h e

brass to Maud Lady de Cobham,

who died about t h e year 1360. Th e

brass forms one of th e supe rb ser ies

in Cobham Church,Kent . Th e cau l

encloses th e hai r of t h e whole of t h e

head down to a poin t lowe r than t h e

ears. He re a short length of hai r i s

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148 E NGLISH COSTUME

Dame Kathe r ine Wal sh , Wan l i p , Le i ceste rshi re ,1393

Dame Dion i s ia A t te lese , She ldwi ch , Ken t , 1394.

Dame Al icia Cassy , Dee rhurst , Gloucestersh i re ,1400 .

Dame E l ianor Mauleverere , Al le rton Mau leve re r,

West Rid ing , Yorkshi re , 1400.

A lady , E l i zabeth Goring , Oxfordsh i re ,140 1 .

During t h e latt e r years of t h e fog gteent h centu ry t h ecreSpine style of head-dress w as in troduced . Thi s con

s i sted of a network of gold or s i lve r-cove red threads

jewe l led at t h e in tersections , in which al l t h e hai r w as

enclosed at t h e top of th e head . Ove r th i s head-dress

w as worn a smal l kerch ief in such a w ay as to fal l down

behind t h e head,and al so to S l ight ly ove rlap in fron t .

A jewe l led fi l le t w as usual ly worn across t h e forehead

wi th th i s head-dress .

Th e fol l owing e ffigies afford exce l len t examples of

t h e creSpine head-dress

E lyenore Corp , Stoke F leming , Devon ,139 1 .

Margaret , wife of Thomas Lord Berke ley , Wotton

unde r-E dge , Gloucestersh i re , 139 2 .

Dame Lora St . Quin t in , Brandsbu rton , Yorksh i re ,I 397

E le Bowet, Wrentham , Suffolk , 1400 .

Dame Margare t Pennebrygg ,Shottesbrooke , Berk

sh i re,140 1 .

The re are nume rous early fifteen th cen tury examples

of e ffigies wear ing t h e creSpine head-dress in which t h e

MEDIE VAL AND LATER GARMENTS 149

hai r i s bunched up at t h e s ides of t h e head above t h e

ears ; and by about t h e year 14 15 t h e cau l of th i s par

t icular kind of co i ffure w as made large r , and of squarer

shape , in such a w ay that t h e

ears became cove red . In t h e

course of a few years th e cau l

assumed a ve ry grotesque form ,

t h e te rm inat i on s be ing curved

outwards and upwards in such

a w ay as to resemble a pai r of

horns . This w as t h e or igin of

t h e various kinds of head- dresses

wh ich are now known by t h e

names horned , mi t re , l unate ,and heart - shaped .

Many specimens of th i s spe

c ies of dressing t h e hai r exi st

in E ngl i sh chu rch monumen t s ,and t h e fashion w as eviden t ly

deservedly popular for some

years . I t i s cons ide red probabl e

t hat th e fash ion w as s e t by t h e

head-dress be ing worn by I sa

be l laof Bavaria,queen ofCharles

V I of France . When worn in

mode rate s i ze i t i s far from in

e legant , but occas ional ly i t w as E ffigy of M i l l icent Meryng ’

carr i ed to great and absurd ex about 14 15 (East Markham ,

tremes,as w as th e case in t h e NOt t S)

brass e ffigy to Jane Kerie l l , about t h e year 1460, Ash ,n ear Sandwich

,Ken t , in which t h e caul i s carr ied

150 ENGLISH COSTUME

upwards in th e form of a large horse- shoe , and no

ve i l i s worn . Ve i l s are al so want ing in t h e cas e’

of

some groups of daughte rs placed be low the i r parents .

Lady , 1437 Lady’s dress , 1420 (Horley, Surrey)

In t h e brasses to Lady Tiptof t and Powis (about

1470)at E nfie ld, Middlesex , and I sabe l P lantagenet ,daughte r of Richard E arl of Cambridge at

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MEDIE VAL AND LATER GARMENTS 15 1

Little Easton , E ssex , t h e horned head-dress i s sur

moun ted by a corone t .

Th e next form of head- dress , t h e butt erfly as i t i s

s ign ifican tly cal led,assumed even more remarkable

proporti on s than t h e horned var ie ty , and whateve r

i t m ay have looked l i ke when actual ly worn on th e

head as a fash ionable piece o f dress ,on e must fee l bound to admit that on

e ffigies i t appears out of al l j ust pro

port i on to th e rest of t h e at t i re . I t w as

in troduced in or about t h e year 1470 .

I t i s not an easy task to give an

exact accoun t of t h e or igin ,deve lop

men t,and disappearance of each of

these types o f head-dress . That they

are more or less cl ose ly re lated and, i n

Spi te of the i r variat i on s , bridged by

some kind of transi ti on i s made suffi

cien t ly c lear by t h e evide nce of t h e

e ffig ies themse lves .

Th e styles shown on th e e ffig ies on

monumental brasses al ready descri bed Emgy of Anna play

cove r a space which ext ends from t h e t e f s t

Suf folk)early years of t h e fou rt een th cen tu ry

to about t h e end of th e fifteenth cen tu ry,and during

that per iod the re i s much ove rlapping of t h e differen t

styles . This,indeed

,i s inevi table when new fash ion s

are introduced from t ime to t im e and take n up by t h e

weal thy , and al l th e whi le old fashions cont i nue to be

worn by those to whom change i s distastefu l as we l l

as by those whose mean s are smal l .

152 ENGLISH COSTUME

Th e head-dress known as t h e henn in w as worn by

ladies of France and F landers in t h e fifteenth century .

Gene ral ly, i t m ay be descri bed as of a high con ical

shape , with a musl in ve i l hanging down from it . I t

w as somet imes nearly two feet in length , and th e poin t

ext ended backwards from t h e head , so that t h e th in

gauze ve i l hung in gracefu l fo lds behind t h e shoulders .

Th e fine portrai t of Margare t of York,th i rd wife of

Charles t h e Bo l d of Burgundy,pain ted by Meml inc ,

shows in an exce l len t manner t h e me thod of con

struction of a head-dress in t h e latte r hal f of t h e

fifteenth centu ry . Th e head-gear be l ongs to what i s

usual ly cal led t h e heart-shaped style,and r i ses to a

conside rable he ight above th e forehead . Behind there

i s an ample ve i l of ve ry fine material , which fal l s and

Spreads out to t h e width of t h e Shou lde rs . A por t ion

of th is fin e gauze i s brought en t i re ly ove r t h e head

dress prope r, passing st raight from one ear to t h e

othe r in a l ine which intersects t h e eyebrows at fou r

poin ts .

Th e exce l len t portrai t of th e same person in t h e

col lection of th e Socie ty of An t i quar i es of London ,which i s e l sewhe re descr i bed in th i s volume , m ay be

compared wi th Memlinc wi th advantage . Th e head

cover ing in t h e picture , t h e date of which is probably

1468 , i s more of t h e regular po in ted steeple- l i ke type ,but made of black mater ial .

Th e head -dresses h i the rto cons ide red we re supple

m en t ed by sti l l anothe r style during t h e last decade of

t h e fifteenth cen tury . This w as th e we l l-marked type

or rather group of head-cove rings known by t h e various

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MEDIE VAL AND LATE R GARMENTS 153

but descript ive names pedimental , pyramidal , kenne l ,and diamond-shaped head-dress . Th e chie f feature

of t hese forms i s t h e gable- l i ke form of t h e str ip of

material wh ich borde rs t h e face . This stri p i tse l f i s

made much large r than forme rly . I t i s ben t at a sharpangle ove r t h e cen tre of t h e head and again on each

S ide about th e region of t h e

ears,whence i t fal l s straight

down nearly to th e wai st .

A good example of t h e

pedimental head - dress and

front le t of a lady of t h e year

1533 i s he re shown . This

str ip or band i s cal led t h e

“ fron tlet . ” I t w as usual ly

h ighly orname n ted wi th em

broidery work,and some

t imes studded wi th jewe l s .

Th e long fron t lets reach ing

to th e wai st , or near ly so ,

have t h e e ffect o f giv ing a

rathe r formal , m e lancholy

expressi on to t h e coun ten

ance of t h e wearer , and i t

m ay have been for t his reason that t h e next fash ion ,much in vogue during t h e re ign of H enry VI I I ,w as in th e di recti on o f shorten ing t h e lappet s and

giv ing them an outward curve . There are num erous

port rai ts which i l lust rate this in an admi rable w ay .

Among t hem are those of seve ral of t h e queen s o f

Hen ry VI I I and other portrai ts pain ted by Hol be in .

Lady’s head-dress , 1533

154 E NGLISH CO STUME

A brass at Ble tch ingley , Surrey , dated 154 1 , shows th is

head-dress we l l .

In t h e portrai ts of Lady Jane Grey,Queen Mary

,

and Queen E l i zabeth a new and ve ry charm ing featu re

in head-dresses makes i ts appearance , nam e ly,t h e

French hood , a type which , as th e name suggests,i s

due to fore ign influence . I t would be di fficu l t to find

a more gracefu l and pleas ing form of head-gear than

Lady's head -dress , 154 1

th i s F rench hood,which i s perhaps more part icu larly

associated in t h e publ i c m ind wi th t h e portrai ts of a‘

rigot al togethe r popu lar pe rson ,Queen Mary . I t i s

also found in t h e earl ie r and s imple r costumes of Queen

E l i zabe th before s h e succeeded to t h e throne . Seve ral

of t h e port rai t s of Mary Queen of Scots 1 Show Charm

S ee Notes on th e Auth en t ic Port ra i ts of Mary Queen of S cots , byS ir George Scharf and L ione l Cust , 1903.

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156 ENGL I SH COSTUME

H e re t h e hood is made of i mmense S i ze , spreading out

in to very large curves on each S i de , t h e ve i l brought

round t h e shou lde rs and hanging down be l ow t h e

wai st at t h e back l i ke a cloak. Another less remark

able example i s at Ardingly , Sussex , in t h e brass to

E l i zabeth Culpepe r , 1633.

By t h e beginn ing o f t h e seven teen th century i t h ad

become t h e fash ion to bring t h e lappet from th e back

Lady’s head-dress, 1568

o f t h e hood forward over t h e top of t h e head , pro

ducing a curi ous flatness which can hard ly be con

s idered gracefu l or pleas ing. Th e examples in th e

brasses to Aphra Hawkins , at Fordwich , Kent , 1605,

and Mary Leven th orp, at Sawbridgeworth , He rtford

sh i re , 1600 , show thi s feature very we l l .

In t h e early part of t h e seven teen th centu ry t h e

steeple- l i ke , high- crowned , brimmed h at makes i ts

appearance as an addi t ion to t h e regular head-dress

of ladies . Th e mate rial appears to have been of a soft

MEDIE VAL AND LATER GARMENTS 157

pl iable nature , as i s shown by t h e i rregular i ty of t h e

outl ine of t h e bri m ,which

,by t h e w ay , i s sometimes

poin ted in front . The re i s usual ly a wreath round t h e

crown . (S ee t h e accompanying sketch from a brass at

Writtle, E ssex , dated Th e general be l ief i s that

hats of th i s type were worn by coun try fol k and

Lady’s head-dress and ruf f , 16 16

adheren ts to t h e Puri tan party , rathe r than in t h e more

fash ionable ci rcles . Although simple , these hats are

distinctly gracefu l i n form ,and they add cons ide rably

to t h e picturesqueness of t h e ladies ’ costume at th e

t im e , whi ch usual ly i ncluded ruffs for t h e neck and

huge farth ingales .

158 E NGLISH COSTUME

HERALD IC MANTLE S

Th e arms of a kn ight we re often displayed on th e

garments h e wore . Th e principal of these w as th e

tabard,a kind of s leeve less coat

worn ove r t h e armour . These are

found represented on brasses about

t h e beginn ing o f t h e fifteen th cen

tury,and are always represen ted

as covered with armorial devices .

Armo r ial o r he rald i c man t les

were al so worn by ladies . An exce l

len t example of such a mantle in a

brass of t h e year 15 18 i s here shown .

HUKE,HUYKE ,

HEWK , OR

HUYCK

This w as a species of cape or

cloak furn i shed wi th a hood .

’

There

appears to have been more than

one mean ing , as the re w as more

t han one form , to t h e term . Th eE ffigy O f El izabet? Kn e ' huke at one t i me sign ified a cloakve t , 15 18 (Eas tm g ton ,

G louce st e rsh i re). S h e or mantle worn by women and

w eaf s a h e raldic m an t le afterwards by m en ; but subs e

quen tly i t w as appl ied to a tight-fit t ing dress worn

by both sexes .

HOUPPELANDE

Thi s i s a name which w as somet imes given to a

fu r- l ined tun i c wi th open hanging sleeves , resembl ing

those of th e surpl ice , and drawn in at th e wai st by

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160 E NGLISH COSTUME

JACK

Th is w as a protect i ve garment, resembl ing t h e

brigandine in be ing form ed of metal plates encl osed

between tw o sheets of canvas . Th e jack w as part icu

larly t h e garmen t of t h e ordinary sold ie r,because i t

w as much less costly than plate armour .

Original ly t h e term “ jack w as appl ied to a l oose ly

fitting coat o r t un i c of jacked leathe r , hence i ts name .

I t i s sometimes known as a“ leathern jack .

”

(S ee

JACKET )JACKET

Th e jacket,al though (as w e now unde rstand t h e

te rm)mere ly a sort of smal l coat , i s in real i ty qui te

a dist inct garment , not me re ly in name,but in origin

and ancestry al so . Th e word i s a d iminu t i ve form of“ jack

,

”a l oose coat or tun i c

,made original ly of

jacked leathe r , whence i t s name . Thi s w as , of cou rse ,a mil i tary garmen t

,and when stuffed and qui l ted

,w as

t h e usual coat of defence of t h e arche rs and crossbow

m en of t h e fifte en th cen tu ry . I t w as made rat he r fu l l ,reach ing as far as t h e knees , whe reas most othe r

m i l i tary garmen ts for t h e body were made to fit c lose ly.

A t what t ime t h e smal ler jacke t came into gene ral

us e as a part of a civ i l ian’s costume i t i s impossi ble to

say but there i s reason to th ink that i t w as at a some

what remote date .

Jackets have for many years been worn by t h e middle

and lower classes , and the i r conven ien t form and pro

tect ive qual i t ies agains t t h e co l d have caused them to

be very gene ral ly adopted by laboure rs in t h e place

ME DIE VAL AND LATE R GARME NTS 16 1

o f t h e old-fash ioned but picturesque smock- frock or

round-frock which i s now on ly worn by shepherds and

cowmen in out-of - t h e-w ay d istr icts .

KERCH IE F

Th e ke rch ief w as essen t ial ly a head-cove r ing,a

cloth composed of l inen or riche r mate rial (some

t i mes s i l k or even fin e gold-cloth), for cove ring t h e

heads of women . I t w as in vogue among t h e Anglo

Saxons , who cal led i t h eafods - raege l , or head- rai l . I t

i s al so cal led coverch ief, ke rche r , and ke rch ief. I t i s

in teresting to note how thi s name , which real ly

be longs to noth ing but a head- cove r ing , h as been

in late r years appl ied to t h e fami l iar accessories of

costume known as th e handkerchief, t h e pocket

handkerch ief, and al so t h e neck-handkerch ief,t h e

last-named use indicating pract ical ly a revival of

t h e original i dea of a cover ing . Th e use of t h e

word handke rchi ef i s be l ieved to date from t h e six

teent h centu ryK IRTLE

Th e term ki rt le i s on e which h as been appl ied to

a great var iety of garm ent s worn by both sexes at

di ffe ren t per iods during t h e M i ddle Ages and late r .

Str ict ly,however , i t m ay b e defin ed as a loose gown .

Original ly t h e ki rtle,i t i s be l ieved , w as a short l inen

unde r-garmen t , a fact which i s borne out by th e name

given to th e article,ki rtle be ing some t imes wri tten

curte l , which i s equ ivalen t to short .

Chauce r , whose descri pt ions of E ngl i sh costume

afford invaluable i l lumination on many obscure pointsM

162 E NGLISH COSTUME

in th e names given to diffe rent parts of dress , Speaks

thus of th e ki rt le

in m y k i r t le bareS yngle in a ke rtyl

The i r ke rteles w e re of inde sende l

from which w e m ay infe r that in his day, th e latte r

hal f of t h e fourteen th cen tu ry , t h e garmen t w as of

fine material and in tended for under-wear .

Th e New E ng l is h D ict ionary offers one or two

in te resting defin i t i on s wh ich must be accepted wi th

rese rve i n view of t h e confl icting and even con tra

dictory characte r of th e avai lable evidence . They

compri se : ( 1) A man ’s tun i c o r coat , original ly a

garmen t reach ing to th e knees or lowe r,sometimes

form i ng t h e on ly body-garment , but more usual ly

worn wi th a shi rt beneath and a cl oak or man t le

above . (2) A woman’s gown . A ski rt or oute r

pe tt icoat . (3)A coat or cover ing of any kind .

LEG-COVERINGS

Th e var i ous forms of garments used as leg-coverings

by m en at di fferen t per iods have been known by many

di fferent names , such as trews , trousers , hose , breeches ,stockings

,e tc . ,

and t h e whole system of nomenclature

h as been very much confused . The re h as been a

natural deve lopment of form ,and t h e new names

i n troduced to indicate t h e di ffe ren t changes of fashion

m ay not always , perhaps , have h ad a precise mean ing .

To take one te rm on ly wi th i ts qual ificati ons , w e find

that hose , accord ing to t h e New E ngl is h D ict ionary ,

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164 E NGLISH CO STUME

Johnson ’s defin i t i on i s at once c leare r and ful le r— h e

says : Boot-hose . Stockings to se rve for boots : spatter

dashes ,”and in t h e i l l ustrat ive quotation h e gives from

Shakespeare (Tam ing of th e S h rew Act I I I , scene 2)t h e

mean ing i s more fu l ly explained

H is lacquey , w i th a linen stock on one leg , and a boot

hose on t h e othe r , garte red wi th red and b lue l ist . ”

Hose m ay be regarded as t h e usual term indicat ing

th e leg- cover ings in us e during a good part of t h e

M iddle Ages , and supe rseded at t h e beginn ing of t h e

s ixteenth cen tu ry by trunk-hose or breeches . S tocks

and stockings , in consequence of th e new garmen t s

then in troduced , we re cal led hosen , but as a distinctive

garmen t t h e stocking h as an an ti qu ity extend ing back to

t h e Anglo-Saxon per iod , when they we re made to reach

from t h e knee downwards . In i l l um inated MS S . of

that pe riod stockings are usual ly represented as fal l ing

i n i rregular obl i que wrinkles from th e knee to t h e boot,

whe re they are lost to V i ew . Th e Anglo-Saxons al so

h ad a stoute r spec i es of leg-cove r ing , made o f leathe r,

to wh ich th e te rm Skin-hose w as appl ied .

L IRIP IPE

Thi s w as a long tai l or t ippet hanging down from

t h e top of t h e chaperon , or hood . Original ly l i ri pipes

we re restri cted to th e head- cove r ings of th e m en, and

especial ly of graduates . In t h e latter form it st i l l

survi ves on t h e hood of t h e master of arts,etc. But

in th e M iddle Ages i t w as al so worn depending from

th e top of th e hood worn by al l classes of m en . In

MEDIE VAL AND LATER GARMENTS 165

t ime they we re also affected in female costume . Th e

chron i c le r Kn ighton descri bes women r i d ing to tourna

men ts , about t h e middle of t h e fourteen th cen tu ry,wear ing hoods and l i r i p ipes wrapped about the i r heads

l i ke cords .

From several i l l ustrat ions of t h e costume of t h e

humbler c lasses in t h e Lout t re l l Psal te r , a fourteenth

cen tury MS . in t h e Bri t i sh Museum ,i t appears that

t h e caps worn we re made of some wool len material ,

probably kn i t ted so as to be capable of expanding to

fit t h e head . These caps ended in a long narrow pipe ,which in some cases hung down from t h e back of th e

head l ike a stocking . Thi s apparently w as t h e first

form of t h e l i r ipipe , which in t h e second hal f of t h e

fifteen th centu ry h ad deve loped in to a k ind of long band

or fold extending from th e back or top of t h e capalmost to t h e hee l s of th e weare r ; t h e sepulchral

figures of Wi l l iam Canyuge , 1474 , S t . Mary ’s Church ,Bristol (an e ffigy in t h e round), and a brass to a notary

,

ci rca 1475, at St . Mary Towe r , Ipswich , are good

typi cal examples . In both these cases t h e cap i s of

flat ci rcu lar or turban form,and rests on t h e left

shoulde r , whi lst t h e folded l i ripipe , cons ist ing of a

somewhat broad piece of mater ial , fal l s downwards to

th e bottom o f t h e tun i c or gown ,which at thi s per iod

assumed a cassock- l i ke appearance .

