On Elizabethan hoods, linings & furs, and a petticoat idea
Last night, while otherwise occupied, I was reading through a few more pages of "Lost from Her Majesties Back" by Janet Arnold. It is a copy that I received from a friend with great thanks some time ago. I've scanned through the pages some time back, but not actually *read* the entries and all the details it has. Someday I will do a database or something to help tackle some of the details, especially on French hoods and habilliments, but for now it is just to read and see what interesting things can be found.
One of the first things I noticed is that so far all the hoods are black, usually in velvet and taffeta. And most of the habiliments that are noted with those hoods are white, with one entry for black habiliments. There is even a stand alone habiliment entry with white satin. Note that these are fabrics being taken to make up the Queen's hoods and habiliments, but I'm surprised there are no other colors mentioned, like red.
I then read another entry that mentions fur in a manner I was surprised to find.
love3angle was looking for info on would a gown be trimmed in fur on the outside. I could only find one good image that showed fur on the outside and edges of a gown as trimming, but you could not tell if the gown as also lined in fur or not.
I'd also wondered if fur was used as a trim or edging, would it also have to be lined in fur as well. There is a Henrician gown I want to do that is edged in furs along the garment edges, but didn't want to line the whole thing as that would be too warm for me to wear indoors for long, and not something I could wear outdoors at the Henrician events I do. I then found this little gem.
[298] Item One nyght gowne of black wrought vellat layd rownd abowt and set with buttons and loupes of gold silver murry and blacke silke lyned with murry sarceonet faced and edgid with sables the face of the gowne with thedge taken out and empoyed uppon mendinge the furres of other gownes by Mr Bland the owtside and lyninge beinge old and past wearinge taken as a wynter fee gowne by Rafe Hope
f 73
Anno xxijdo R.R.E. [1580]
Now if I am reading this entry correctly, the garment was lined with murry colored sarceonet (a light weight silk), faced and edged in sable fur - but not lined in any fur! It is fairly straight forward even with the lack of punctuation, then this is a proof that not all fur trimmed gowns were also lined in furs. We still don't know exactly how the fur was used as edging or facing, but if it had been lined in fur, it would have said so as it has in other entries.
I've got several more pages to go, so maybe there might be another entry that sheds light on these questions. If so, I'll post on it later.
I also found an entry that made me think I could make this into a petticoat (tho it is barebones text).
Delyvered to Mrs Mary Skudmore the 20 of Marche Anno xxjth R Re Elizabethe 1578 [1579] One Petycoate of murrey damaske with a brode border of oken leaves fourmed with venice gold
Signature 'Marye Scudamore'.
My purplish/gold damask that I have might qualify as 'murrey' colored (I need to look that color up), and to have an embroidered band of gold oak leaves would be really pretty. Very tempting. This entry also does not state that the item was for the Queen's use, so it most likely was one of the many gifts the Queen gave to her ladies, of which Mrs. Scudamore was one.
I need to finish reading this soon. Hopefully it will have more little gems of interest. Ok, it does have gems of interest... need to organize the info to make it more useful somehow.
One of the first things I noticed is that so far all the hoods are black, usually in velvet and taffeta. And most of the habiliments that are noted with those hoods are white, with one entry for black habiliments. There is even a stand alone habiliment entry with white satin. Note that these are fabrics being taken to make up the Queen's hoods and habiliments, but I'm surprised there are no other colors mentioned, like red.
I then read another entry that mentions fur in a manner I was surprised to find.
love3angle was looking for info on would a gown be trimmed in fur on the outside. I could only find one good image that showed fur on the outside and edges of a gown as trimming, but you could not tell if the gown as also lined in fur or not.
I'd also wondered if fur was used as a trim or edging, would it also have to be lined in fur as well. There is a Henrician gown I want to do that is edged in furs along the garment edges, but didn't want to line the whole thing as that would be too warm for me to wear indoors for long, and not something I could wear outdoors at the Henrician events I do. I then found this little gem.
[298] Item One nyght gowne of black wrought vellat layd rownd abowt and set with buttons and loupes of gold silver murry and blacke silke lyned with murry sarceonet faced and edgid with sables the face of the gowne with thedge taken out and empoyed uppon mendinge the furres of other gownes by Mr Bland the owtside and lyninge beinge old and past wearinge taken as a wynter fee gowne by Rafe Hope
f 73
Anno xxijdo R.R.E. [1580]
Now if I am reading this entry correctly, the garment was lined with murry colored sarceonet (a light weight silk), faced and edged in sable fur - but not lined in any fur! It is fairly straight forward even with the lack of punctuation, then this is a proof that not all fur trimmed gowns were also lined in furs. We still don't know exactly how the fur was used as edging or facing, but if it had been lined in fur, it would have said so as it has in other entries.
I've got several more pages to go, so maybe there might be another entry that sheds light on these questions. If so, I'll post on it later.
I also found an entry that made me think I could make this into a petticoat (tho it is barebones text).
Delyvered to Mrs Mary Skudmore the 20 of Marche Anno xxjth R Re Elizabethe 1578 [1579] One Petycoate of murrey damaske with a brode border of oken leaves fourmed with venice gold
Signature 'Marye Scudamore'.
My purplish/gold damask that I have might qualify as 'murrey' colored (I need to look that color up), and to have an embroidered band of gold oak leaves would be really pretty. Very tempting. This entry also does not state that the item was for the Queen's use, so it most likely was one of the many gifts the Queen gave to her ladies, of which Mrs. Scudamore was one.
I need to finish reading this soon. Hopefully it will have more little gems of interest. Ok, it does have gems of interest... need to organize the info to make it more useful somehow.