What m ay be regarded perhaps as a further, poss i bly

th e final,stage in t h e deve lopmen t o f t h e l i r ip ipe i s

represen ted on a brass at Banwe l l Church , Some rset ,to a c ivi l ian andwife , wi thou t inscripti on ,

but apparen t ly

of about t h e year 1480. In this brass t h e m an i s shown

166 E NGLISH COSTUME

with a kind of flat turban- l i ke head-dress resting on his

right shou lde r . Tw o st rap- l i ke attachmen ts un i te t h e

hanging scarf to th e s ide of t h e head-dress,which h as

a fur- cove red rim . Th e scarf or “ pipe ” hangs , not

from t h e Cen t re of t h e h at as before ,but i s joined to t h e s ide of i t

,and jo ined

apparen t ly i n such a w ay as to be de

tachable at pleasu re .

I t wi l l be observed , from t h e ex

amples al ready descr i bed,that t h e l i r i

pipe h ad assumed a length which m aywe l l have been found

, on occasi ons ,to be inconven ien t

, and i t i s on ly

reasonable to suppose that t h e st raps

we re added for t h e purpose of detach

ing t h e hanging pipe when i t w as not

wan ted .

I n t h e monumen tal b rass to Geoffrey

Kidwe l ly , E squ i re , in Li tt le Witten

h am,Be rksh i re

,who di ed in 1483, w e

find a very S im i lar arrangemen t . Th e

esqu i re i s habi ted in civ i l costume,and

on h i s right shou lder i s a flat tu rban

Turban- l ike h at Wm, l i ke h at with a tasse l on on e s ide . Th e

scarf hanging the repi pe , which reaches con side rably be

f rom , ci rca 1480low t h e knees , l s suspended apparen t ly

from th e ins ide of t h e turban by m ean s of tw o st raps .

H e al so wears a fur- l in ed gown wi th gi rdle , from

which are suspended a pouch (or gypciere)and rosary.

A good example of th e l i r i p ipe hanging as a flat

band or scarf from a turban - l i ke h at which rest s on

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168 E NGLISH COSTUME

fifteen th cen tur ies . In form ,in length , and in th e

disposi t i on of i ts folds the re are many varieties , but i t

i s i nvar iably a gracefu l garment and a p leas ing addi

t i on to t h e figure .

In t h e ce lebrated Romsey e ffigy i t appears to have

been made of some fine mate r ial , fal l s graceful ly from

t h e shou lders,and i s he ld up by t h e r ight hand , and

al so unde r t h e left arm . I ts m eans of fasten ing i s

a loose cord or strap,which hangs as a. fes toon across

t h e breast .

I n an e ffigy to a membe r of t h e Warbl ington fami ly ,in Warbl ington Church

,Hampshi re

,t h e mant le fal l s

straight down from t h e shou lde rs , having no front

fasten ing o f any kind .

At Rythe r Church,Yorksh i re

,i s an early e ffigy of a

lady wear ing a man t le which i s fastened by means of a

flat strap or band fastened to both s ides of t h e mant le

a l i tt le above t h e breas t by means of five foi led studs or

bosses,probably of metal . Th e man t le i s brough t to

t h e requ is i te ti ghtness by man i pu lat ing t h e band .

Th e man t le of th e e ffigy to a lady of th e Cl i fford

fami ly in Worceste r Cathedral i s fastened by an orna

men tal brooch of gold made i n diamond or quarry

shape . A sim i lar brooch in many ways , except that i t

i s fine r and more boldly designed , fastens t h e man t le in

t h e effigy of t h e Lady Montacute (w h o d ied in 1354)at

Oxford Cathedral . In t h e e ffig ies of three of thi s lady’s

ch i ldren t h e man t le fasten ings presen t pecu l iar i t ies .

One (a lady)h as h er dark purple man t le l ightly fastened

across t h e breast by mean s of a chain of oblong l inks ,each end of wh ich i s j oined to a gold or gi l t brooch or

EL IZABETH , W I FE OF LORD MONTACUTE(C IRCA 135 i). OXFORD CATHEDRAL

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170 E NGLISH CO STUME

PARTLET

Th e partlet w as a cove r ing of l ight mate r ial worn as

a part ial or comple te screen for t h e neck and bosom

of ladies at a per iod when dresses we re cut low in

front . Th e part le t i s ment ion ed in inven tories of th e

re i gn of Hen ry VI I I as made of Ven i ce gold kn i t , and

also as made of whi t e lawn wrought wi th gold .

Original ly t h e part le t m ay have been a ke rchief for

t h e n eck , and used by both . s exes , but in t h e re ign

of E l i zabe th,when low-cut dresses we re much in

vogue , i t became t h e special prope rty of t h e fai r s ex ,

and w as in some cases r ich ly ornamen ted wi th gold

thread , pearl s , s tones , and jewe l s . Not infrequent ly i t

w as shown open in fron t in orde r to display a necklace

or penden t gem or jewe l .

The re does not appear to be any re lat ion between

t h e te rm partlet as appl ied to a piece of costume and

t h e same word used of a favouri te h en , of’

w h ich

two separate men ti on s are made by Shakespeare

(1 H enry I V,I I I

, 3, and Win ter’

s Tale,I I

,

RO SARY

Th e rosary w as a Chaplet of beads on which , as

Dr . Johnson blunt ly remarks,

t h e Roman i sts numbe r

the i r praye rs . Judging from th e represen tat ions of t h e

rosary on monumen t s , i t appears probable that t h e

numbe r of beads h as var i ed at di ffe ren t t i mes , but

t h e ru le w as to divide t h e strand at eve ry ten beads by

one of larger s i ze . A t t h e rec i tal of an ave a smal l bead

w as le t fal l from between t h e finge rs , and so on , un ti l

ME DIE VAL AND LATE R GARME NTS 17 1

a large bead w as reached,when a paternoste r w as said .

Usual ly a rosary con tained fiv e se ts of t en smal l beads ,divi ded by four large r beads and a cross .

I t i s an in teresting fact that t h e wearing of

t h e rosary w as kept up l onge r by t h e m en

than by t h e women ,and t h e cus tom seems to

have been maintain ed longe r in provincial

and coun t ry d i st ri ct s than in London . Th e

open us e of t h e rosary ceased at t h e t i me of

t h e re l igi ous di sturbances in t h e sixteenth

centu ry.

S LEEVE S (HANG ING)

Th e var ious stages in t h e deve lopmen t of

t h e penden t s leeves , which formed such a

characte r i st i c feature of t h e costumes O f

m ediaeval ladies,m ay be fol lowed qui te

clearly in t h e ser ies of sepulchral e ffig ie s

engraved wi th ext raordinary fide l i ty and

beauty by Thomas and George Ho l l i s .

Th e e ffigy to an unknown lady in Romsey Rosary car

Church , Hampshi re , i s t h e fi rst of th e ser i es . zii to

l ge

Th e unde rmost vi s i ble garmen t i s a gown

reach ing from t h e neck and wrists to t h e fee t,whe re

i t fal l s in ample and gracefu l folds . Ove r th i s i s a

shorte r garmen t wh ich m ay be cal led t h e oute r gown ,

a garmen t whi ch reache s perhaps a l i tt le be low t h e

knees,and whose s leeves t e rm inate about hal f-w ay

between t h e wrist and t h e e l bow . Above t h e e l bow

is a S i mple s l i t large enough for th e arm to pass

through . Ove r al l i s a man t le of fine mater ial hang

ing in folds which is fastened across t h e breast by a

1 72 E NGLISH COSTUME

cord or th in strap . Th e in te rest ing head-dress con

si st ing of ke rch ief and bands i s descri bed in anothe r

part of thi s volum e (p.

I f t h e arm were brought through th is s l i t t h e re

m ainde r of t h e sleeve wou ld hang down on ly a ve ry

l i t t le w ay be low t h e e l bow . Th e date of thi s e ffigy

m ay be approximat e ly placed at 1 260.

Th e magn ificen t e ffigy of E l i zabeth , wife of Wi l l iam

Lord Mon tacute,in Oxford Cathedral

,i s one of special

inte rest on accoun t of t h e beauti fu l ly co l ou red robes

in which s h e i s shown . S h e died in 1354 , and on h e r

tomb are represen tat i ons in effigy of h e r e ight ch i ldren .

O ne of them,t h e second figured on t h e plate i n t h e

book refe rred to , 1 i s a charm ing figure of a lady wear

ing a dark purple gown ,ove r which i s an oute r gown

of pale blue colour reaching a l i t t le be low t h e knees .

I t i s edged at t h e bot tom with wh ite , and i ts s leeves

te rm inate abrupt ly immediate ly above t h e e l bow in a

white band which fits t h e arm close ly . From th i s band

a whi te l i r i p ipe- l i ke extens ion , too smal l for a s leeve ,fal l s from each e l bow to a poin t somewhat be low t h e

knees . Th is ou te r gown h as n ine or t en but tons ex

tending from t h e neck to t h e middle , fasten ing upt h e

fron t of t h e garment as far as i t i s capable of be ing

opened , and there i s a pocke t s l i t s et nearly perpendicu

larly on t h e r ight-hand si de .

Anothe r somewhat S im i lar costume i s found on th e

effigy of one of t h e daughte rs of E dward I I I in

Westm inste r Abbey , t h e date of wh ich i s probably

1 Th e M on um en tal Efi g zes of Great B r i ta i n . D raw n by T. and G .

Holl i s.

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174 E NGLISH COSTUME

cen tu ry i t h ad become t h e fashi on to ornament t h e

material wi th embroide ry in gold or coloured s i lk .

Thi s fashi on,which con tinued in vogue un ti l t h e

middle of th e seven teen th cen tu ry, resembles that of

ornamen ting t h e necks o f t h e sh i rts worn by gen tle

m en during t h e S i xteen th cen tu ry , when e laborate em

broidery in gold and colours,and even jewe l s , w as

employed .

Th e smock- race , so popu lar at fai rs and ru ral sports

during th e e igh teen th cen tu ry , w as a runn ing con test

among vi l lage gi rl s d i vested of eve ry unnecessary

garm ent . Th e pr i ze O ffered to t h e winne r w as a new

and ornamen ted smock .

STOMACHER

Although th e stomache r w as chiefly i n vogue as an

art ic le of ladies ’ at t i re in t h e re ign of Queen E l i zabeth ,and w as worn part icu larly in association with t h e we l l

deve loped farthingales prevalen t in t h e lat te r part ofthat re ign

,i t w as not l im i ted to t h e t ime of E l i zabeth ,

nor w as i t used sole ly by t h e female s ex. Towards th e

end of t h e fifteen th cen tury t h e stomacher w as worn by

both sexes .

Th e prototype of t h e stomache r w as perhaps t h e

placard or placate , a piece of dress worn by both m en

and women from th e t i me of E dward IV to that of

H en ry VI I I .

TREWS

These garments from which ou r modern t rouse rs

are eviden t ly de r i ved,are of ve ry great anti qu i ty in

MEDIE VAL AND LATER GARME NTS 175

thi s coun try.

1 Th e Ce l ti c Druids we re n i cknamed“t h e long- trousered phi losophers , and th e Ce l ts as a

race we re cal led t h e B racat i,or Gen tes B raccatce—

“th e

trousered people .

Th e Romans in Bri tain wore

t h e be l ted tun ic,t h e toga

,and

t h e man tle,and i t i s from th i s

type of garmen t s that t h e High

land plai d and ki lt are der ived .

There are at K i lpech Church ,2

H erefordshi re , some in terest ing

carvings of We l sh kn ights whose

costume includes t rouse rs,or

trews,c lose-fit t ing vests of rayed

or striped mate r ial s , and caps

with curved po in ts of t h e kind

gene ral ly known as Phrygian

caps .

TROUS ERS

This i s perhaps t h e most im

portan t and certain ly t h e ch ief

di stinguish ing garmen t of t h e

male s ex among E u ropeans . I t

m ay be remarked that t h e use or

non-us e of thi s arti cle of cloth

i ng h as been adopted by some Kn igh t ifl t f eWS (Kilpeck

Church)aut h ori t Ies as a crI ter i on In clas s I

1 An in te rest ing art ic le on t h e Ce l t ic Trew s i s pub l ished in Th e S cott i s h H i s tor i cal Rev i ew , Vol . I , pp. 389

—98 .

2 S ec A rch ceolog ia, Vol. XXX , pp. 62 —3.

1 76 ENGLISH COSTUME

fy ing t h e m en of th e great human fami ly throughout

t h e world .

“ Th e nat i ons of t h e ancien t world,

” says

one wri ter,might be fai r ly d ivided in to two great

groups or classes— th e trousered and t h e unt rous ered.

Amongst t h e latte r were t h e Greeks and Romans ,deri ving the i r or igi n

,as i t appears to be general ly

acknowledged,from t h e bare- legged E gyptians ; whi le

two great branches of th e Scyth ic or Northern Asiat i c

fami ly,which h ad overrun E urope

,and colon i zed t h e

South of Bri tain long previ ous to t h e Roman invas ion ,

viz . t h e K im m eri i and t h e Ke l te , wore th e di st ingui sh

ing close trousers or loose pantal oons .”

Notwi thstanding t h e ve ry gene ral custom in t h e

presen t t i me of wearing t rouse rs in E ngland,i t i s

a curi ous fact that whi lst t h e inhabi tants o f Scot land

and I re land der i ve the i r custom of wearing that

garmen t from a remote pe riod of an t i qu i ty , and with

almost un inte rrupted con t inu ity, t h e E ngl ish custom

is of comparat i ve ly recent origin . In t h e form of

breeches fitt ing c lose ly to t h e l imbs these garm en ts

we re worn i n t h e ti me of Hen ry VI I I , whi lst in t h e

re ign of Queen E l i zabeth garmen ts known by t h e

somewhat sim i lar name of “ trossers , but made of

a l oose r cut , were in fashion . In one of Ben Jonson ’s

plays a characte r i s descri bed as wal king “ i n hi s

gow ne,w ai s t ecoate and trouses .

Th e word t rousers h as been considered by some

authori t ies to have been der i ved from t h e verb to truss ,i . e . to tuck up or fasten t h e hose by poin ts to t h e

doublet , but others suppose i t to have been taken from

trews of anc ien t t imes . (S ee TREWS .)

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178 E NGLISH COSTUME

VEH;

Thi s w as a ve ry importan t part of a lady’s costume

du ring t h e re ign of E l i zabeth . I t w as composed of

ve ry th in mate r ial , and cannot eve r have been of much

practi cal u ti l i ty . I ts purpose w as pure ly ornamen tal ,and special m ean s were taken to rende r i t su itable and

e ffectual . In seve ral of E l i zabeth ’s portrai ts w e find

t h e ve i l i s made to assume wi ng- l i ke forms by means

of st i ffe n ings of wi re, and t h e e ffect i s somet imes

he ightened by edgings of pearls and even jewe l s . In

othe r portrai ts , most ly those of t h e earl i e r part of

E l i zabeth ’s re ign ,t h e ve i l descends from t h e head

downwards in such a w ay as to part ly cove r t h e

shou lders .

Th e fan,formed of ostrich feathe rs and furn i shed

with a ri ch ly jewe l led handle,w as usual ly carried as

part of t h e costume when t h e winged ve i l s we re in

vogue .

VE ST

From what h as been sai d of t h e origin of th e coat ,i t i s not difficu l t to make out t h e origin and growth of

t h e mode rn vest or wai stcoat . Th e latter name indicates

t h e main purpose of t h e garmen t, name ly , a c lose ly

fitt ing art ic le of c loth ing to be worn round t h e ches t

and wai st . When t h e vest of t h e seventeen th cen tu ry

grew to t h e dimen s i on s of a coat, th e wai stcoat w as

in troduced (as a garmen t tight ly fitting around t h e

body) to supply t h e deficiency . In t h e seven teen th

and e ighteen th centuries t h e vest seems to have been

gene ral ly of a gorgeous and r i chly ornamented char

ME DIE VAL AND LATER GARME NTS 1 79

act e r,and in t h e per iod ext ending from th e fi rst years

of th e presen t cen tury to past t h e year 185 1 coloured

vests,often of br i l l ian t hues , we re by no means un

common . F igu red and flowe red sat in vest s we re

perhaps t h e most correct thing for gen t lemen fifty

years ago .

WIDOWS ’ WE EDS

Th e wear ing of a dist inct ive costume to denote

widowhood i s a ve ry ancien t fashion,and in E ngland

at any rate i t seem s always to have taken more or less

t h e sam e form . Th e chief garmen t s which di st i nguish

widows from othe r ladies are t h e barbe,which i s

usual ly drawn up close unde r t h e ch in ,th e long

ke rchief ove r t h e head,and t h e capacious , man tle- l i ke

cloak . These,i t wi l l be noted

,are garmen ts s imi lar

to those worn by nun s,and the re i s reason to be l ieve

that t h e flowing kerchief drawn ove r t h e head w as t h e

origin of t h e modern widow ’s weeds .

Th e re lat ion be twe en widowed ladi es and nun s w as

rather close,and t h e mat te r i s one which requ i re s

a short explanat ion . Th e position of a weal thy widow

in t h e M i ddle Ages must have been one of pecu l iar

d i fficul ty . One can qu i te conce ive that t h e atten tions

of unwe lcome su itors , to say noth ing of t h e powerful

and un ru ly barons , must have made seclusion in

a monast i c house on t h e part of t h e widow who

possessed a val uable estate a desi rable,i f not an abso

lute ly nece ssary,step . Hence arose an orde r o f

vowesses , widows w h o,e i the r from pi ous or pruden t

motives , wi thdrew themse l ves from th e world and as

sumed a monasti c garb. These ladies took a vow of

180 E NGLISH COSTUME

chast i ty,and in token thereof donned ve i l head-dress

andplai ted barbe or gorget,wear i ng t h e lat te r above or

be low t h e chin according to the i r h ighe r or lower rank

in l i fe .

When a lady took t h e vow of chasti ty af te f t h e death

H ead-dress of w idow , ci rca 1460

of h e r husband S h e w as cal led a vowess . Canon

Raine , in Tes tam en ta E boracen s in ,V o l . I I I , page

point s out that a kind of i nve sti ture took place ,gene ral ly during or before a ce l ebrat i on of t h e Mass ,

when t h e Officiat ing bishop, abbot , or pr ior , gave t h e

1 Surtees Socie ty’s Publ icat ions, No. 45

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182 E NGLISH COSTUME

which end in tassel s , whi lst t h e gown i s confined by

an ornamen tal gi rd le and h as cuffs . NO r ing is seen

on e i the r figure . I t m ay b e gathe red from thi s that i t

i s by no means easy to d istingu ish be tween widows

who were and widows who we re not vowesses .

WIMPLE

Th e wimple w as a favouri te art i c le of femin ine att i re,

worn as a cove r ing for th e head and ch in . W imple i sanother name for t h e ve i l or kerchief, al though in

Chaucer’s l ine i n th e Rom aun t of th e Ros e,

We ryng a fayle in- s t ide of w ymple ,

w e have an indicat i on that in th e fou rteen th cen tu ry

the re w as a d ist inct i on be tween them . Th e same wri ter

in anothe r p lace speaks of nuns wear ing ve i l s and

wimple s,from which i t m ay be infe rred that t h e wimple

w as t h e part of t h e garmen t which covered t h e chin,

throat,and breast

,whi l st th e ve i l w as that which cove red

t h e head .

Th e wimple , which w as worn by ladies from Anglo

Saxon t i mes down to t h e middle of t h e s ixteen th cen

tury,w as e ssen t ial ly an art ic le of c lothing in tended to

ve i l female Charms . Modest women were , as Chauce r

puts i t, gw impled we l l .

”

Th e wimple , besides be ing a garment gene ral ly worn

by ladies , w as al so,and st i l l i s , essen tial ly a part of

t h e conventual d re ss of nuns .

Th e natu ral e ffect of t h e gene ral us e of t h e wimple

i s that jewe l lery i n t h e form of chain s round t h e neck,

MEDIE VAL AND LATE R GARMENTS 183

e tc. ,i s h idden in th e sepu lchral e ffigies and brasses

represen ting ladies , and thus what wou ld have been

valuable ev i dence of th e prevalent fashion in ladies ’

ornamen ts during th e M idd le Ages i s not avai lable .

C HA PTE R X I

M IL ITARY COSTUME

ARMOUR

HE earl iest kinds of m i l i tary costume of which

w e have defin i te t races were large ly of a defeu

s ive character . Weapons of offence of an ant i

qu i ty as great as t h e Neol i thi c Pe r i od have been found

i n abundance in th i s coun try, but no su fficien t evidence

h as been found to enable one to ascertain preci se ly, or

even approximate ly , what means of defence we re em

ployed against th e flin t-pointed arrows,lances , or

spears , or t h e heavy stone axe s of those early times.

In t h e Bronze Age w e have proofs of t h e us e of

ci rcu lar sh i e lds or bucklers of bronze ; but t hese , of

course,are of t h e nature Of defen sive arms rather than

armou r as a cove r ing for th e body .

Th e ear ly I ron Age fu rn i shes us wi th practi cal ly

no evidence as to t h e mi l i tary cloth ing or armour

in us e at that t ime , but w e know from actual

remain s of swords , Spears , e tc .,which have been pre

se rved that t h e weapons of offence were of form idable

charact e r, and w e m ay assume that defens ive armour

w as correspond ingly deve loped .

When w e arr ive at th e Roman per i od , howeve r, th e

case i s d i ff e ren t , and i f w e have few remain ing traces of184

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186 ENGLISH COSTUME

been found . Some among them port ray sold iers c lothed

i n tun i cs , th e lowe r part of which i s defended by scale

armour . Th e sword,in some cases , i s carr i ed on t h e

left - hand side, but in othe rs

,especial ly when t h e

weapon i s short , i t i s carr i ed on t h e r ight-hand side .

In one case a Roman soldie r dressed in ci vi l dress i s

represen ted . H e wears a tun i c and man tle,t h e latte r

be ing gracefu l ly suspended from t h e left arm . Thi s

man tle i s fastened by a fibula over t h e r ight shoulde r ,leaving t h e sword-arm fre e . Th e garmen t i s decorated

with a fringed edging three inches deep. This Species

of decorat i on , as w e learn from C . Roach Smith ’s

Col lectanea A n t igua (Vol . I I I , p. w as much used in

Romano-Gaul ish costume .

The re are but scan ty t races of armour of t h e Anglo

Saxons . He lme ts,composed of ri bs of i ron radiating

from th e crown of t h e head and cove red with horn or

leather , appear to have been in us e . O ne such , or rathe r

remains of one , were dug up at Leckhampton Hi l l ,n ear Che l tenham

,and in associat i on with i t w as a mass

of i ron chainwork, formed o f large numbers of l inks ,of two descr iptions

,attached to each othe r by smal l

r ings,hal f an inch in diamet e r . Traces of cloth we re

al so found ove r t h e su rface of these i ron r ings , and

t h e probabi l i ty i s that t h e who le deposi t represen ted

a mass of part ial ly decayed body-armour composed of

a kind of chain -mai l .

Before t h e t i me of t h e Norman Conquest , E ngl i sh

cos tume and armou r h ad become much modified by

Norman influence . Evidence o f th i s i s not wanting in

t h e armour shown in t h e Bayeux Tapestry . Thus ,

M ILITARY COSTUME 187

Coun t Guy wears a tun i c of what i s apparen t ly scale

armour unde r h i s man t le . In another scene , that i n

which Duke Wil l iam gives arms to Harold (that i s ,arms him afte r a kn ight ly manner), both are clothed in

defensive garments resembl ing chain mai l , which cove r

t h e enti re body , t h e arms , and t h e legs down to t h e

knees . Wil l iam appears to wear leg-cover ings of a

banded nature which fit pre tty close ly .

Th e detai l s of t h e needlework of thi s inte resting

work are not su fficien tly preci se to enable us to form

any certain i dea of t h e nature of these piece s of body

armour,but in a subsequen t scene depi cting Wi l l iam

’s

m en carrying wine and othe r stores on board t h e Ships ,four of these haube rk- l i ke arti c les are we l l shown , be ing

carried by means of po les thrust through th e arm -ho les ,a ci rcumstance of twofold in te rest for our purpose ,

( 1) as indi cat ing th e exact shape of t h e garment ,and ( 2) as suggest ing cons i derable we ight , such ,indeed , as one might expect i f i ron chain mai l were

employed .

When about to mount h i s horse and go out to give

bat t le to Haro ld,Wi l l iam appears enve loped i n a

haube rk reach ing to t h e knees where i t te rm inates in

a broad band , in C lose ly fit t ing leg-coverings,and i n a

con i cal ly shaped h at . Th e last, presumably , i s of

i ron ; t h e othe r cove rings are apparen tly of chain

mai l in which ci rcu lar rings as we l l as a kind of lat ti ce

ground-work are we l l shown in t h e needlewo rk .

Wil l iam appears S im i lar ly armed when h e i s repre

sented on horseback and conve rsing with h i s ch ie f

mi l i tary officer , Vital . I t i s noteworthy that whi lst

188 ENGLISH COSTUME

these two have mai l coverings for th e legs t h e rest of

t h e armed kn ights do not possess them .

In these pictures,as we l l as in othe rs represent ing

t h e actual confl ict,i t i s easy to s ee that t h e hauberk or

shi rt of mai l w as so shaped as to cover t h e head ,leav ing t h e face bare . Con i cal i ron hat s or he lmets

wi th we l l-deve loped nose-guards afforded addi t ional

protect i on for t h e head .

Th e armour worn dur ing t h e t i me of Hen ry I or

Stephen con si sted , accord i ng to t h e evidence of a

Bri ti sh Museum MS . ,

1 of a haube rk of mai l which

enve loped th e head,body

,and arms

,and fe l l as a

Short Ski rt down to t h e knees ; a he lme t wi th nasal

guard and poin ted crown ; and high boots reach ing

hal f-w ay between t h e foot and t h e knee , and leaving

t h e re st of t h e legs unprotected . Anothe r species o f

hauberk worn at th is t ime w as open at t h e sides up to

t h e h ips .

Th e armour of t h e latte r part of t h e th i rt eenth cen

tu ry and of th e fourteen th and fifteenth cen turies i s

so we l l depicted on t h e e ffigies on monumen tal brasses

and sepu lchral e ffig ies that w e can hard ly find a be tte r

ser ies of i l lust ration s to Show its various changes .

Before cal l ing attenti on to t h e more importan t poin ts ,howeve r, i t m ay be usefu l to give a brief description o f

t h e di ffe ren t parts of t h e arms and armour of t h e per i od

under t h e names by which t h e parts we re known .

1 Cot ton . MS . , Ne ro , C , 4.

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196 ENGLISH COSTUME

Shou lders . (S ee an i mportant article on th e subject by

Viscount Di l lon,

in Th e A rch ceolog icaljournal ,Vol . LXIV , pp. 1 5

BRASSARTS

Plate armour of several p i eces fo r t h e uppe r part of

t h e arm ,sometimes in a single piece of plate . (S ee

REREBRACES .)

BREASTPLATE OR CU I RASS

Armour for th e breast and back .

CAMA IL

Chain mai l p rotection for th e neck and shou lde rs ,attached to t h e bascinet when that head-piece w as i n

t roduced in th e fourteenth cen tury .

CHAUSSES

Tight , armed cove rings of mai l for th e legs and feet .

They we re laced behind t h e leg .

CO IF DE MA ILLES

Th e hood- l i ke cover ing of chain mai l i n which t h e

head w as enclosed . Th e ch in and al l except t h e face

w as cove red by th i s coi f. Under i t,as unde r al l chain

mai l,padded defences we re worn .

CU ISSES

Pieces of armou r fo r t h e pro t ecti on of t h e th ighs .

CYCLAS OR CICLATOUN

These te rms impl ied ( 1)a lady’s gown and (2) a

short gown worn by kn ights . In th e latter sense it

M I L ITARY COSTUME 19 1

succeeded t h e surcoat . Thus S i r John d’

Aubernoun ,

w h o died in 1 2 77, i s represen ted as wear ing th e surcoat ,whi l st h i s son of t h e same name , w h o died in 132 7,

wears t h e cyclas . Th e cyclas i s not so long in front as

t h e su rcoat,be ing cut short in front for conven ience

when r i ding. Th e name w as doubtless gi ven in al lu

s ion to th e r ich mate rial of which i t w as composed .

ELBOW-COPS

E l bow—pieces ofplate , which fi rst appear in t h e mixed

armou r of t h e latter hal f of t h e th i rteen th cen tury .

FALD,SK IRT OR PETTICOAT OF MA IL

This w as worn beneath t h e tui l les,and gene ral ly

descended lower than them .

GAMBESON . (S E E jupoN)

GAUNTLETS

These defens ive cove r ings for t h e hands were in tro

duced during t h e re ign of E dward I , taking th e place

of t h e ends of th e haube rk,which h ad forme r ly been

made long enough to cove r t h e t ips of t h e finge rs .

Some gaunt le ts were on ly O f leathe r, but others we re

cove red wi th scales and some t i mes spiked plates of stee l .

I t i s noteworthy that when compos ite sword-hi l ts camein gauntlets wen t out of use .

GORGET OR STANDARD OF PLATE

An armed defence for t h e neck,much worn by t h e

sold ie rs of Queen E l i zabeth .

19 2 E NGLISH COSTUME

GREAVES

Armour for t h e legs . (S ee BAINBERG S .)

HABERGEON

Th is w as a coat of mai l o r a breast-plate , l ighter and

shorte r than t h e haube rk , of which i t m ay be regarded

as a diminutive .

HAKETON

A tun i c of leathe r , buckram ,e tc . ,

stuffed wi th wool

or tow ,and sti tched in paral le l l ines . I t w as worn

beneath t h e hauberk so as to dim in i sh t h e we ight of t h e

chain mai l, and w as real ly much t h e same as th e

gambeson .

HAUBERK

This in te resting and i mportan t piece of armour , i t i s

be l ieved , w as o riginal ly in tended for t h e defence of t h e

neck and shoulders , but by t h e thi rteen th Cen tu ry i t h ad

been deve l oped in to a long coat of mai l or m i l i tary

t un i c,usual ly of chain mai l , which w as pl iant and easi ly

accommodated i t se l f to t h e bodi ly movemen ts of th e

wearer . Th e fol lowing are some of t h e var iat ions of

t h e word : hal sberg , h als be rga, h alberc, h albergium ,

alsbergium ,h aubercum ,

and haubert .

JUPON ,G I PON

,OR GYP E LL

Th i s w as a close-fit t ing vest , tun i c , or double t ,especial ly on e worn by kn ights unde r t h e hauberk .

I t w as‘

som et im es made of thick stuff and padded . I t

i s be l ieved to have been i den ti cal wi th t h e gambeson ,which w as afte rw ards

,i f qu i lted , cal led th e pourpoint .

Original ly thi s garmen t w as worn unde r th e armour ,

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194 E NGLISH COSTUME

ROUNDELS

Smal l c i rcu lar sh ie lds used in th e th i rteenth and

fourteen th cen tu ries .

SOLLERETS

These we re t h e defensive cover ings for t h e feet ,and consi sted of a numbe r of ove rlapping plates so

arranged that they would bend with eve ry movemen t

of th e foot . The re i s a good pape r on th e subject

by James James,

in t h e journal of th e A rch aea

logical A s sociat ion,Vol . XI .

SPURS

These we l l- known objects we re of two types . Th e

fi rst , known as th e pryck- spur,

”h ad simply a s ingle

goad or poin t wi th or wi thout a n eck ; t h e othe r type

h ad a rowe l,a kind of whee l with a numbe r of points .

These are first seen on t h e great seal s of Hen ry I I I .

STANDARD OF MA IL

A species of col lar of mai l , des igned to protect t h e

th roat of t h e weare r . An improvemen t upon th is form

w as in troduced in or about t h e year 1400, when th e

mai l co l lar w as superseded by a gorge t,or standard

of plate .

SURCOAT

A garmen t worn by both sexes in th e th i rteenth and

fourteen th cen turies . I t w as , howeve r , special ly char

acteri s t ic of t h e armour of kn ights during th e twe l fth

and th i rteen th cen turies , giv ing place to t h e cyclas

early in t h e fourteenth cen tury.

M I L ITARY COSTUME 195

TABARD

Th e herald ic su rcoat of a he rald or kn ight . A jacke t

o r sleeve less coat .

TACES, OR TASSETS

F lexi ble bands of stee l surrounding t h e hips . They

extended from t h e wai st to t h e middle of t h e thigh,

and consisted of from four to e ight separate bands .

TILTING HELM

Th e large , heavy he lme t entire ly cover ing t h e head

and face,used by those engaged in ti l t ing

, e tc ., as

a protecti on against th e lance of t h e opponent .

TU ILLES

E xtra pIeceS of plate armour in t h e form of guards

h anging from th e taces .

VAMBRACES

Defensive armou r for t h e fo rearm extending from

t h e e l bow to t h e wrist .

TH IRTE ENTH CENTURY

Th e effigy at Bi tton , Glouceste rshi re , probably com

m em orat ing S i r Wal te r de Bitton (fathe r of Thomas de

Bitton,Bi shopof E xeter 1 2 93 who died in 1 2 2 7,

admi rably i l lustrates t h e armou r of h i s t i me . H e i s

protected in a complete su it of banded mai l , and bears

on th e breast h i s sword diagonal ly placed , and a large

shie ld bear i ng h is arms , erm in e,a f es s gules . H e i s

crossed- legged , and wears a surcoat. Th e monumen t

w as discovered in th e churchyard at Bitton .

196 E NGLISH COSTUME

O ne th i rteen th centu ry monumental brass , w hich

happens to be t h e earl iest now exi sting in t h e kingdom ,

m ay be m en ti oned he re on ac

coun t o f i t s extraord inary inte rest

both as a piece o f"

fine metal

engrav ing and as a picture of

t h e mi l i tary equ ipm ent or h ar

ness ” of a kn ight in th e last

quarte r of th e th i rteen th cen tu ry .

Th e memorial i s that of S i r John

d’

Aubernoun , died 1 2 77, which

st i l l remains in t h e church of

S toke Dabernon,Surrey.

Th e e ffigy m ay be unh es itat

ingly placed within th e “ su r

coat period , as i t cons ist s almost

en t i re ly of chain mai l covered to

some extent by a garmen t o f that

characte r. I t i s a curiOII s fact ,to which t h e late Mr . J . G . Wal

le r , drew attention about

hal f a cen tu ry ago,1 that th i s i s

t h e on ly e ffigy of t h e t ime of

E dward I that h as not t h e legs

crossed . Thi s i s interest ing , butThi rt een th cen tury e ffigy of t h e i dea that kn ights wi th crossedkn ight , probab ly S ir Walte rde B i t ton (B it ton Church ,G loucest e rshire)

legs h ad rendered m i l i tary ser

v i ce in t h e Holy Land , or we re

1 M on um en tal B ras ses f rom th e Th i rteen th to th e S ix teen th Cen tury .

M r.Wal ler’s descript ion of t h e arm our h as been Close ly fol low ed in

re fe rence to this and som e othe r of t h e thi rteen th and fourt een th centurym i l i tary e ffig ie s .

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M I LITARY COSTUME 199

unde r a vow to do so , h as long been exploded , al

though that v iew w as common ly he l d some years ago .

Th e figure i s en ti re ly enve loped in a su i t o f in te r

laced chain mai l , t h e body be ing cove red by a haube rk

wi th S leeves t h e head i s protected by a hood or coi f of

mai l which i s drawn ove r i t ; t h e legs and feet are

guarded by chausses ; at t h e knees are coverings of

plate ornamen t ed wi th roses ; and t h e spu rs are of th e

s imple “ prick- spu r”type. Th e surcoat , just refe rred

to,i s loose

,and h as a fringed borde r i t i s confined at

t h e wai st by a plai ted cord , be low which i t opens in

fron t and fal ls on e i ther s ide in ample fo l ds . A n

en r i ched gu ige pass ing ove r t h e r ight shou lde r sup

ports oh th e oppos i te s ide a heate r- shaped sh ie ld ,emblazoned wi th armorial bear ings ; t h e ornamen t on

t h e guige consists al t e rnate ly of a rose sl ipped , and a

fylfot wi thin a lozenge space placed in a square . Th e

sword i s suspended by a broad,sl ightly ornamen tal

be l t . Th e scabbard i s plain t h e pomme l of t h e sword

i s curiously worked .with a cross in th e cen tre . A

lance passes unde r t h e r ight arm , t h e Shaft resting on

th e ground . Thi s lance , at a poin t j ust be low t h e head

of th e kn ight,bears a pennon charged wi th t h e

Aubernoun arms . Th e fee t rest on a l ion couchant ,which holds th e bottom of th e lance between hi s paws ,and grasps t h e staff wi th h i s teeth .

O n C lose scrutiny ce rtain defects wi l l be observed in

th e draw Ing of t h e figure,but as a product ion of t h e

burin,th i s brass is not exce l led by any late r example .

Each l ink of t h e mai l i s d i st inct ly rep resen ted , and th e

me re work of engraving such a large surface must

200 E NGLI SH COSTUME

have occup ied many weeks , i f not months , of patien t

labour .

Th e e ffigy of S i r Roge r de Trumpington in Trumpington Church , near Cambridge , i s a work of th e year

1 2 89 , or the reabouts . Th e engraving of t h e brass i s

unfin i shed , but qu i te enough w as executed to Show t h e

gene ral features of t h e armour , t h e characte r of whi ch

c lose ly resembles that of th e last-named effigy . Th e

poin ts of di fference are that t h e Trumpington e ffigy i s

shown furn i shed wi th oblong wing- l i ke plates , or

ai lettes,at th e back of t h e shoulders

,whi lst t h e head

i s resting on a large he lm ,features which are not

found on th e D’

Aubernoun brass . Th e ai le ttes , which

made the i r appearance during t h e re ign of E dward I

and remain ed in fash ion unti l that of E dward I I I , are

cur ious addi ti ons to t h e armour,t h e purpose of which

i s not at presen t qu i te clear . I t i s probable that they

we re composed mai n ly of leathe r . They we re some

t imes fringed at t h e margin ,and h ad badge s and othe r

design s , whi lst t h e surface w as cove red wi th arms .Th e form of ai lettes w as usual ly square or oblong , but

round , pentagonal , and lozenge S hapes have beenrecorded .

1

FOURTEENTH CENTURY

Th e monumen tal brass to S i r Robert Bures at Ac ton

Church , Suffolk, comes just in to t h e fourteen th century ,t h e date be ing about t h e year 1302 . Thi s e ffigy is a

superb piece of work, t h e drawing of t h e figure and

1 Fairh olt'

s Cos tum e i n E ng land. Ed ited by Hon. H . F. D i l lon .

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202 E NGLISH COSTUME

armour of abou t t h e year 1320. Th e e ffigy , which i s

defective , i s cross- legged , and i s shown as encased

in banded mai l , and furn i shed

wi th ai le ttes , placed lozenge

wise,and charged wi th a cross .

This i s an exce l len t example

of t h e end o f th e su rcoat

pe ri od .

I t i s hard ly necessary to

add,afte r what h as been sai d ,

that t h e cross- legged atti tude

of t h e kn ight h as no re lation

to t h e Crusades . I t w as a

s imple and conven ient m ethod

of indicating t h e repose of t h e

recumben t body .

A n i n t e r e s t i n g al though

somewhat damaged effigy of

an armed kn ight of what i s

known as t h e cyclas per i od

( 132 5— 30) i s in St . Peter’s

Church, Sandwich , Kent . Th e

e ffigy , which i s of Caen stone ,w as formerly painted . I t re

presents t h e kn ight wear ing a

qu i lted gambeson . Upon that

i s a haube rk of chain mai l ,

E ffigy to a m em be r of t h ethen a defence of scale-work ,

Bacon fam ily 1 ab00t t h e year and ove r al l a fr inged S leeveSfi o’k’ less surcoat or 0 la O n th eyc 5 .

arm i s seen a portion of t h e gambeson,and above i t i s

Sculptured e ffigy of a Kn ight o f th e fourteen th cen turyin S t . Pete r’s Church , Sandw ich, Kent

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M I LITARY COSTUME 205

t h e loose sleeve of t h e hauberk,furn i shed wi th rounde ls

at e lbows and Shou lder . Th e bascinet i s round . Th e

he lm i s at tached by means of a Chain to t h e l ion-mask

on t h e cyclas . Th e dagge r hi l t i s al so secured by a

chain , whi le a cord suspends t h e sheath .

Th e effigy i s .now in th e west end of th e church,and

h as sustained a good deal o f damage , but original ly i t

must have been a splendid i l lustrat ion of a kn ight of

t h e earl ie r part of t h e fourteenth cen tu ry . Simi lar but

comple te e ffigies exist at Horley and Folkestone .

Th e e ffigy of Si r John d’

Aube rnoun t h e second,who

died in 132 7, wears t h e cyclas , an oute r garmen t which

fits t h e figure more c lose ly than t h e surcoat,and i s

conside rably shorte r in fron t than beh ind . I t wi l l be

not iced that t h e’

h auberk i s shaped almost to a poin t

in fron t . O n t h e head is a po in ted bascinet , and from

it hangs th e camai l o r chain armour defence for t h e

throat,n eck , and shoulde rs .

On comparing thi s e ffigy with that of t h e earl ie r

kn ight,S i r John d

’

Aube‘

rnoun , who d ied just fifty

years before,

w e s ee a remarkable deve lopmen t of

plate m ai l,which w as now rapi d ly replacing chain mai l .

By t h e middle of t h e fourteen th cen tury, or soon

afte r,w e find that t h e legs and arms are en ti re ly

encased in plate armour . Th e head w as protected by

th e bascinet t h e th roat by t h e camai l and somet imes

th e standard of mai l ; and t h e fee t by sol le rets prov ided with over lapping plates r ive ted together . Th e

e ffigy of E dward th e Black Prince in Can te rbu ry

Cathedral be longs to thi s cen tury . Th e pr ince died

in 1376 , and th e e ffigy,which is represen ted in armour,

206 ENGLISH COSTUME

m ay be considered art i stical ly one of t h e very finest

spec imens in existence . As wi l l be seen from t h e i l l ust rat ions

, i t possesses a magn ificen t or le round t h e

head , and a superb be l t and sur

coat or tabard embroide red with t h e

royal arms . In certain minute points ,howeve r , such as th e fasten ings and

hinges of t h e armour,t h e e ffigy

,

which i s a casting in bronze , i s

defective ; but th e general form i s

extreme ly good .

FI FTE ENTH AND S IXTEENTHCENTURIE S

Quite early in t h e fifteen th cen tury

comple te plate armour began to be

used , and of th is species of defence

monumental brasses and e ffigies in

t h e round furn ish us with abundan t

i l lust rations .

An example of t h e armour worn

about t h e middle of t h e s ixteen th

cen tury i s here shown . Th e general

awkwardness of t h e figure,i t m ay

be remarked , i s due to t h e lack of

Arm ed kn ight , [409 (S irski l l of t h e art i s t who depicted i t ,

Wi l l iam de Burgat e , at but , in addi t i on tO t h l S Obv l OUS de

the re i s abundan t evidence o f

dete r i orat i on in t h e var i ous parts of t h e armour. O ne

of th e characteri st i c p ieces of t h e t ime i s th e ski rt or

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M ILITARY COSTUME 209

pett i coat of mai l usual ly worn unde r t h e tu i l les , but

there are one or two cases on record of t h e tu i l les be ing

beneath t h e mai l ski rt . Th e protective cover ings for

E ffigy to S ir Robe rt Suck l ing , of S ir Thom as Throckm orton , 1445about t h e year 14 15 (Barsham , (Fladbury, Worceste rshi re)

Sufl'

olk)

2 10 E NGLISH COSTUME

t h e feet , t h e broad-toed sabbatons , are s ingu larly

C l umsy.

Th e breast-plates of th i s pe riod are general ly wi th

Esqui re in arm our,15 1 2

(Robe rt Whyt e , in South Warnborough Church, Hants)

out p laccates and have t h e perpendi cu lar r idge , known

as t h e tapu l , down th e cent re .

A curi ous but in te rest ing e ffigy of an armed figure

of t h e year 15 1 2 exi st s in a monumen tal brass at South

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ENGLIS H COSTUME

t h e breast a large figure of a rose su rmounted by a

crown . A ruff at th e n eck,breeches reach ing just

be low t h e knees , tight nethe r-hose , and shoes complete

th e att i re .

Th e ri se and decl ine of armour are traceable to a

regular se ries of c i rcumstances . Th e deve lopment

of real ly serv iceable swords , lances , and battleaxes

h ad t h e natural e ffect of increas ing t h e mean s of

defence such as he lms,he lmets , and cover ings for

t h e body made of scale,mai l or plate armour . When

gunpowde r w as i n t roduced , and i mproved fi rearms

made armou r no longe r e ffect ive , armour went out

of fash ion .

M IL ITARY UN I FORM

When armour as.

a means of bod i ly defence w as

abandoned , i ts place w as not immediate ly taken by a

set of cl othing , or“ un i form ”

as i t h as Come to be

cal led ; and mater ial s for t h e study are , i f not exactly

scanty , scarce ly as clear as might be wi shed .

Th e types o f armour we re subject to change and

deve lopmen t to mee t t h e requ i remen ts of new methods

and i mplem en t s of warfare , and to some exten t they

fol lowed new fancies and fash ions imported from

France or othe r parts of t h e Cont inent . Y e t al l these

changes h ad defin i te sequence , and can be refe rred

wi thout hes i tat i on to rest r i cted pe ri ods .

When armour ceased to be large ly worn ,and t h e

soldie rs we re dressed in garmen ts whose primary Use

w as to protect them from t h e natu ral e lemen ts rather

t han human an tagon i st s , w e look in vain for t h e same

pe rsi stence of form and regular sequence of fashion .

Soldie r of t h e t im e of Charles I, arm ed w i th m usket and sw ord

,

carrying m uske t -rest , and W i th bandoh er ove r t h e shoulde r

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2 16 ENGLIS H COSTUME

trim med wi th black to wear at his fathe r ’s fun eral in

Novembe r , 1658 .

Th e var ious parts of a so ld ie r’s c l othing in 1642 , as

w e learn from certain con tract s for t h e army in Ulste r ,we re : a cap, a doublet , a cassock or coat , breeches , tw o

pai r of stockings , two pai r o f shoes , and two shi rts .

The re are in Og i lby’

s book 1 many inte rest ing detai ls

of m i l i tary un i form ,including those of t h e Yeomen of

t h e Guard,footmen , pages , e tc. ,

represen t ed as attend

i ng Char les I I on t h e occas ion of h i s coronation . Th e

un i form of t h e yeom en i s of spec ial in te res t from t h e

fact that i t s t i l l bears a cl ose resemblance to t h e mi l i tary

garb worn close upon four cen tu ries ago . The i r dress

i s men t ioned in 1513, when Hen ry VI I I w as at tended

by six hundred arche rs of hi s guard al l in whi te gab

e rdines and caps ; but the re i s reason to th ink that i t

w as not un ti l t h e year 1 526 that a distincti ve costume

w as appropriat ed to them .

In Charles I l ’s t ime t h e present dress of t h e Yeomenof t h e Guard w as worn wi th t h e l ong Ski rts supers ed

ing t h e Short “ l ive ry coat,

as seen in t h e Cow dray

pi cture , temp. H . VI I I .

Th e Yeomen of t h e Guard wore a scarlet habi t ,guarded and laced on t h e Ski rts and sl eeves wi th

garte r b lue ve lvet,and on the i r breasts and backs i s

t h e Un ion rose ensigned wi th th e crown royal em

bro i de red wi th gold . Th e rose w as combined with t h e

thist le afte r t h e accession of James I,and t h e shamrock

w as added in 1802 , afte r t h e un i on with I re land .

1 Th e E n terta i n m en t of Ch arles [I in h is Pas sage th rough th e Ci ty ofLondon to h is Coronat ion . 1662 .

SOLD IER OF THE T IME OF JAMES I , ARMED W ITH A CAL I VER

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2 18 E NGLISH COSTUME

1885 edi t i on), figures a soldie r and a sai lor of t h e year

1 746 . Th e sai lo r wears a smal l flat cocked h at ; an

open jacke t , displaying hi s sh i rt , t h e col lar be ing turned

over on hi s shou lde rs ; and loose slops s imi lar to t h e

pet ti coat breeches of t h e re i gn of Char les I I , and which

are st i l l seen on Dutch soldie rs,as we l l as upon some

of our ow n fishe rmen .

Th e sold ie r, one of t h e foot guards , wears a cooked

h at , a long ski rted tun i c , knee- breeches , and but ton ed

upgai te rs . Th e fron t of t h e tun i c i s thrown back and

decorated wi th laced button - holes . Th e ammun i t i on

bag hangs from a broad band or strap passing ove r t h e

left Shou lde r .

Armour m ay be con s idered to have been en ti re ly

abandoned in th e time of Queen Anne,when t h e pi ke ,

as a fighting weapon ,wen t out of fash ion . A t this

t ime t h e red and white feather appeared in t h e h at .

Th e whi te cockade w as adopted by t h e fol lowers of th e

Pretende r , and t h e sold ie rs of George I I wore , as a

d istinguish ing mark,a black cockade .

I t m ay be added that t h e Household Caval ry first

wore cu i rasses at th e coronat ion of George IV .

C HA PTE R X I I

ECCLES IASTICAL CO STUME

CCLE S IOLOG ICAL au thori t ies are not in en t i re

agreemen t as to t h e origin and ear ly deve lopment

of some of t h e ecclesiast i cal vestments used in

E ngland . Indeed , some of th e poin ts of di ffe rence

have been at t imes d i scussed wi th cons iderable warm th .

For th e presen t purpose i t i s n e i the r des i rable nor

necessary to deal wi th these debatable aspect s of a

question which from othe r poin ts of V iew is fu l l of

interest .

I t i s he ld by some , al though combated by othe rs ,that al l t h e vestmen t s of t h e Church h ad the i r ori gin

in t h e regular dress of t h e ci t i zens of Rome . Thus ,Mr. R . A . S . Macal i ste r

,in his book on E ccles ias t ical

Ves tm en ts page 2 1,wri tes

We gat he r that , du ring t h e fi rs t cen turie s of th e Ch rist ianChurch

,no ve stm en t s w e re defin i t e ly s e t apart for t h e ex

clus ive us e o f t h e cle rgy w h o officiat ed at D ivine se rvicethat cle rgy and people w o re th e sam e s tyle of vesture bot hin church and out , subj ect on ly to t h e acc iden t ial dis t inc t ionsof quality and clean liness .

Th e same wri te r po in t s out that t h e symbo l i sm which

some wri te rs have de l ighted to at tach to t h e di ffe rent2 19

2 20 E NGLISH COSTUME

vestmen t s are as much accre tions as are th e jewe l s andt h e embroidery of t h e M i dd le Ages .

Howeve r thi s m ay be , one of t h e most str i king

th ings about eccles iastical costume i s t h e pe rsi stence

with which ce rtain defin i te types of vestmen t have been

re tained . Th e violen t changes introduced into civi l

costumes , by which e nti re ly new styles of garmen t

come instantly in to fashion , are unknown in t h e formal

official robes of t h e cle rgy . He re th e changes of cut

and mate rial are gradual,and on t h e l ines of cont inuous

deve lopment and t rans i t i on rathe r than of startl ing

innovat i on .

Another point , to whi ch al lusion h as al ready been

made,i s t h e r i chness of t h e mate r ial s and t h e weal th o f

ornament used i n vestments ofan eccles iasti cal character .

Th e vari ous garment s of wh ich ecclesiasti cal costume

con si sts are we l l defined and easi ly recogn i zable when

once understood,al though th e general ignorance on

t h e subject i s qu i t e remarkable . For t h e purposes ofdefin i t i on i t wi l l be conven ient to d iv i de ecclesiasti cal

costume into tw o broad classes , name ly ( 1)euchari stic

and ( 2)non-euchar i st i c .

1 . EUCHARISTIC VE STMENTS

( i)AM ICE . Th is garmen t , primari ly perhaps a scarf,or a cloth for wrapping round anyth ing , consi sted of an

oblong piece of l inen wi th an ornamen tal edging or

appare l affi xed to one of i ts longe r s ides . The re we re

al so two strings attached to th e tw o corners of t h e

appare l led side , by means o f which i t w as attached t6

t h e neck,t h e str ings be i ng passed unde r t h e arms ,

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E NGLIS H COSTUME

early t imes t h e whole garmen t w as of ample S i ze and

ornamented wi th one or more scar let st r ips in front .

Owing to t h e fact that t h e alb i s u sual ly nearly

cove red by t h e chasuble,so as to b e vi si ble on ly at th e

John West , chaplain , ci rca 14 15

(Sudborough ,Northan ts)

wri sts and n ear t h e feet , t h e gracefu l

shape of th i s garmen t i s rare ly seen t e

presen ted in sepulchral e ffigies . For

tunat e ly , howeve r , the re are a f ew

examples which,from one cause or

anothe r,

enable one to s ee how t h e

unde r garmen ts worn at t h e ce lebra

t i on o f t h e Mass we re arranged . Th e

monumental brass to a priest (name

unknown), of about t h e year 1430 , at

Horsham Church , Sussex , i s valuable

in thi s w ay because , i n addi t i on to i ts

be ing a beauti fu l ly executed figure,i t

shows a cope be ing worn ove r t h e amice ,alb , crossed stole , and man ipl e . Th e

cope i s su fficien tly open in fron t to al low

one to s ee t h e whole arrangemen t qui te

we l l . Anothe r figure , a statue in t h e

chape l o f t h e east t ransept at Linco ln

Cathedral , represents a pr iest evidently

vested for Mass , wearing amice , alb ,

and crossed sto le , over which i s a cho i r cope , open in

fron t .

Th e best example for our purpose i s unquest i onably

t h e e ffigy on t h e m onumen tal brass to John West ,Chaplain ,

o f abou t t h e year 14 15, at Sudborough ,Northam ptonshi re . He re t h e figure i s vested in al l t h e

ECCLE S IASTI CAL COSTUME 2 23

Mass vestmen ts except ing on ly t h e chasuble , and no

cope i s worn . Th e resu l t i s that t h e prec ise arrange

men ts of man iple and stole can be seen qui te clearly.

Th e gi rd le , by which t h e al b w as always ti ed close ly

round t h e wai st, i s in th i s case hidden by th e fal l ing

ove r of t h e mater ial of t h e alb above . Th e long ends

of t h e sto le are enclosed within t h e gi rd le i n such a

w ay as to keepthem in the i r appropr iate place , and also

to preserve t h e crossed condi ti on of t h e stole on t h e

breast , an arrangem en t which w as un i ve rsal l y main

tain ed in t h e case of pri ests wear ing t h e euchar i stic

stole , but not i n t h e case of bishops,t h e latte r wearing

i t hanging down qui te straigh t .

( i i i) STOLE .— Th e chief pecu l iari ty of t h is part of

t h e euchar i sti c vestm en t s h as al ready been men t ioned ,cons i s t ing

,as i t does

,in i t s be ing worn crossed on t h e

breast , al though th e fact , owing to t h e chasu ble be ing

worn over it , i s rare ly to be detected . Th e stole m aybe defined as a long and fai r ly narrow band or scarf of

embroidered S i l k or othe r r ich mate r ial worn so as to

pass from t h e back of t h e n eck ove r th e two shou lders ,crossed on t h e breast

, passed under t h e gi rdle of t h e

alb , from that po int both ends hanging down straight

to a poin t abou t midway between t h e knee and th e

ankle of th e weare r.

Th e origin of t h e stole i s a matte r upon which

ecclesi o logical author i t ies are not in en ti re agreemen t ,al though i t i s pre t ty gene ral ly accepted that i t repre

sen ts t h e borde r of a Roman garmen t . Stoles be long

i ng to t h e th i rt een th and fourt eenth cen tu ries were

often most beaut iful ly worked in s i l k wi th sacred and

2 24 E NGLISH COSTUME

herald i c devices and sh ie lds of arms . Th e famous

Syon cope , now at th e Victor ia and Albert Museum ,

h as an edging made apparen t ly of a stole and man iple

embroide red with arms s et in smal l l ozenge- shaped

sh ie lds . Othe r extreme l y in terest ing examples o f stole

and man i ple of t h e early part of t h e fourteen th ce ntury,

or possi bly t h e end of t h e th i rteen th cen tu ry , al so

embroidered wi th sh ie lds o f arms,are in t h e possession

of t h e We l d Fami ly,at Leagram Hal l , Lancash i re ,

and they have been i dent ified by Mr . E verard Green ,

1

Rouge D ragon ,as parts of th e s et of vestmen ts

wh ich be longed to t h e B ridget t ine nuns of Syon House,

I sleworth,to which

,of course

,t h e Syon cope , just

referred to,al so be l onged .

(i v)MAN IP LE OR FANON .— Thi s i s be l ieved to have

been original ly a narrow pi ece of l in en used , as a

modern handkerch ief,for wiping t h e forehead , face ,

etc. ,but at an ear ly per iod i t w as en r i ched wi th orna

ment . Fr inged ends and embroide ry in colours andgold were empl oyed in t h e decoration of t h e fanon

some t ime,according to some authori ties , after t h e n inth

cen tury , but in t h e Bayeux Tapestry , i t m ay be re

marked,th e representati on of Archbi shop Stigand shows

t h e fanon plain and he l d in t h e left hand , which i s

open . By t h e fou rteen th cen tury i t h ad become th e

practi ce to wear t h e fanon looped ove r t h e left forearm ,

pure ly as an ornamen tal part of a priest’s vestmen ts .

(v) CHASUBLE .— This w as t h e oute r garmen t of t h e

euchar i st i c seri es , be ing placed ove r al l those just

1 S ee P roceeding s of th e Society of An t iquar ies of London,XVI I ,

2 72—80.

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2 2 6 E NGLISH COSTUME

Th e chasuble h as for so many cen tur ies been re

garded as t h e most Characte r i st i c of t h e sacerdotal

vestmen ts that con t rove rsy and discuss ion have f re

quen tly and natu ral ly been waged around i t . I n to

these po in t s i t i s unnece ssary and undes i rable to ente r

in these pages ; but i t m ay be we l l to poin t out that

t h e cost l iness of i ts material s and t h e e laborate char

acte r of i ts ornamen ts are due to t h e special S ign ifi

cance which i t h as always h ad i n t h e est imat i on of

Cathol i cs .

Th e costl iness of t h e mat e r ial h as al ready been

re ferred to ; s i l k and cloth of gold seem to have

been free ly employed , and t h e co lours used we re

doubtless general ly in accordance with those prope r

for t h e var ious seasons of t h e Church ’s year . I t i s

probable , however , that t h e r i chest and finest vest

m en t w as worn at th e great fest ival s regard less of i ts

colou r .

Th e Chief ornamen t of th e chasub le w as t h e Orphrey

(auri f rig ium ), a broad st r ip of e laborate embro i dery

work appl ied to back and fron t of t h e vestmen t in

such a w ay as to hang in fron t from t h e n eck in a

S ingle band to t h e fron t po in t o f t h e garment , and

at t h e back in t h e form of t h e le t te r Y , th e tw o upper

l imbs of wh ich extended to each shoulde r , whi lst th e

l owe r l imb descended to t h e back po in t of t h e chasuble .

Of t h e vestment s worn by assi stants at Mass,t h e

dalmat ic w as t h e di stingu i sh ing garmen t of t h e deacon ,or gospe l le r , and t h e tun i c le that of t h e sub-deacon .

(vi)DALMATIC.— There i s reason to be l ieve that in

th e early ages of t h e Church t h e dalmati c w as whi te

E CCLE S IASTI CAL COSTUME 2 2 7

and ident i cal wi th t h e alb , except that i t w as of some

what Shorte r proport i on s . In t h e M i ddle Ages t h e

dalmat i c w as co loured to correspond wi th t h e chasuble .

Th e dist inguish ing featu re o f t h e dalmati c (which

w as so cal led from t h e fact that i t h ad been worn in

Dalmatia) w as that i t w as s l i t up for a short di stance

on e i the r S ide .

Som e admi rable m edimval examples of t h e dalmat ic

are depi cted on t h e famous pain ted rood- screen at

Randw orth , Norfolk , includ ing a figure of S t . Stephen

vested in an alb and green dalmat i c , anothe r of St .

Laurence vested in alb and red dalmati c,anothe r sain t

or bi shop wearing t h e alb , a red dalmatic , chasuble ,and purple gloves and mitre ; and another extra

ord inar i ly fine figure Of a sain t-archbi shop, supposed

to represen t St . Thomas o f Can terbury , wearing , in

addition to t h e alb , amice , tun i c le , dalmat i c , and

chasuble , t h e arch iepiscopal pal l . Th e letter T appears

on t h e amice and on t h e orphrey of t h e chasuble .

Th e dalmat i c w as t h e special vestmen t o f a deacon

ass ist ing at Mass .

Th e dalmat i cs of S t . Stephen 1 and S t . Laurence are

1 I t is not ed that in t h e figure of S t . S t ephen , vested as a deacon ,t h e

right -hand side of t h e dalm at ic i s show n represen t ing t h e sl it as en t i re lyedg ed w ith f ringe . This is rathe r against t h e posi t ive asse rt ion o f a

recen t w ri te r that on ly th e le f t -hand sl it of a deacon's dalm at ic w as

ornam ent ed w ith f ringe . Th e dalm at ic of t h e bishop w as,o f course ,

f ringed along th e low e r hem s,t h e edges of t h e tw o sl its, and t h e ends of

both sleeves, but M r. R. A . S . Macal iste r (E ccles ias t ical Ves tm en ts, pp.

79—80)s tat es that in t h e case of a deacon ’s dalm at ic t h e le f t -hand sl it ,t h e low e r h em , and t h e le ft -hand sleeve te rm inat ion alone w e re f ringed,t h e reason be ing simply that t h e f ringe m ight be found inconven ien t andin th e w ay w h i lst t h e deacon w as m in istering at t h e al tar.

2 2 8 E NGLISH COSTUME

en r iched with an orphrey or appare l of great beauty

decorated i n bold convent ional fo l iage and extending

from t h e amice to t h e fr inged h em of th e dalmat i c .

Th e whole ser ies of pictures wh ich

are of t h e best fifteenth cen tu ry per iod

i s remarkably fine both for art i st i c mer i t

and as representing t h e costume of th e

t im e .

The re i s anothe r pretty but qu ite

s imp le figure of S t . Laurence vested in

a fringed dalmat i c given on t h e brass to

John Byrkh ed, 1468 , at Harrow ,M iddle

s ex .

(v i i) TUN ICLE . Thi s w as a smal l

var ie ty of t h e dalmati c,and w as worn

F igure represen tspecial ly as t h e d ist ingu ish ing vestmen t

ing S t . Laurence of t h e sub-deacon assi st ing at t h e ce le

éi’

xif m

g’

e 124

111

55 brat ion of Mass , and al so as one of t h e

ing on ly an alb and Mass ve stm ents of t h e bishop.

(13 11113 110 I t m ay be remarked that in ancien t

accoun ts and inven tories on e usual ly finds t h e phrase

a pai r of t un i c les ,” which suggest s that there w as no

othe r d i st i ncti on forme rly between dalmati c and tun ic le

except si ze .

Bishops and mi t red abbots , in addi t ion to t h e amice ,al b , stole (not crossed in t h e case of bishops), fanon ,

and chasuble , wore tun i cle , dalmat ic , gloves , mitre ,buskins , and sandal s , al so a ring on t h e second finge r of

t h e r ight hand , and a pastoral s taff carr ied in t h e hand .

Th e fo l lowing are brief particu lars of t h e var i ous

episcopal garment s

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236 ENGLISH CO STUME

GLOVES .—G IOV€S were part o f th e habi t of a bishop

w hen vested for Mass and othe r so lemn occasions . I t

i s be l ieved that t h e formal or

official us e of gloves did not

commence un t i l about t h e twe l fth

cen tury,al though

,of course , they

we re in vogue as a protect ion

from t h e weather at a much

earl ie r date . Th e actual gloves

of Wi l l iam of Wykeham are

now preserved at New Co l lege ,O xford . Upon t h e back t h e

let te rs “ I H S ” wi thin t h e rays

o f t h e sun are worked . Epis co

pal gloves we re somet imes jewe lEpis copa’glov led on t h e back .

BUSK INS OR S ABATYNS .— These we re real ly stockings

original ly,fastened at t h e knee . In ear ly t imes they

we re composed of l inen ,and afte rwards of si l k . Some

in te res t ing mediae val examples taken from t h e tomb

of Huber t Wal te r,Archbi shop of Canterbu ry, have

been figured in Vetus ta M onum en ta, one o f t h e publ i

cati ons of t h e Soci e ty of An t i quar ie s of London .

Th e buskin s of BishopWil l iam ofWaynfleet , w h ich

are prese rved at Magdalen Col lege,Oxford , are figured

in A rch aeolog ia, Vol . LX , p. 486 .

SANDALS .— These we re Shoes

,original ly of open

work and aft erwards,about t h e fourteen th cen tury,

furn i shed wi th str ings . In addi t i on to t h e represen ta

t i on s of epi scopal sandal s on e ffigies and brasses , actual

examples of those once be longing to Bishop Wi l l iam

ECCLE S IASTI CA L CO STUME 2 31

of Waynfleet and Archbishop Hube rt Wal te r st i l l

exist .

PALL OR PALL IUM .—This w as t h e d i st incti ve orna

men t of an archbi shop’s eccl es iast i cal d ress . In th e

Church of E ngland thi s ornamen t,alt hough retained

in t h e arms of t h e sees of Can t e rbury and York,1 h as

not been used S ince th e Reformat i on .

O ne of t h e best sources of in format ion w e have as to

t h e vestmen t s of a great ecc lesiast i cal d ign i tary i s t h e

noble e ffigy of John of Sheppey , Bishopof Rocheste r,

who died i n 1360 . Th e effigy i s i n hi s cathedral

chu rch at Rochester,and i s special ly remarkable for

i ts good state of preservat ion and t h e comple t eness

of i t s colou r ing— ci rcum stances whi ch are due to t h e

fact that i t,wi th seve ral fragmen t s of othe r carv i ngs ,

h ad for many years been wal led up i n t h e cho i r , and

covered wi th a large quan t i ty of chal k .

Th e bishop, who h ad al so fi l led t h e offices of Chan

ce l lor of t h e Realm and Treasu re r , w as a m an of

conside rable importance i n his day , and hi s e ffigy

h as eviden t ly been carved and pain ted wi th great ski l l

and care,and probably at no l i ttle expense . H e i s

represen ted as comple t e ly vested in a bishop’s Mass

vestmen ts,al l of wh ich are most thorough ly and

m inute ly depi ct ed . Th e head reposes on tw o highly

ornamen ted pi l lows,but t h e var ious garmen ts fal l in

gracefu l fo lds,as they might be expected to do in th e

case o f a standi ng figure wear ing garmen ts of r ich

and costly mater ial s .

232 E NGLISH COSTUME

NON-EUCHARISTIC VE STMENTS ,INCLUD ING

PROCE S S IONAL VE STMENTS

Th e process ional vestmen ts cons ist of t h e cassock ,su rpl i ce , almuce

,and cope , each o f which requ ires

a br ief description . I t m ay be added he re , howeve r ,that t h e term process ional does not i mply that these

ve stmen ts were worn on ly for processi on s , as they were

used on /m any othe r occas ions .

( i)CASSOCK .— Th is w as one o f th e regular garmen ts

Priest in cassock,

about t h e year1480(C i ren ceste r,G loucest e rshi re)

worn by m en both lay and c le r ical du r ing

t h e M i ddle Ages . I t w as al so worn by

women,and m ay be descri bed as a l ong

loose coat o r gown wi th tight s leeves , and

fastened up th e fron t . I t can be traced

from th e e leventh cen tury to t h e s ixteen th

cen tu ry,when i t w as made much Shorter ,

and became pract i cal ly t h e short coat of

recen t t i mes .

Th e cassock w as real ly worn unde r

t h e euchar i sti c vestm en ts , but owing to

t h e ample proportions of t h e alb i t w as

not vi s i ble . In processi onal atti re , how

eve r,th e cassock w as vi si ble be low th e

surpl i ce .

Th e ch ief purpose of t h e cassock

w as to keep th e wearer warm,and i t s

name i n m ediaeval Lat in , pel l icea, w as

given because of i ts fu r l in ing . Th e col our w as

gene ral ly black .

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234 E NGLISH COSTUME

As now worn by t h e bi shops t h e ch imere i s a black

sat in garment furn i shed wi th white lawn S leeves , drawn

in and fri l led at t h e wri sts .

A learned pape r on“Th e B lack Chime re of Angl i can

Pre lates A Plea for i ts Re t en tion and Prope r U s e”w as

read before t h e St . Paul ’s E ccles i ological Soci e ty i n

1898 , and i s p rin ted i n t h e Tran sact ion s 1 of that society .

Th e reade r m ay be refe rred to th i s pape r for furthe r

particu lars on t h e subject .

(v)ALMUCE .— Th e almuce , l i ke t h e cassock

,w as

essen t ial ly a protect ive garment , intended for warmth

and comfort rathe r than Show or r i tual purposes . I t

w as both a hood and a cape , that is to say , i t w as

adjustable so as to be used on t h e Shou lde rs as a t i ppe t ,or as a hood if d rawn ove r t h e head . Th e co lour of

t h e outs ide w as usual ly black , but scarlet in th e case

of doctors of d ivin i ty . Th e l in ing w as of fur , usual ly

dark brown in colour , but for canon s and doctors of

d iv in i ty grey . Th e edge of t h e almuce w as decorated

with a numbe r of tai ls of t h e an imals from which t h e

fu r l in ing w as made up. The re are numerous e f figies

in brass wh ich show thi s pecu l iari ty .

Some val uable in format ion in reference to t h e

deve lopme n t of t h e form of t h e grey almuce i s con

tained in Mr . W ; H . S t . John Hope’s pape r,

“ On

Some Remarkable E ccles iast i cal F igu res in t h e Cathe

dral Church Of We l l s,

” publ i shed i n A rch ceologia,

Vol . LIV, pp. 8 1—6 .

Th e tw o o the r e ffigies of canons at We l ls [w ri tesMr . HOpe] lie in t h e east e rn ais le o f t h e south t ransept .

1 Vo l. IV, pp. 18 1—2 20.

PORTRA IT OF DR. GEORGE ABBOT , ARCHB ISHOP OF CANTERBURY1611-1633

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236 E NGLISH COSTUME

Th is open form of am e s s i s also seen apparent ly in

another figure at H e refo rd,a prie s t in a cope from a

c ros s bras s , c i rca 1 370 . S eve ral o the r b rasses of th isquarte r of t h e cen tury seem to shew t h e am es s open dow n

t h e front .Pas s ing on into th e fifteenth century , w hen th e li t t le

penden t tai ls becam e fi rs t com m on , t h e half e ffigy of W il liamTanne r , m as te r of Cobham Col lege , w h o died in 14 18 , in

h is b ras s at Cobham ,shew s t h e g rey am ess c lasped on t h e

b reast by a sm al l b rooch . Ano th e r b ras s at Cobham ,that

of Reginald de Cobham ,w h o died in 1 420 ,

shew s t h e am e ssOpen all dow n t h e fron t unde r h is cope .

Th e We lls figure s on t h e tom b under not ice , and on t h e

n e ighbouring tom b of Wi lliam Byconyll , have t h e am icejoined ac ros s . An inte res t ing survival of t h e old Open

shape m ay b e s een at H e re fo rd,w he re Dean He rvey , 149 1

1 500 ,h as t h e am es s secured by a large ob long b rooch on

t h e b reas t . Th e sam e e ffigy also shew s t h e m o re ampledeve lopm ent of th e Cope of t h e am es s , w h ich now began to

be m ade longe r beh ind and to comple te ly cove r th e e lbow s .Th is fo rm is adm i rab ly i llus t rated by t h e b rass at

’

C h ris t

Church , O xford , of Jam es Courth ope , canon of Ch r is tChurch and dean of Pe t e rborough , w h o died in 1557.

(v i)COPE — Th e probabi l i ty i s that th e cope and

chasuble were o riginal ly iden t i cal , or , at any rate , that

they h ad a common or i g i n . This re lat ion i s indicated

by t h e Y- shaped cross on t h e back of th e magn ificent

pu rple cope known as“ casu la St . Stephan i ,

” figured

in Bock’s K l ienodien H e i l-Rb’

m isch en Re ich es D eutsch er

Nat ion .

At a comparat ive ly ear ly per iod in t h e M i ddle Ages

t h e cope becam e a ve ry costly and e laborate vestmen t .

I t w as gene ral ly made of cloth of gold or ve lve t, and

E CCLE S IASTI CAL COSTUME 237

w as magn ificently embroide red , jewe l led , and enr iched

w i th preci ous metals . Some of t h e most e ffective and

arti stic of m ediw val decorat i ve efforts are to be found

Canon ,14 13

(Wi l l iam Lange ton ,Canon of Exete r, in Exe te r Cathedral)

upon garments of th i s kind . Th e cope i s st i l l worn

when a cle r i c of sace rdotal rank min i ste rs ( i . e . assi sts)at Holy Commun ion ; al so by th e ce lebran t at t h e Mass

238 ENGLISH COSTUME

of t h e Pre-sanct ified on Good Fri day,at solemn even

song , and at fune ral s .

Probably t h e fine st,certain ly t h e most remarkable ,

ancien t cope of E ngl i sh manufactu re I s that known as

t h e Syon Cope ,” in t h e Victor ia and Albert Museum

at South Ken sington .

I t i s of t h e latte r part of th e th i rteen th cen tury ,composed of l inen in tw o and somet im es three thick

nesses,embro idered al l ove r wi th s i lver-gi l t and si lve r

thread and colou red si lks . Th e body of t h e cope i s

covered wi th i n ter lacing barbed quatrefo i l s ou t l ined in

gold : th e ground of these i s embroide red wi th faded

red s i l k and t h e spaces between them wi th green Si lk ,worked so as to produce a chev ron patte rn on th e su r

face . These quatrefoi ls are fi l led wi th scene s from t h e

l i fe of Chri st and t h e Vi rgin and figures of S t . M i chae l

and t h e Apostles t h e in te rven ing spaces are occupied

by figures of ange l s,most of them six-winged and

standing upon whee l s . Th e subject s are as fol lows,

taken from left to r ight — In t h e uppe r row : S t . Phi l i p

wi th three l oaves and book ; Chri st Appearing to S t .

Mary Magdalene in th e Garden ; t h e Burial of t h e

Vi rgin,h er body carr ied by t h e Apost les and attacked

by t h e J ews,whose hands are fixed to t h e bie r , and h er

sou l born e by ange l s to heaven and dropping t h e

gi rd le for S t . Thomas ; t h e Coronat i on o f th e Virgin ,

en th roned bes i de Chri st,

w h o i s bless ing h er ; t h e

Death of t h e Vi rgin ,t h e Apostles surrounding h er

and ange l s appear ing from heaven t h e I ncredu l i ty of

St . Thomas , who thrusts h i s hand in to t h e wound of

Chri st ; S t . S imon with short knotted club and book.

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ECCLE S IASTI CAL COSTUME 2 39

In th e second row : S t . Bartholomew with kn i fe and

book ; S t . Pete r wi th keys and book ; Chri st on t h e

cross,His body worked en t i re ly in s i lve r thread , with

t h e Vi rgin and St . John ; S t . Paul wi th sword and

book ; St . Thomas wi th lance and book . In t h e th i rd

row : St . Andrew with sal t i re cross and book ; St .

M i chae l t rampl ing on t h e dragon and thrusting a

spear in to hi s mouth ; St . James t h e Greate r wi th staff

and scrip and book . Port i on s of four othe r apost les

wi th ange l s and le tter ing m ay be traced among t h e

scraps wi th which t h e muti lated ci rcumference of t h e

cope h as been patched ; at t h e uppe r edge , which h as

al so been S l ightly muti lated , are two knee l ing cle r ics ,both hold ing scrol ls in scr i bed DAVN PERS DE

,with

othe r le tter ing not at presen t deciphe rable . Th e

figures are so placed as to be upr igh t when t h e

cope w as worn ,th e cen tre of t h e back be ing occup ied

by t h e Coronat ion,th e Crucifixion

,and St . M i chae l .

Th e faces , drapery, e tc .,are worked in ve ry fine spl i t

sti t ch with s i l k,t h e black and white part s of which

have in some cases worn away . Th e broad orphrey,

morse , and narrow semici rcu lar edging (th e latter

apparent ly made out of a stole and man iple)1 seem

to have been added at a late r date ; they are deco

rated wi th he rald i c sh ie lds and emblems embro i de red

main ly in cross- st i tch . O n t h e orphrey are ten large

lozenges , s et al te rnate ly upon green and faded red

grounds, arranged in groups of fives on each side of

a cen tral group of four large rounde l s on a greenground .

1 S ee P roceedings of th e Soci ety of An t iquar i es , XVI I , 2 72 .

240 E NGLISH COSTUME

Th e cope der i ves i ts name from t h e conven t of Syon,

at I s leworth , near London,founded

,in 14 14

— 15, by

Hen ry V for t h e B ridget t ine Nuns , into

whose hands i t came probably soon afte r

the i r establ i shmen t . When t h e nuns

left E ngland in t h e early days of Queen

E l i zabeth they carr ied t h e cope with

them on the i r wande r ings through F lan

de rs , F rance , and Portugal to Li sbon ,

whence they returned with i t to E ngland

i n 1830. Afte r pass ing through t h e

hands of t h e s ixteen th ear l of S hrews

bury , and Dr. Rock, i t w as acqu i red by

t h e Museum from t h e Right Rev .

Richard Brown in 1864 .

Th e fol l owing o ffi cial descripti on of

Robe rt London ,

t h e Syon Cope admi rably explains t h e

priest , vested in techn ical featu res of th is remarkablet . 6

pi ece of needlework

Cope , of canvas , en t i re ly cove red w ith em b roidery of

var ious classe s ; t h e in te rlacing barbed quat refoi ls are borde red w i th gold th read w orked in c lose - lying sho rt s t i tches ,and t h ree row s o f g reen or red and ye llow and w h i te s i lks inchain st i tch . Th e g round in t h e alt e rnate quat refoi ls is fi lledin w i th g reen and faded c rim son s i lks w orked in shorts t i tches to form a c lose diape r of chevron s i lks pat te rn .

On th e ins ide of t h e em b roide ry hanks of loose t h read havebeen laid, and are occas ional ly s t i tched ove r w i th t h e g reenand red s i lks pass ing th rough t h e in te rven ing canvas , and

s o add sub s tance to t h e em b roide ry. Th e quat refoi ls enclosefigure s of our Lo rd , t h e Vi rg in Mary , and t h e Apost le s ;w i th winged Cherub im or ange ls s tanding on w heels in

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242 E NGLISH COSTUME

th e plate w as kept in t h e second were t h e grai l s in th e

thi rd t h e process ioners and in t h e lowest t h e grai l s .

Priest , 1530

(Wi l l iam Law nder,in Northleach Church , G loucester)

Special chests were made for t h e accommodat ion of

copes . Th e cope-chest w as a semic i rcu lar oaken box

su fficiently large to al low t h e unfolded cope to l ie

ECCLE S IASTI CAL COSTUME 243

inside . E xamples of cope - chest s remain at Glouceste r

Cathedral, S al i sbury Cathedral , We l l s Cathedral ,

Westm inste r Abbey, and York M in ster . 1

Th e use of semici rcu lar chests for t h e accommodat ion

of copes i s in te rest ing because i t indicates persi stence

of form throughout a ve ry long pe r iod .

In addi tion to t h e examples of actual E ngl ish

mediaeval copes in our publ ic m useums and i n private

hands,t h e fo l l owi ng chu rches possess specimens ,

accord ing to Rev . G . E . Lee ’s Glos sary of L i turg ical

and E ccles ias t ical Te rm s — Durham Cathedral 5, E lyCathedral 1

,Carl i sle Cathedral 1 , Sal i sbury Cathedral

2,L ich fie ld Cathedral 1

,Westmin ster Abbey seve ral ;

whi lst fragments remain at Bi rcham St . Mary ’s Church ,Norfolk ; East Langdon ,

Ken t ; and Romsey Abbey

Church,Hampsh i re . O the r o ld E ngl ish cope s and

othe r vestmen t s are prese rved at t h e Roman Catho l i c

Col lege of S t . Mary , O s cot t , and at St . Chad ’s , Bi r

m ingh am .

1 S ee,for furthe r part iculars , E ng l i s h Ch urch Fu rn i tu re. By J . Charle s

Cox ,LL .D .

,and A l f red Harvey

,M .B . , pp. 316

— 17 .

CHAPTER XI I I

MONASTIC ACADEMIC,AND LEGAL COSTUME

N t h e presen t chapte r i t i s proposed to deal wi th

th ree near ly re lated classes o f costume,vi z . mo

nast ic,academ i c , and legal .

MONASTIC COSTUME

Th e regular habi t of t h e Ben edictine monk com

pri sed ( 1)tun ica, or cassock , and (2)cucul lus , or cow] .

Th e cassock m ay be descr i bed as t h e body garmen t , or

gown,whi lst t h e cowl w as a large l oose ly hanging

garmen t wi th a hood attached to i t and hanging

S leeves .

Th e canons regular of S t . August ine wore a habi t

cons isti ng of a fu r- l ined cassock , or pe l l icea, a whi te

roche t conceal ing t h e fu rred cassock,and a plain but

ample cl oak with a smal l hood .

E xamples of th e dress worn by t h e Augustin ian or

Black Canons m ay be seen i n t h e brasses at Dorchester

(Oxfordshi re), Sou th Creak (Norfolk), and Ove r Wick

endon (Buckinghamshi re), in t h e incised slab at Warter

Pr i ory (Yorksh i re), and in t h e stone e ffigies at Cartme l

and H exham .

E ffigies of mediaeval mon ks in E ngland are rare , a

c i rcumstance (as t h e Rev . He rbert Haines po inted out

244

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2 46 E NGLISH COSTUME

Alianore de Bohun,Duche ss of Gloucest e r , 139 9 , Wes t

m in s te r Abbey .

E ldes t daugh t e r of S i r Thom as and Lady U rs w yk,1470 ,

at

Dagenham ,E s se x .

Cice ly , daugh t e r of Thom as and Agnes Mount ford,1489 ,

Hornby , Yorksh i re .

Th i rd daugh t e r of S ir Thom as and Lady Barnardis ton ,1503,

G reat Cot e s,L incolnsh i re .

Port ion of e ffigy in

b rass of a Prioress o fK i lburn . Th e w implei s supported by a cordw h ich passes throught h e ve i l ove r t h e fore

Dam e A l ice Hampton

,nun

, about t h e

head year 15 10 (M ich inh ampton , G louces

t e rs h ire)

Dam e A lice Hampton f probab ly a nun of Syon , c i rca 15 10 ,M inch inhampton , G louces t e rsh i re . S h e w ears a rosaryhang ing from a gi rdle , and a r ing on t h e t h i rd finge r oft h e righ t hand.

Dam e Joan B raham ,1 5 19 , E renge , Norfolk .

Dam e Joan Cook , 1 52 9 , S t . Mary de C rypt , G louce ste r .Dam e Susan Kynges ton ,

1 540 , S hals tone , Buckingham sh i re .

Margare t Dely ,“a Sys t er professed yn S yon (s h e w as

t reasu re r of S yon), 1 56 1 , Is lew or t h , M iddlesex .

ACADEM IC COSTUME

ACADEM IC COSTUME

There i s a good deal of ev idence on monumental

brasses , e ffig ies , and min iatu res as to t h e forms of cos

tume which in past ages were worn by pe rsons of

academical d i stinction . Thi s phase of dress is close ly

associated wi th ecc les iast ical costume . I t resembles

legal costume in hav ing h ad i ts origin within t h e

Church . Th e garb o f schoolboys , as wi l l be shown

late r on , i s also in t imate ly re lated to Church costume ,because in form e r time t h e scholar w as reckoned to be

a minor eccles iastic , or in minor ecclesiastical orders .

There are a good many monumen ts of on e kind

and anothe r wh ich represen t pe rson s hav ing academical

degrees and wear ing t h e appropriate dress ; but i t i s

not by any means clear i n eve ry case what t h e preci se

shape and mate rial of those dresses are . Th e difficul ty

of depict ing e ffig ies on th e flat surface o f monumental

brass plates i s partly responsi ble for th i s , but in

add ition the re i s some doubt as to what t h e actual

garments are .

I t m ay be conven ient at th i s poin t to conside r th e

var i ous academic garmen ts represen ted , one by one , i n

order to make qu i te c lear what t h e mediaeval artist h as

not , in eve ry case , depi cted wi th comple te pe rspi cu i ty .

To begin wi th t h e head-dress : t h e pi leus , or cap,t h e most di st inctive garmen t of doctors , w as of seve ral

shapes, but the re are tw o main types , name ly ( 1) t h e

plain ,close-fit t ing skul l-cap, and (2) t h e round cap

wi th a point in t h e cen t re and a general appearance

of squareness in lat er examples i ndicating modificati on

248 ENGLISH COSTUME

by us e , resu l t ing even tual ly in t h e regular square capof mode rn times . This square appearance , i t m ay beadded , ari ses part ly from us e , and partly from th e fact

that there are fou r joins in t h e mater ial . This species

of cap i s especial ly worn by doctors of divin i ty ,e tc.

Doctor’s cap, ci rca 1480

Th e hood , or capu t i um ,w as original ly a regular

mediaeval form of head-dress , and w as at one t ime worn

by al l t h e members of t h e un ive rs i t ies , whethe r graduate

or not . In process of t i me i ts us e w as restr icted to t h e

graduate members , and i t then came to be reckoned a

symbol or indicat ion of degree . Th e hood , as worn by

t h e unde rgraduate , i s be l ieved to have con si sted of cloth

wi thout l in ing,whi lst t hose worn by graduates were

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2 56 ENGLISH COSTUME

A garmen t which represen ts th e origin of th e modern

academical hood i s Shown in t h e e ffigy of Dr . Richard

B i l l ingford w h o i s depi cted in t h e habi t of a

doctor,wear ing

,in addi t i on to t h e doctor’s cap and

ful l gown,a large hood l ined with fur.

A commun i cati on by Professor E . C . Clark on

E ng l i s h Academ ical Cos tum e w as

made to t h e Royal Archae ological

I n sti tute 1 some years s ince ,

\

and

i t sti l l remain s t h e standard au

t h ori ty on a subject which eve ry

studen t of costume must admit i s

of t h e greatest in te rest,but also

beset with many d i fficu lties .

Th e fol lowing are t h e academic

robes and garments wh ich h e

descri bes

( 1)TOGA or ROBA TALARIS , t h e

s implest and most general form

of un i ve rs ity dress,w as probab ly

original ly de rived from t h e Bene

D r. Richard 3 111111311618 , dict ine habi t . I t w as fu l l and

Maste r of Corpus Christ i flowing, Open in fron t With Wlde

ggfifcg

g:éi‘

géigggfnet

’

s sleeves through which t h e arms

passed t he i r who le length . Sub

sequent modificat i ons curtai led t h e s leeves for unde r

graduates (re tain ing th e fu l le r form for mourni ng)andin troduced di stinct ive marks for th e var ious col leges .

Th e modern Bache lor and Maste r of Art s gown i s

de r ived from th i s dress combined wi th othe r garments .1 A rch aologi cal journal , Vol. L .

ACADEM I C COSTUME 2 5 1

In ce rtain co l leges in Oxford i t w as di rected to be

sewn upfrom t h e weare r’s middle to t h e ground . In

Clare Hal l,Cambridge , fe l lows are pe rm itted to l ine i t

wi th fur.

( 2)HOOD .— Th e hood (caputium)w as original ly th e

head cove r ing in bad weathe r . I t w as afterwards

dropped on th e shoulde rs,and then assumed th e form

of a smal l cape . A large t i ppet i s sometimes seen

beneath thi s cape in representations of academical

costume . Th e unde rgraduat e ’s or scholar ’s hood w as

black,not l ined , and to i t a long l i r ipipe or st reame r

w as sewn at t h e back ; t h e graduat es’ we re furred or

l ined,and with a Short l i r ipipe . Th e var ious degrees

we re indicated by di ffe rences of l in ing bache lors wore

badger ’s fur or lamb ’s wool ; l i cen t iates and regen ts

wore mineve r or some more expens ive fur non- regen ts

wore si l k . When t h e unde rgraduat es abandoned hoods

(before t h e s ixteen th cen tury— exact date uncertain)they

became a di st inctive mark of t h e attainm en t of a

degree .

Th e L IR IP I PE w as al so cal led t ipetum or corn etum .

Th e latt e r m ay be t h e o r igin of t h e French corne t te , a

si lk band forme rly worn by French doctors of law ,and

a possi ble or igin for t h e mode rn E ngl i sh scarf. Th e

l i r ipipe i s al so used to denot e penden t fal se sleeves , and

al so th e tai l s of long-po in ted shoes . This , however ,l ies rathe r in t h e region of eve ryday costume . I n 1507,

at Oxford,w e find typet or corne tum used to denote an

al te rnat i ve for t h e toga talar i s al lowed to Bache lors o f

Civ i l Law . Th is i s clearly not t h e tai l O f a hood , but

i ts exact s ign ificance i s uncertain .

2 52 ENGLISH COSTUME

(3)MANTE LLUM .— Th e orig in and mean ing of th i s

word are al i ke unce rtain . Th e use of mante l l i or

l iripipia, common ly cal led type t s , w as proh i bi ted to

fe l lows and scholars o f Magdalen Col lege , Oxford , by

a statute dated 1479 , except infirm i tat is causa. From

thi s w e m ay infe r that t h e m ante l lus (al so cal led m an

te l la or m antel lum)w as something akin to t h e l i ri p ipe .

I n anothe r noti ce ( 1 2 39)they are coupled wi th cappae

certain r iotous c le rks h ad to march in pen i tential pro

cession s ine cappis et m an tel l is . Professor Clark infers

from these passages and from othe r sou rces that t h e

academical m an te l lum i s not a hood but i s worn e i the r

wi th , or in addit i on to , t h e hood , with t h e cope , or e l se

instead of t h e cope or long tabard .

(4)CASSOCK .-Thi s w as at one t ime worn by al l

membe rs of un ive rs i t ies unde r the i r gowns . Doctors

of divin i ty,doctors of law ,

cardinal s , and canons wore

scarlet Certain days at present are cal led“ Scarle t

Days in t h e E ngl i sh un i vers i t ies , on which doctors in

al l faculties wear scarlet .

( 5)SURPL ICE .—A dress of min i st rat ion ,

used in col lege

chape l s by non—min i s t rant s , more as a matte r of col lege

d isc ip l ine than as academical costume .

(6)ALMUCE .— Distincti ve of maste rs and doctors

,

di stinct by t h e hood . Anothe r possi ble origi n of t h e

E ngl i sh hood .

(7)COPE — There are two kinds of cope in us e at t h e

E ngl ish un i ve rs i t ies— t h e cuppa m an icata or s leeved

cope ; and an uncomfortable con tr ivance cal led t h e

cappa clausa,which w as sewn al l t h e w ay up , passed

over t h e head when put on ,and w as not provided with

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2 54 ENGLISH COSTUME

COSTUME S OF SCHOOLBOYS

Th e dark blue gown and ye l low hosen of t h e scholars

of Chri st Hospi tal furn i sh one of t h e best examples of

t h e survival to t h e present t ime of t h e ancien t costume

o f boys .

Th e ordinary costume of a school boy of th e year

15 1 2 i s admi rably portrayed in a monu

m ental brass at Li t t le I lford,E ssex . Thi s

i s t h e brass to Thomas H e ron, a schoo l

boy,w h o died at t h e age of fourteen .

H e wears a l ong gown wi th loose,open

sleeves , and gi rded at th e wai st wi t h a

kind of strap from which hang a penner

and ink-horn . Th e hai r,which i s in

dicated by st raigh t perpendicu lar l ines ,i s long

,fal l ing som ewhat be low t h e ears .

Th e dress of t h e Wi ncheste r scholars

w as a long gown,or toga talaris

,with a

hood,and accord ing to t h e founde r ’s pro

vi s ion s , a piece of c loth large enough to

make a garm en t of thi s kind w as given

30221

211256

22 each Christmas to each scholar. Th e

(Lit t le I l ford, garm en t h ad, and sti l l h as , to be madeEssex) up at t h e expense of t h e recipien t . Th e

scholars of Wincheste r we re , by prefe rence , chosen

from t h e founde r ’s kin ,and for them t h e col lege sup

p l ied l inen and wool len clothes , Shoes , e tc . Th e othe r

scho lars we re prov i ded on ly wi th th e mater ial for t h e

gown ; othe r garments h ad to be furn i shed by the i r

fr i ends . Fortunate ly an in terest ing representat ion of

aWincheste r scho lar in t h e fifteenth cen tury exists on

ACADEM I C COSTUME 2 55

a monumen tal brass in Headbourne Worthy Church ,near Wincheste r . I t commemorates John Ken t , who

w as admitted to th e school in 1431 and died at Head

bourne Worthy, probably at t h e house of some re la

t ives there , in 1434 .

Th e long gown there shown i s a qu i t e s impl e gar

men t fal l ing from t h e shou lde rs to t h e leve l of th e

ankles , withou t any kind of gi rdle , and with fai r ly

fu l l sleeves drawn in smal l e r at t h e wri st s . This gown

fits rathe r close ly round t h e n eck,and w as eviden t ly

made to open in fron t,one button

,a l i tt le be low t h e

ch in,be ing v i s i ble . Th e dress i s obvi ously that which

w as common ly worn about t h e middle of th e fifteenth

cen tu ry. An inco rrect drawing of t h e figure i s given

as t h e fronti spiece , and i s repeated on t h e cove r of

.Mr. T. F. Kirby ’s Winch es ter Sch olars , 1888 .

Th e presen t-day dress of th e E ton boys i s too we l l

known to need descripti on . By th e statutes of Hen ry VI

(t h e founde r)i t w as decreed that eve ry scholar of E ton

shou ld rece i ve yearly a gown and hood,twen ty-fou r

yards of clo th costing fifty sh i l l ings . This garmen t,

i t w as provided , shou ld not be sold , pledged , or given

aw ay, un t i l i t w as three years o ld. Scholars and

chorist ers we re al so suppl ied wi th cl oth ing and bed

ding , but t h e total charge on th i s score shou ld neve r

exceed a hundred marks a year . 1

At Wyrard isbury Church,Buckinghamshi re , the re

i s a ve ry in te resting e ffigy in brass of John Stonor,

2

who h as often been referred to as an E ton school

1 H i s tory of E ton College, by S ir H . C . Maxw e l l -Lyte,1899 , p. 590.

2 S ee page 249 .

2 56 E NGLISH COSTUME

boy. A S h e died in t h e year 1 5 1 2 , t h e costume shown

would have been of great val ue as evidence for t h e

dress of E ton ians in t h e ear ly part of t h e s ixteen th

cen tury, but unfortunate ly t he re appears to be no

ground for th e theory that S tonor w as a scholar of’

E ton ,nor i s there any evidence to show that h e w as

a boy at al l , t h e cu ri ous cap and fu r- l ined garment

po in t ing rathe r to t h e e ffigy be ing that of a m an .

Haines , nearly hal f a centu ry ago , in hi s Manual,

1re

fe rred to i t as probably represent ing th e dress of an

E ton scholar , and othe rs have repeated th e statement

wi thout quest ion . Dru i tt , in his val uable work , Cos

tum e on B ras s es ,2 speaks o f J ohn S tonor posit i ve ly as

“ scholar of E ton .

” Th e dress,which wi l l be found

descri bed e l sewhere i n these pages , i s ve ry curious and

in te rest ing,but t here seems not t h e sl ightest reason to

suppose that i t i s at al l l i ke t hat eve r worn by E ton

boys . What t h e E ton dress in t h e s ixteenth century

w as i s not at al l ce rtain ,but probably i t resembled that

of t h e Wincheste r scholars of t h e day . Th e ’

s tatutes

of E ton we re large ly founded on those of Wincheste r ,and t h e dress of t h e boys m ay ve ry l i ke ly have be en

influenced by Wincheste r in t h e same w ay , al though

in the i r o rigin al l th e d i st i nctive dresses of schoo l s we re

probably me re ly t h e ord inary dress o f t h e boys o f th e

t i me when t h e schools we re insti tuted .

LEGAL COSTUME

Th e legal p rofession w as forme rly c lose ly associated

wi th re l igi ou s orde rs , and in t h e ton sured crown and

1 Page lxxxvi . 2 Page 142 .

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2 58 ENGLISH COSTUME

Th e man t le i s worn by judges on ly at coronat ions ,open ing of Par l iamen t , cathedral se rv i ces , and on th e

Ch ie f Just ice of t h e

K ing’s B ench

,1439

(S ir John Juyu ,S t .

Mary's Church,Br is

101)

fi rst day of t e rm .

Th e garmen t now known as a

gun- case ” i s t h e scarlet cast ing

hood,which some th ink w as de

r ived from a deacon ’s sto le .

Th e robes worn ancien t ly by t h e

j udges and serj ean ts are represen ted

to-day by t h e scarle t and e rmine

garmen ts st i l l worn on t h e judicial

Bench .

Form erly the re w as much var

iety o f colour,al though none of

form ,in t h e se rjean ts ’ robes . Th e

accoun t s of th e king ’s wardrobe

show al lowances to t h e judges of

scarlet , minever , and green cloth“ v i ole t i n grayn ,

”etc . ,

and t h e

serjeant s h ad to prov ide themse l ves

wi th s imi lar robes . At a cal l of

se rjeants in October,

1555, eve ry

serjean t subscri bed for one robe

of scarle t , one of v i ole t,a th i rd

of brown -blue,a fourth of mustard

and murrey,wi th tabards of cloth

of th e same colours .

In ear ly times t h e costumes of

t h e j udges and se rjeants were fixed by qu i te defin i te

regu lations , but in agreemen t wi th th e prevai l ing

fashion o f wear ing parti - co lou red garment s in t h e

LEGAL COSTUME 2 59

middle of t h e fourteen th cen tury , a good many var i

at ions of co lou r we re in troduced .

. Some valuable detai l s as to t h e costume worn by

judges and othe r l egal pe rsonages in t h e Court s of

Chancery,King ’s Bench , Common Pleas , and E x

cheque r at Westm in ste r in t h e fifteen th cen tu ry, are

contained in fou r i l lumination s be l i eved to be of t h e

t im e of King H en ry VI,which we re exhi bi ted and

descri bed at a mee t ing of th e Society of Anti quar ies of

London in

Th e i l lum inat i ons,which at that time were in t h e

possession of Mr. S e l by Lowndes , of Whaddon Hal l ,Buckinghamsh i re

,appear to be al l that w as left of

a manuscript abridgmen t of th e law of ear l ie r date

than that of F i tzherbe rt .

In t h e pi cture of t h e Court of Chancery w e have

represented two judge s in scar let robes t r immed with

white badger or lambskin, one of them be ing un

cove red and tonsu red and t h e othe r wear ing a brown

cap. On e i the r s ide of t h e two seated judges si t tw o

persons wear ing mustard-colou red robes . These are

t h e Maste rs in Chance ry, and are represented as ton

su red .

Th e regi strars seated at a green -covered table have

garments of b lue and mustard-coloured mater ial s . A

clerk in mustard-coloured sleeved gown ,wi th dark brown

gi rdle,stands on t h e green table and reads a rol l . A t

hi s s ide i s an ushe r , clothed in part i—coloured gown of

green and rayed bl ue,carryi ng a wand i n t h e r ight

hand .

1 A rch aeologi a, XXXIX , 357—72 .

260 ENGLISH COSTUME

At t h e bar stand three se rjean ts wearing part i

coloured gowns of rayed blue,rayed green

,buff,

brown ,e tc .

,and also wear ing capes ove r the i r

shou lde rs and coifs on the i r heads .

I n t h e pic tu re of t h e Court of King’s Bench there

are five presid ing judges , al l att i red in Scarlet robes

tr immed and l ined wi th white mate rial, probably fur ,

and al l wear ing coifs . Be low t h e j udges s i t , al l

att i red i n part i -coloured dresses of blue (rayed)and

buff,or murrey and green ,

t h e king’s corone r and

attorney and th e maste rs of t h e court. Tw o ushe rs ,clothed in murrey and rayed green and buff and rayed

blue , stand on t h e green - cove red table . Tw o coifed

and part i - colour-att i red se rjean ts stand one on e i the r

s ide of th e pri sone r . Othe r pr i sone rs , awai t ing trial ,stand i n t h e foreground unde r t h e charge of two t ip

staffs or gao lers , one clothed in blue and th e other in

mustard- colou r h igh capand gown .

Seven cr imson - robed judges are shown seated on th e

bench in t h e pi cture of t h e Court of Common’

Pleas .

Th e prothonotar ies and othe r o ffice rs of t h e court si t

be low ,clothed in part i - coloured mate rials , in which

one obse rves blue, green ,and ye l lowish buff rayed

wi th d iagonal st r ipes of blue . Th e serjeants,wear ing

co i fs , are al so at ti red in part i-colou red gowns com

pris ing green ,green rayed with whi te and red, bl ue ,

and blue rayed with pale green o r whi te . Th e preva

lence of part i - colou red cloth ing and of rayed material

i n t h e costume of legal pe rsonages is remarkable .

Th e Cou rt of E xchequer i s presided ove r by a judge

wear ing scarlet robes and a scarlet h at . Tw o j udges

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262 ENGL I SH CO STUME

Upon t heday w hen t h e Lo rd Mayo r of London com e s toWe stm ins te r to take h is oath , t hat day t h e Judge s com e in

S carle t . And upon t h e fifth of Novem be r (be ing Gunpow de rday), un less i t be S unday , t h e Judges go to We s tm in s te rAbbey in S car le t to hear t h e S e rm on ; and afte r go to s it in

Cou rt . And t h e tw o Lo rds Chief Jus t ices , and t h e Lo rdCh ief Baron , have t he i r collars of S S above t he i r Mant lesf or t hose t w o days .When t h e Judge s go to Paul ’s to t h e S e rm on ,

upon any

S unday in t h e Te rm t im e , or t o any othe r pub lic C h urch ,t hey ought to go in S carle t Gow n s ; t h e t w o Lo rds Ch iefJus t ices , and t h e Lo rd Ch ief Baron in t he i r Ve lve t and Sat inTippe t s and t h e othe r Judges in Taffata Tippe t s and t hent h e S carle t Cas t ing Hood i s w orn on t h e righ t s ide abovet h e Tippe t s ; and t h e Hood is to b e pinned ab road t ow ardst h e left shoulde r; And i f i t be upon any g rand days , asupon t h e Ascen s ion Day , M idsum m e r Day , Al l Hal low sDay , or Candlem as s Day , t hen t h e tw o Lords ~Ch ie f Jus t ices ,and t h e Lo rd Baron w ear t he i r collar s of S S w i th longS carle t Cas t ing-Hoods and Ve lve t and Sat t iri Tippet s .At 2 11 t im e s w hen t h e Judge s go to t heCounci l-Tab le , or

to any Ass em b ly o f t h e Lo rds ; in t h e Af ternoonsbin Te rm

t im e , they ough t t o go in the i r Robe s of Viole t , or B lack ,faced w i th Taffata

,acco rding as t h e t im e of w earing t hem

doth requi re : and w i th Tippe t s and S car le t Cas t ing-Hoods ,

pinned near t h e left S houlde r , un les s i t be a Sunday , 01 Ho lyday , and then in S car le t .In t h e C i rcui t t h e J udges go t o t h e Church upon Sundays ,

in t h e fo re -Noon in S car le t Gow n s,Hoods and Man t les , and

s i t in t he i r Caps . And in t h e afte r-Noon s to t h e Church in

S carle t Gow n s,Tippe t and S car le t Hoods , and s it in t he i r

corne red Caps .And t h e fi rs t Mo rn ing at t h e reading of t h e Com m iss ions ,

they s i t in S carle t Gow n s, w i t h Hoods and Man t le s , and in

t hei r Coyf s and co rne red Caps . And h e that g ives th e

S IR MATTHEW HALE , LORD CH IEF JUST ICE OF ENGLAND 1671-1676

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2 64 ENGLISH COSTUME

in London , t h ey go in V io le t Gow n s

, and S carlet Cas t ingHoods and Tippe t s , upon Holy Days In S carle t .

I t m ay be added that much usefu l informat ion about

t h e costume of judge s , se rjean t s , etc . ,i s contained in

t h e book en t i t led Th e Order of th e Coif , by Alexande r

Pu l l ing,Serjean t-at-Law ,

and publ i shed in 1884 .

JOHN , FIRST LORD SOMERS, LORD H IGH CHANCELLOR 1693-1701

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2 66 ENGLISH COSTUME

( I ) COLOB IUM S INDONI S

Thi s vestmen t , t h e fi rst of t h e

garmen t s put on for t h e corona

t ion ce remony,w as so con s t ruc

t ed,by be ing open up t h e s ides

and al so by an open ing on t h e

left Shou lde r,that i t cou ld be

put on and off eas i ly . As an

ecclesias t ical,or rathe r

,monastic

dress,th e colobium w as th e

sleeve less dress of a monk , but

from i t s posi t i on unde r t h e othe r

garmen t s as a coronation vest

men t,i t resembles t h e alb rather

than t h e t un i c,as i t h as some

t imes been cal led . Th e garment

i s composed of fine whi te l inen ,furn i shed wi th an edging of lace

E ffigy o f K ing Richard I (d . 0

“ 99, in Rouen Cathedralal l round t h e marg i n ,

and a r i ch

flounce of fine lace , n ine inches

in depth , hanging from t h e bot tom .

coronat i on,actual ly t ook part in

t h e Mass , S ingi ng t h e Gospe l as

deacon .

Th e various garmen t s , etc.,

which are worn as t h e special

coronat ion robes have a remark

able affin i ty wi th t h e euchari st i c

vestmen t s . They are as fo l lows

CORONATION ROBE S 2 67

( 2)TUN ICLE , OR DALMATIC

Th e dalm at i c w as worn sometim es by pre lates as

early as th e fourth cen tury . Original ly this garmen tw as proper to t h e deacon s at Rom e

,and in t i me t h e

priv i lege of wear ing i t w as conceded to m in i ste rs of

t hat orde r In othe r part s of t h e Church . Late r on t h e

same pr iv i lege w as gran ted to abbot s,and final ly to

kings and empe rors , both at the i r coronat i on and when

so lemn ly ass isting at Mass . Th e garment worn by

Queen Victoria,however

,w as cons iderably al te red

from i ts original form . I t w as open ed up t h e fron t ,and but for t h e unusual ly open sleeves , migh t be taken

for a lady ’s jacket or man t le . I t is composed of ye l low

cloth o f gold,woven wi th green palm branches , from

which i ssue roses , shamrock, and thist les . Th e l in ing

i s o f rose-coloured si lk .

(3)ARM ILLA , OR STOLE

Th e arm i l la,or sto le

,used at t h e coronat ion of t h e

late Que en Victor ia, i s a band of ye l low cloth of gold

three inches wide , and embro i de red with Tudor roses ,Shamrock

,th i st l es , and S i lver eagles wi th royal coronets

between .

(4) IMPER IAL MANTLE

Th e i mper ial man t l e worn at Queen Vi ctor ia’s coro

nat ion w as a magn ificen t vestmen t of ye l low clot h

o f go ld , woven wi th a go lden branched pattern ,and

roses,th i st les

,and Shamrocks . Th e l in ing i s of rose

coloured si lk , and t h e margin s are decorat ed wi th gold

fringe 2 5 inches deep. An oblong morse,attached to t h e

2 68 E NGLISH COSTUME

uppe r part , provides t h e m eans of fasten ing t h e m an t le .

This i s ornam en ted wi th an eagl e between tw o palm

branches i n t h e cen t re,and t h e rose , shamrock , and

thi st le at t h e s ides .

O ne is natural ly s t ruck by t h e apparen t sim i lar i ty

o f these coronat ion vestmen t s wi th certain eccles iast i cal

garmen ts . Th e co lobium s indon i s c lose ly resembles

t h e al b t h e tun i c le , w hich i s worn nex t,resembles t h e

dalmat i c , as w e have seen and th e arm i l la,worn ove r

one Shoul de r and fasten ed under t h e opposi te arm,re

minds us of t h e s tole worn by deacons . Th e i mper ial

man t le , howe ver , does not at fi rst sight exhibi t t h e

same close re lat i onsh ip to Church vestmen ts , but by

some i t h as been supposed to resemble t h e back of a

cut - down chasuble,and i t i s probable that th i s m ay be

t h e correct sol ut i on .

We thus have t h e sove re ign vested in t h e mos t

e ssen t ial of t h e euchar i st i c garment s , and when w e

rem ember that Mass or Ho ly Commun ion h as almos t

invar iably been ce lebrat ed in connect ion with th e

coronat i on ce remony , t h e re lat ion of t h e two set s of

vestments becom es at once fu l l of sign ificance . By

t h e consecrat ion and coronation ce remony t h e sove

re ign w as removed from t h e condi t i on of t h e lai ty , and

occupied a pos i t i on l i t tle removed from that of t h e

cle rgy. At t h e treasury of S t . Peter ’s at Rome t h e

imperial dalmat i c of t h e Ge rman emperors i s st i l l

prese rved . I t h as been assigned to t h e twe l fth cen

tury , and w as worn by t h e Ge rm an empe rors when

they were consecrated and crowned , and when they

ass i sted t h e pope at t h e office o f Mass . O n those

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2 7o ENGLISH COSTUME

kin, borne by t h e baron s of t h e Cinque Ports

, pro

ceeded to Westminster Abbey . Afte r a se rmon h ad

been preached , praye rs sai d , and th e oath admin i st ered ,t h e Queen w as newly appare l led in crimson ve l ve t , v i z .

a robe con tain ing a man t le with a t rain,a ki rt le furred

wi th mi neve r,a su rcoat

,a r i band of Ven i ce go l d

,t h e

mantle of crimson ve lve t powde red wi th e rm ines,with

buttons and tasse l s of si l k of go ld for t h e same,i n

which robes s h e rece i ved h e r O intm en ts and al so t h e

i mpe rial crown .

Duri ng t h e ce remony of t h e ano int ing wi th t h e ho ly

O i l and cream a pal l w as he l d ove r t h e Queen by four

Kn igh t s of t h e Garte r . Then afte r h er inj unct ion t h e

Bi shop of Wincheste r dried eve ry place of t h e same

wi th cotton or l inen c loth ,“and afte r M rs . Walgrave

d id lace again h er Highness ’s appare l , putt ing on h er

hands a pai r‘

of l inen gloves . ” Afte r th i s th e Queen

again put on h er r ich robe of crim son ve lve t , and then

t h e swords , scept res , crow n,and othe r regal ia.

When Queen Mary w as comple te ly i nvested wi t h

t h e coronat i on robes and t h e regal ia, s h e i s sai d to

have h ad “a pai r of sabaton s on h er feet , covered

wi th crimson c loth of gold , l ined wi th cr imson satin ,garn i shed wi th ri band of Ven i ce gold .

Mass w as n ext ce lebrated,and then t h e coronat i on

robes were taken off, and othe r royal appare l g iven to

h er by t h e Great Chambe r lain ,cons i sting of a robe of

purple ve l ve t , with t h e ki rt le and surcoat open,and a

man t le wi th a t rain furred wi t h m inever and powde red

e rmine,and a man tle lace of si l k and gold , wi t h buttons

and tasse l s of t h e same , and r i band of Ven i ce gold , t h e

CORONATION ROBES 2 7 1

crown s et upon h er head,and a goodly canopy be ing

borne ove r h er by t h e barons of th e Cinque Ports .

.Th e coronat ion vestm ents used by Queen E l i zabeth

we re probably iden t ical in character wi th those which

h ad been worn by Mary . A con temporary account o f

t h e ceremony i s preserved in a manuscr ipt i n t h e Ash

mo le co l lection at Oxford , and, al though i t i s s imply

t h e record of what a spectator saw and heard,wi thout

t h e ass i s tance of any offic ial informat ion ,there i s a

good deal of usefu l in format ion in i t .

Afte r Mass h ad been sung by t h e bi shop, a carpet

w as spread before t h e high al tar , and cushions of go ld

we re placed upon i t . Th e Queen , be ing newly ap

pare l led (doubt less in t h e coronat ion robes proper to

t h e solemn occasion), now came before t h e al tar and

lean ed upon t h e cush ions , and over h er w as spread

a s i l ken cloth (canopy), and then t h e bi shop ano in ted

h e r Grace . Th is done,s h e changed h er appare l and

re turned and sat in h er chai r . Then a sword wi th a

gi rd le w as put upon h er,t h e be l t going over one

shou lde r and unde r t h e othe r , so t hat t h e sword

hung at h er S ide , and th en tw o garters we re put

upon h er hands , and t h e bishop put t h e crown upon

h er head,and t h e t rumpet s sounded . Then th e bishop

put a r ing upon h er finge r and de l i vered t h e sceptre

in to h er hand , and afte r that put anothe r crown upon

h er head t h e trumpets again sounded .

Th e coronat i on of James I w as s im i lar in many of

t h e detai l s to that of E l i zabeth . Th e principal var ia

t ions i n t h e coronat ion of Charles I were t h e presen t ing

t h e King with S t . E dward ’s S taff at t h e door of West

2 72 E NGLISH COSTUME

minste r Abbey , w h o wal ked wi th i t up to t h e th rone ,and t h e gi rd ing of hi s Majesty wi th three swords

instead of one .

Th e coronation of Charles I I approached more nearlyt h e presen t form ,

and that o f James I I d i ffe red from his

brothe r ’s principal ly i n t h e omission of t h e Commun ionservice .

Immediate ly th e crown i s p laced on t h e head of t h e

sove re ign at t h e coronat ion ce remony, th e peers and

pee ressesplace upon the i r ow n heads t h e coronetsprope r

to t he i r rank,and which un t i l th i s momen t in t h e cere

mony they have been hold ing in t h e hand .

PE ERS’

AND PE ERE S S E S’ CORONATION ROBE S

Th e costume worn by pee rs on t h e occas ion of t h e

coronation o f th e sove re ign are of con s i de rable ant i qu i ty.

Th e fo l lowing o fficial order given I s t Octobe r , 190 1 ,

and publ i shed in t h e London Gazette of 2 9 th O ctobe r ,190 1 , con tain s usefu l info rmati on on th e subject

“ Th e Earl Marshal ’s O rde r conce rn ing t h e Robes,

Co ron e t s , e tc . , w h ich are to be w o rn by t h e Pee rs at t h eCo ronat ion o f The i r Mos t Sac red Maj es t ies K ing Edw ardt h e S even t h and Queen A lexandra.

“ These are t o g ive not ice to all Pee rs w h o at tend at th eCoronat ion o f The i r Majes t ie s , t hat t h e robe or m an t le of th e

Pee rs be of c r im son ve lve t,edged w i th m in ive r

,t h e cape

fur red w i th m in ive r pure , and pow de red w it h bars or row s ofe rm ine (i . e . nar row pieces of b lack fur), acco rding to t he i rdeg ree , vi z

Barons , t w o row s .Viscoun t s , tw o row s and a half.Ear ls

,th ree row s .

Marquesses , th ree row s and a half.Duke s

,fou r row s .

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2 74 E NGLISH COSTUME

That t h e robe or m an t le of a Viscoun tess be like that ofa Baron e ss , on ly t h e cape pow de red w i th tw o row s and

a half O f e rm ine , th e edging'

of t h e man t le tw o :inch es“as

before,and t h e t rain a yard and a qIIarter ;

'

t h e coronetto be acco rding to h e r deg ree , vi z . a r im or c i rc le w ith pearl s

(represen ted by s i lve r balls)t he reon , s ix t een in num ber; and

not rai sed upon poin t s .“ That t h e robe or man t le of a Countes s be as be fore , only

t h e cape pOVVde red w i th t h ree row s of e rm ine , t h e -

edgingt h ree inche s in b readth , and t h e t rain a yard and a half ; t h eco ron e t to be composed of e igh t pear ls (represen ted by s i l t/er

balls) raised upon poin t s or rays,wi th sm all s traw berry

leaves be t w een above th e rim .

“ That th e robe or m an t le of a March ione s s be as before,

on ly th e cape pow de red w i th three rows and a h alf '

of e rmine ,t h e edging four inche s in b readt h , th e t rain a yard:and threequar t e rs ; t h e corone t to be composed of four s traw be r ryleave s and fou r pearls (repre sen t ed by s i lve r

'

balls)_rai s ed

upon poin t s of t h e sam e he ight as t h e leave s , al te rnate ly ,above t h e rim .

“ That t h e robe or m an t le of a Duchess be as befo re , on ly ,

t h e cape pow de red w ith four row s of e rm ine , t h e edging fiveinches b road, t h e t rain t w o yards ; t h e corone t to be com

posed of e igh t s t raw be rry leaves , al l of equal he igh t , abovet h e rim .

“ And t hat t h e caps of all t h e said co rone t s be of crim sonve lve t , tu rned up w ith e rm ine , wi th a tasse l of gold on th e

top.

By H is Majes ty ’s Com m andNORFO LK

Earl Marshal l

These d i rections , al though issued in t h e twen t ieth

cen tu ry , are equal ly true in reference to t h e robes and

coronets worn by pee rs and pee resses at coronations

THOMAS PELHAM HOLLES , DUKE OF NEWCASTLE ( I N THE ROBES OFTHE ORDER OF THE GARTER), PR IME M I N ISTER 1757-1760

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2 76 E NGLISH CO STUME

A white hooked musl in Ruff.

Knee- bands and Roset t es of Garte r blue sat in , edgedw i th go l d Spangled gymp.

Whi te k i d Shoes wi th blue hee l s,Rose ttes with gol d

Spangled gymp , o f Garte r blue sat in .

Chapeau of Genoa black ve l ve t , with scar le t andblack Plume .

A pai r of whi te kid Gloves .

Sword , wi th gi l t h i l t , and Garte r b lue satin Scab

bard .

Blue satin Sword-be l t,wi th large gi l t Cen tre Buckle

,

and smal l gi l t Buckle be low.

PARL IAMENTARY ROBE S

Th e e ffig ies of King Richard I I and hi s queen,in

Westm inst er Abbey,are shown as wear ing Parl iament

robes .

Th e par l iamentary robes of peers d i ffe r from th is

arrangemen t cons ide rably. Th e robes are of,s carlet

c loth (not crimson ve lve t , as i n t h e case of t h e co rona

t i on robes), and t h e d i ffe ren t degrees of baron ,v i s

count , earl , e tc.,are marked by hori zon tal bands of

e rm ine al t e rnat ing wi th gold lace bands on t h e robe

i tse l f.

This type of robes i s we l l shown i n th e portrai t

of Thomas E ge rton ,Viscoun t B rackley , who w as

Lord Chance l lo r of E ngland from 1596 to 16 17. (S ee

fron ti sp iece .)

E FFIG IES OF K I NG R ICHARD I I , AND H IS QUEEN ,ANNE OF BOHEM IA .

WESTM I NSTER ABBEY ( I N PARL IAMENT ROBES)

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2 78 ENGLISH COSTUME

drawn togethe r at t h e col lar by a pai r of long st r ings ,cal led cordons , robe- st rings , or laces , woven of blue

s i lk , and te rminating in tasse l s of s i lk and gold thread .

Th e mate rial of t h e mant le w as wool len cloth ; t h e

colour blue ; t h e l in ing w as of scarle t cloth . In t h e

case of t h e sove re ign ,howeve r , th e mantle w as l ined

wi th e rm ine , h ad a l onge r t rain than th e rest , and w as

powde red al l ove r wi th smal l garters embroide red w i th

si l k and gold .

Th e su rcoat , or supertun ica, w as worn next unde r

t h e man t le and over t h e vest . I t w as narrowe r andShorte r than t h e man tle , and fasten ed to t h e body by a

gi rd le . Like t h e man t le,t h e su rcoat w as forme rly

made of wool len cloth . Th e colour of this garment w as

changed eve ry year,blu e , scar le t , sanguine in grain ,

whi te,and black , be ing employed at di fferen t t imes .

Sometim es t h e surcoat w as embroide red wi th t h e arms

of t h e kn ight who wore i t . Th e su rcoat of t h e com

pan i on s w as l ined wi th m in ive r , whi lst that of t h e

sove re ign w as purpled wi th e rm ine .

Th e hood w as in us e in t h e t ime of E dward I I I , and

w as original ly intended to serve as a defens ive cove r ing

for t h e head . I t w as made O f t h e same mater ial as th e

su rcoat .

Th e cap, aft e rwards introduced , did not supe rsede

t h e hood , which w as re tained and worn hanging down

th e back in t h e manne r of a pi lgr im ’s h at .

A monum ental brass in Magdalen Col lege , Oxford ,commemorat ing Arthu r Cole , Canon of Windsor , who

died in 1558 , h as an e ffigy of t h e canon wear ing

cassock,almuce nebu le at t h e edges , and a mant le

ROBES OF THE MOST NOBLE ORDER OF THE CARTE R

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ENGL ISH COSTUME

crown , and having a large pl ume o f white feathe rs ,wi th a black egret or he ron ’s top in t h e middle of i t .

ORDER OF THE BATH

Th e habi t s of t h e Order of t h e Bath compri se unde r

habi t,su rcoat

,man t le

,and cap.

These vestmen ts m ay be thus briefly descri bed

Under-h abi t . -Th i s consi sts of a double t of whi te

satin,whi te hose

,boots of whi t e kid leather

,gi l t spurs

wi th whi t e leathers,whi te gi rdle wi thout o rnamen t s ,

whi te gloves,sword with gi lded pomme l and cross

bar, and whi te scabbard wi th gi lt furn i ture .

S urcoat i s of cr imson sat in,l ined wi th white ducape

s i l k.

Man tle .— Th is i s t h e most ancien t part of t h e habi t

of t h e Orde r , and cl ose ly resembles t h e or i g i nal pat

te rn . I t i s made o f r i ch crimson sat in ,l ined wi th

whi te ducape s i l k, with t h e star embroidered on th e

left s ide . O n t h e left Shou lde r i s p laced th e lace of

whi te s i l k ancien t ly worn by th e kn ights . Th e man tle

i s fastened at t h e neck by a long cordon of whi te si lk ,hav ing at each end a cr imson si l k tasse l , netted and

fringed with gold .

Cap— Th is w as form e r ly of whi t e satin ,adorned

wi th a standing plume of whi te ost r ich feathers , but

at t h e coronat i on of George IV t h e colou r of t h e capw as changed to black .

Blue mant le s we re som etimes worn unt i l t h e year

172 5, s ince which date t h e colour h as un i formly been

cr imson .

HERALD , 156 1

HERALD ,1576

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2 8 2 ENGLISH COSTUME

now on ly by h eraults , and i s cal led the i r coat of armes

i n servyse (Spigh t’

s Glos sary ,

What eve r m ay have been t h e reason which induced

heral ds to adopt thi s d i st inctive costume , there i s no

doubt that they have long worn i t . Th e tabard w as a

fami l iar art i cle of appare l in t h e t i m e of R i chard I I ,and i t w as adopted as t h e s ign of a we l l-known inn in

Southwark at that pe riod , but i t i s be l ieved that in thi s

instance a tabard of t h e kind worn by poor plough

m en,a species of rough working gown

,w as typified .

Planché i s unable to find e v i de nce of a mi l itary

tabard before t h e re ign of Hen ry VI . Heralds do not

seem to have come in to exis tence earl ier than th e

fifteenth cen tury .

H en ry VI i s t h e fi rst E ngl i sh sovere ign who is

represen ted on h i s great seal in a tabard , embroide red

with t h e arms o f France and E ngland quarte rly .

Th e dut i es of he ralds i n form er t im es we re man i fo ld,

incl uding t h e fo l lowing To make royal and state

proclamat ion s ; (2)to bear ce remon ial messages between

prince s and sove re i gn powe rs ; (3) to make proc lama

t ions in th e tou rney ; (4) to convey chal lenges ; (5) to

marshal combatan ts ; (6) to arrange publ i c processions ,funeral s , and othe r state ce remon ial s ; (7) to regulate

th e us e of armor ial bear ings ; (8) to se tt l e questi ons of

precedence , and (9) to ke ep official records of pedi

grees,e tc .

Th e tabard,i t m ay be supposed , w as in tended to

indicate that they represen t ed t h e royal au thori ty,as

t h e garmen t w as al ready one of t h e regal robes .

In add i t ion to t h e tabard emblazoned wi th t h e royal

CIV IC ROBE S 2 83

arms , t h e he rald wears a col lar of SS . Th e king-at

arms wears,moreove r , a crown formed of a go lden

ci rclet , from which r i se s ixteen oak- leaves . O n t h e

ci rc let i tse l f are t h e wo rds

M ISE RERE ME I DEUS SECUNDUM MAGNAM

M ISERICORD IAM TUAM .

”

(Have me rcy on m e , O God , accord ing to

Th y great loving-kindness .)

C IVIC ROBE S

Th e robes worn by t h e mayors and alde rmen of

corporate towns are of con side rable an ti qu i ty , al though ,as t h e late Llewe l lyn J ewe t t h as poin ted out

1 the re

appears to be no avai lable evidence on t h e subject

earl ie r than t h e fifteen th cen tu ry. In t h e year 1463

civi c personages in E ngland we re expressly excepted ,in t h e ord inance agains t excess ive appare l , from t h e

disabi l i ty to wear garmen ts tr i mmed wi th fur. S imi lar

priv i leges we re given in subsequen t sumptuary laws.

Th e mayor and alde rmen of London, on fest i val s and

state occasions , wore , as early as t h e year 14 15 , scarlet

gowns , but on othe r occasion s vio let o r black gowns

we re worn .

Duri ng t h e same cen tu ry Hu l l and Nottingham

fol lowed this rule . Abou t t h e end of th e fiftee nth

cen tu ry th e Mayor of Bri sto l wore a“ S karlat cloke ,

furred , wi th hi s blak a lyre hode,or t epe t of blak

fe l met .

1 Corporat ion P late, by Je w e t t and Hope , I , lxxxvi i . We are indebt edto this w ork for m ost of t h e facts he re g iven .

2 84 ENGLISH COSTUME

A t York , scarle t , murrey , cr imson ,vio let , and blue

gown s we re worn by t h e alde rm en in 1482 and 1483.

Th e corporati on of London wore scarle t i n 1483.

In th e s ixteen th cen tury t h e wear ing of scar le t gowns

on fest i val days w as t h e regular custom in al l th e more

i mportan t towns . In 1 530 t h e ex- bai l i ffs and ex

chamber lain s of O xford wore cr imson gowns where

with to at t end t h e mayor on Ascension Day , and eve ry

common counci l lor w as to have a murrey gown . Th e

habi t of t h e Mayor of Oxford in 1 554 w as ordered to be ,as former ly

,

“a scar lett gow ne , a scarle t t cloke , and a

t ippe t t of ve lve t ” ; and in 1 577 t h e mayor , aldermen ,

and associates and ex- bai l i ffs we re d i rected to wear

scar let gowns , t h e Chamber lains crimson ,and t h e

counci l l ors m urrey at al l solemn meet ings and feasts .

In 154 1— 2 t h e bai l i ffs and ex - bai l i ffs of Great Yar

mouth we re enjoined to wear on al l pr incipal feasts“ gowns of scarlet fu rred with foynes , t ippet s , and

doublet s of ve lve t , after t h e ancien t and honourable

custom of th e town .

”

At We l l s , in 1547, t h e aldermen (t h e local name w as

mast e rs)wore scarlet on t h e seven pr incipal feasts . In

1585 they we re di rected to have the i r gown s faced wi th

foynes , t h e mayor and t h e maste r who w as just ice of

t h e peace be ing further d i st ingu ished by black and

ve lvet t ippe t s respecti ve ly .

A t t h e period of th e Commonweal th civi c gowns

we re in some places di scon t inued , and not resumed

unt i l after t h e Restorat ion . But in some towns t h e old

state of things w as con tinued .

Th e aldermen of Kendal wore vio le t gowns “ for

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CITY LIVE RY COMPAN IE S ’ GOWNS 2 87

best, and black for o rd inary occas ion s . A t Faversham

t h e Ju rat s wore black . At Newbury and Preston t h e

mayor and aldermen wore blue gown s .

Th e sher i ffs of London and York wore scar let those

of Cheste r,Lincoln

,and Norwich , howeve r , wore

pu rple .

Th e formal head-dresses of civi c pe rsonages w as in

t h e sou th of E ngland those known as“ beave rs . ” A t

Carl i s le,in 1634 , th e mayor and al de rmen wore blue

bonne t s .

Th e orders which m ade i t n ecessary for mayors to

wear scarle t al so requi red the i r wives to wear gowns of

t h e same colour,fines be ing imposed in cases of non

compl iance . These ru les we re in force ch iefly duringt h e S i xteen th cen tu ry .

When a sove re ign v i s i ted a town t h e mayor and

alde rmen put on the i r best array,and we re accom

pan ied by an i mposing body of th e commonal ty wear

ing gown s and hoods , usual ly o f t h e c i ty ’s l ivery ,such as red and whi te at London

,and green and red at

Covent ry .

Th e l i ver ies of se rjean t s,cri e rs

,beadles

,constables ,

and othe r servan ts of t h e corporat ion s were prov i ded for

by year ly al lowances . Clot h of ray , or st riped cloth ,w as th e usual mater ial employed for the i r garment s .

C ITY L IVERY COMPAN IE S ’ GOWNS ,ETC .

Th e l i ve r ies of t h e di fferen t London Compan ies are

not t raceable,accord ing to Wil l iam H e rber t , 1 before

1 H i s tory of th e Tw elve Great Livery Compan i es of London , I , 59 .

2 88 E NGLISH COSTUME

t h e re ign of E dward I . In S t rype’

s edi ti on o f Stow

men t i on i s made of a process ion of t h e ci ti zens in 1 2 99 ,

on E dward I ’s marr iage , at Can terbu ry, with h is second

queen,Margare t , when t h e frate rn i t ies rode , to t h e

number of s ix hundred ,“ in one l i very of red and

whi te with t h e connuzances of the i r myst er ies em

broi de red on the i r s leeves . ” A t t h e marr iage of H en ry

I I I t h e ci ti zen s of London wore a kind of un i form

costume,which

,from t h e fact that the re were no d is

t inguis h ing marks betwee n d i fferen t bod i es , can hard ly

be cal led l ivery in t h e true sen se .

Th e Grocers ’ Company , at the i r first meeting in 1345,

prescr i bed t h e wear ing of a l i very. Th e Company’s

ordinances i n 1348 descr i be t h e common‘

habi t as an

unde r and an uppe r garmen t , cal led a“ coat and su r

cote ”t h e cloak , or gown , and t h e hood

,be ing

rese rved for ce remon ial s , and comple ting what w as

te rmed t h e fu l l su i t . The re seems al so to have been

an undress , or part dress , cal led“t h e hooding

,

”

perhaps al lowed to freemen , who we re not esteemed

fu l l brothe rs ,” l i ke t h e l i very .

Great var iat ions of col our we re worn by t h e Com

pan ies unt i l t h e matte r w as regulated and sett led , about

t h e beginn ing of t h e seven teenth cen tury t h e fash ion

or form of t h e garmen ts h ad long been pretty much as

i t i s at t h e present t ime .

In 14 14 t h e Grocers wore scarlet and green in 14 18

scar let and black . At t h e beginn ing of t h e re ign o f

Hen ry V I t h e same company wore murrey ( that i s ,dark red)and plunke t (a kind of blue).

Various othe r colours , i t i s recorded , we re worn ,

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INDEX

Academ ic costum e , 247- 56

E t h e lw old, S t . , 2 5—7

A i le t tes,1 89

Alb , 2 2 1—3

A lm uce , 2 34—6

Alm uce (academ ic), 2 52Am ice , 2 2 0— 1Ang lo-Saxon arm our , 186Ang lo-Saxon costum e , 16—2 9

Arm i l la (regal), 2 67Arm our

,1 84

— 2 1 2

As s h com be , Margaret , 58Ave ray , R. , 56

Bacon fam i ly ,Bainberg s , 1 89

Bake r, S ir Richard , 9 2Baldrick , 189Barbe , 130

— 1 , 18 1

Barne t,John , 58

Barron , Osw ald , 38 , 48Basc ine t , 189Basi lard , 1 89

Bath robes, 2 80Baudrick , 1 89

Bayeux tapest ry, 30—4 , 186—8Beaufort , John , Duke of Som e rse t ,55

Becke t , Thomas a, 34—5Bege lon , Wi l l iam , 56

Be sagues , 189

B it ton , S ir W. ,195

—6

Boad icea, 10

Bokeland, R ichard , 58Boots and shoes, 131

—4

Borough , Wi l l iam , 59

B rassarts, 190

B rassempouy , 2B reastplat e , 190

B ronze Age arm our, 184B ron ze Age costum e , 4 , 5, 6 , 7Bures, S ir Robe rt , 200- 1

Burgate , S ir Wi l l iam de , 206

Busk ins , 230But te rfly head-dress , 15 1

Caedm on , 2 7

Cam ai l , 190

Cande l l , Joan , 58

Cassock , 134—5, 232—3Cassock (academ ic), 2 52Cast ing-hood (legal), 2 58Chartham , 2 0 1

Chasub le , 2 24—6Chausses , 190Chi ldren ’s costum es

,135

Chim e re , 233—4Christchurch, Han ts , 55C h ydioke , S ir John , 55C ic latoun , 190

— 1

C ity Live ry Compan ies'

gow ns,

e tc. ,2 87

—9

C iv ic robes, 2 83—7C lanbow e , Lady Pe ryne , 57Cloak (Ang lo-Saxon), 2 1Cloak (Rom an), 15

29 2 ENGL I SH COSTUME

Coat, 136

—7

Cobham , Joan de , 145

Cobham , Margare t de , 147Cobham , Lady Maud de , 146

Cocked- h at , 1 16— 17Co i f (legal), 257Coif de m ai l les , 1 90

Colob ium (academ ic), 2 53Colob ium S indon is , 2 66

Colyns on , El is, 59Cope , 236—4 1Cope (academ ic), 2 52 —3Cope -Chests

, 243

Corne lys , Te resa,1 2 1

Coronat ion robes of pee rs, 2 75—6Coronat ion robes o f sove re igns ,

2 65—72

Cote -hardie , 137—9

Cow l (m onast ic), 244Croke , S ir John de , 5 1— 2Croke , S ir John de ( lady of), 146C re spine head-dress , 148

—9

Crom w e l l,Richard , 2 15

Croydon ,

Cucul lus (m onast ic cow l), 2 44Cuirass, 190

Culpepe r, Eli zabe th, 94Cyc las, 190

Dalm at ic , 2 2 6- 8

Dalm at ic (regal), 2 67D

’

Aubernoun , S ir John (d .196

— 200

D'

Aube rnoun , S ir John (d.2 05

-

7

Daw kins , Professor Boyd , 3, 4De law are , Lord , 88D iam ond -shaped head-dress, 153

Diodorus S iculus , 1 1

D ion Cass ius, 10

D ixt on , R ichard , 58D ruids

, 7 , 1 1

Ecclesiast ical costum e , 2 19—43

Edw ard , t h e B lack Prince , 2 05—6E ighteen th cen tury costum e , 1 15

2 9

Elbow - cops, 19 1

El izabe th , Queen , port raits of , 6988

E l izabet h air caps b go

Episcopal g loves , 14 1—2

vestm en ts,2 2 8—31 , 233

—4

w igs, 1 20

E t h e ldreda, S t . , 48—52

Eucharist ic vestm en ts , 2 20—31

Fald, 19 1

Fai rfax,S ir Thom as , 2 15

Fanon ,2 2 4

Farth ingale , 139—40

F i f te en th and sixt een th cen turyarm our, 2 06— 1 2F i f t een th cen tury costum e , 53

—67

F i t z-S tephen , Wi l l iam , 34—5

F lore,Roge r, 57

Form an,El izabe th , 58

Form ann is , Thom as, 57Fourteenth century arm our

,2 00—6

costum e , 4 1—52

F rank ish costum e , 1 8

F rench hood head -dress, 154—6

Fron t lets , 140—53

Gam beson , 19 1

Garte r, Kn ights o f t h e , 66Garte r robes , 2 77—9Gaun t le ts, 19 1

G ipon , 19 2

G loves, 140—3, 230

Goes, H . van der , 55

Gorget , 18 1—9 1

Gorleston , 2 0 1— 2Gourdan ,

cave rn of , 2

G reaves , 19 2

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2 94 E NGLISH COSTUME

Mody, John , 58

Monast ic costum e , 2 44—7

Motons , 189

Muf fs, 1 2 2 , 1 2 7—8

Muff e t e e s , 1 2 8

Nebule head -dress, 146—7

Neol ithic arm our, 1 84

New stead camp, 1 85

Norm an arm our , 186—8

Norm an costum e , 30—5

Nuns ’ costum e , 2 45—6

O’

Donogh ue , F . M. , 69

Ofias , L ives of th e tw o, 37—9

Pal l , 2 31

Pal l ium , 231

Part le t,1 70

Pasguards , 193

Pau ldrons , 193

Ped im ental head-dress , 153Pe e rs’ coronat ion robes, 2 75—6Pe rreur , H . , 58

Pe rtnale , W. , 57

Pe t t icoat of m ai l, 19 1Pe t tow ,

An thony , 95P iet te , E . , 1 , 2

Placcates , 193

Po leyns, 193

Prehistoric costum e , 1— 1 2

Processional v estm en ts , 232—43Pykot , Thom as , 56Pyram idal head-dress, 153

Re reb races , 193

Ret iculat ed head-dress , 147—8Roba talaris , 250— 1Rochet , 233Roge rys son , J . , 56

Rom an arm our, 1 84—6Rom ano-Brit ish costum e , 13

- 16

Roos Carrs , 2 1Rosary, 1 70

- 1

Roth ew e ll , Thom as , 58Rounde ls , 194

Royal g loves , 142

Ryl s ton , 5

Sabatyns , 230

S t . M ichae l and S t . Geo rge robes ,2 8 1

S t . Pat rick robes, 2 8 1Sam on ,

A . , 57

Sandals, 230— 231Sandw ich , 2 02—3Scarf ( legal), 2 57Schoolboys’ costum e , 249 , 254

—6

S eptvans , S i r Robe rt de , 201Se rjeants

' robes , 2 58Seven t eenth century costum es, 9 2

1 14

S ixte enth century costum e , 68—9 1

Ske rn,R. , 55

Ski rt o f m ai l,19 1

S le eves (hanging), 1 7 1—3

Sm ock, 173-

4

Sol le re ts,194

Spr iggy , Margare t , 57Spurs , 194

S tandard o f m ai l , 194

S tandard o f plat e , 19 1

S t eeple head-dress , 156—7

St igand , Archbishop, 33-

4

S to la (Rom an), 15

S tole , 2 23—4Stole (regal), 2 67S tom ache r , 174Suckl ing , S ir Robe rt , 2 09Sumptuary law s , 60Supe rtun ic (Ang lo-Saxon), 2 0— 1Surcoat , 1 94Surpl ice , 2 33Surpl ice (academ ic), 2 52

INDEX,

Sym bol ism of e cclesiast ical vestm en ts, 2 19—2 0Syon cope , 2 38

—4 1

Tabard , 195Tabard (academ ic), 2 53Taces, 195

Tal l h at ,Tasse ts, 195

Thi rt een th cen tury arm our, 195

2 00

Thi rt een th cen tury costum e , 36-

40

Thist le robes , 2 79— 80Thom as, S . , 56

Throckm orton,S ir Thom as, 2 09

T i lt ing he lm , 195

Toga, 14 , 15

Toga (academ ic garm en t), 2 50- 1

Trew s , 174—5Trouse rs, 175

—7

Trumping ton ,S i r Roge r de , 2 00

Tudor costum e , 68—9 1

Tui l les , 1 95

Tun ic (Ang lo - Saxon), 20Tun ic (Rom an), 15Tun ica (m onas t ic garm en t), 2 44Tun icle , 2 2 8—9

Tun ic le (regal), 267

Yeom en of t h e Guard,2 16— 17

Yo rk , Margare t of , 54—5

Z igzag head-dress, 146-

7

2 95

Vam braces, 193, 5

Ve i l , 178

Ve rdun,S ir Theobald de (w i f e o f),

Vest ries, 2 4 1—3Vital , 1 87

Vow esses,180—1

Was s e lyn ,El izabeth

, 58

We l ls Cathedral statuary , 144-

5

Whyte,Robe rt

,2 10

Widow s’ w eeds,179

—8 2

Wigs, 1 17—2 0

W i l l iam t h e Conque ror, 187

W im borne M inst e r, 55Wimple , 182 —3

W indsor,canon

’s robes , 2 78—9Wyn t e r, John , 58

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