Haliwell gives compas as "a circle; Anglo-Norman."
Partlet, a small ruff or neck-band.
"Eidem pro 4 pec' de opera Rhet' bon' florat' in forma oper' sciss' ad 24s., £4 16s."—G. W. A. Eliz., 43 to 44.
1578-79. New Year's Gifts. Baroness Shandowes. "A vail of black network flourished with flowers of silver and a small bone-lace."—Nichols.
Encyclopædia Britannica. Art. Costume. Sixteenth Century.
Encyclopædia Britannica. Art. Costume. Sixteenth century.
Crown lace—so called from the pattern being worked on a succession of crowns sometimes intermixed with acorns or roses. A relic of this lace may still be found in the "faux galon" sold by the German Jews, for the decoration of fancy dresses and theatrical purposes. It is frequently mentioned. We have:—
"12 yards laquei, called crown lace of black gold and silk."—G. W. A. Eliz. 4 & 5.
"18 yards crown lace purled with one wreath on one side."—Ibid. 5 & 6.
"11 virgis laquei Byas."—Ibid. 29 & 30.
Hemming and edging 8 yards of ruff of cambric with white lace called hollow lace, and various entries of Spanish lace, Fringe, Black chain, Diamond, knotted, hollow, and others, are scattered through the earlier Wardrobe Accounts of Queen Elizabeth.
The accounts of the Keepers of the Great Wardrobe, which we shall have occasion so frequently to cite, are now deposited in the Public Record Office, to which place they were transferred from the Audit Office in 1859. They extend from the 1 Elizabeth = 1558 to Oct. 10, 1781, and comprise 160 volumes, written in Latin until 1730-31, when the account appears in English, and is continued so to the end. 1748-49 is the last account in which the items are given.
Eliz. 30 & 31. Billament lace occurs both in the "shoppes" and inventories of the day. Among the list of foreigners settled in the City of London in 1571 (State Papers, Dom., Eliz. Vol 84. P.R.O.), are: William Crutall, "useth the craft of making byllament lace"; Rich. Thomas, Dutch, "a worker of Billament lace."
In 1573 a country gentleman, by his will deposited in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (Brayley and Britton's Graphic Illustrations), bequeaths: "To my son Tyble my short gown faced with wolf skin and laid with Billements lace."
In John Johnston's shop we have: "3 doz. of velvet Billemunt lace, 12s." In that of John Farbeck, 9 yards of the same. (Surtees' Wills and Inv.) Widow Chapman of Newcastle's inventory, 1533, contains: "One old cassock of broad cloth, with billements lace, 10s." (Ibid.)
95 dozen rich silver double diamond and cross laces occur also in the Extraordinary Expenses for Prince Charles's Journey to Spain. 1623.—P. R. O.
1571. "In ye Great Shop, 8 peces of 'waborne' lace, 16d."—Mr. John Wilkinson's Goods, of Newcastle, Merchant.
1580. "100 Gross and a half of 'waborne' lace."—Inv. of Cuthbert Ellyson.
1549. John de Tronch, Abbot of Kilmainham Priory, is condemned to pay 100 marks fine for detaining 2 lbs. of Waborne thread, value 3s., and other articles, the property of W. Sacy.
G. W. A. Eliz. 16 & 17.
"Eidem pro 6 manuterg' de camerick operat' cum serico nigra trustich," etc.—G. W. A. Eliz. 41 & 42, and, again, 44.
1572. Inventory of Thomas Swinburne of Ealingham, Esq.
"His Apparell."
"A wellwett cote layd with silver las.
"A satten doullet layd with silver las.
"A payr of wellwett sleeves layd with silver las."—Surtees' Wills and Inv.
New Year's Gifts. Lady Mary Sidney. "A smock and two pillow beres of cameryck wrought with black-work and edged with a broad bone-lace of black sylke."
"Eidem pro 6 caules alb' nodat opat' cu' le chainestich et ligat' cu' tape de filo soror, ad 14s., 4l. 4s."—G. W. A. Eliz. 41 & 42.
Also in the last year of her reign (1602) we find:—
"Six fine net caules flourished with chaine stitch with sister's thread."—Wardrobe Accounts. B. M. Add. MSS. No. 5751.
In 1583.
G. W. A. Eliz. 38 & 39. We have it also on ruffs.
"Eidem pro 2 sutes de lez ruffs bon' de la lawne operat' in le laid work et edged cum ten' bon' ad 70s. per pec', 7l."—G. W. A. Eliz. 43 & 44.
G. W. A. Eliz., last year of her reign. Again—
1600. "Drawing and working with black silk drawne worke, five smocks of fine holland cloth."—B. M. Add. MSS. No. 5751.
"These Holland smocks as white as snow,
And gorgets brave with drawn-work wrought."
—Pleasant Quippes for Upstart Newfangled Gentlewomen. 1596.
As early as 1485 we have in the inventory of St. Mary-at-Hill, "An altar cloth of diaper, garnished with 3 blue Kays (St. Peter's) at each end." All the church linen seems to have been embroidered in blue thread, and so appears to have been the smocks and other linen.
Jenkin, speaking of his sweetheart, says: "She gave me a shirt collar, wrought over with no counterfeit stuff."
George: "What! was it gold?"
Jenkin: "Nay, 'twas better than gold."
George: "What was it?"
Jenkin: "Right Coventry blue."—Pinner of Wakefield. 1599.
"It was a simple napkin wrought with Coventry blue."—Laugh and Lie Downe, or the Worlde's Folly. 1605.
"Though he perfume the table with rose cake or appropriate bone-lace and Coventry blue," writes Stephens in his Satirical Essays. 1615.
In the inventory of Mary Stuart, taken at Fotheringay, after her death, we have: "Furniture for a bedd of black velvet, garnished with Bleue lace. In the care of Rallay, alias Beauregard."
This blue lace is still to be found on baptismal garments which have been preserved in old families on the Continent and in England.
The widow of the famous clothier, called Jack of Newbury, is described when a bride as "led to church between two boys with bride laces and rosemary tied about their sleeves."
"Tawdry. As Dr. Henshaw and Skinner suppose, of knots and ribbons, bought at a fair held in St. Audrey's Chapel; fine, without grace or elegance."—Bailey's Dict. 1764.
Southey (Omniana. Vol. i., p. 8) says:—
"It was formerly the custom in England for women to wear a necklace of fine silk called Tawdry lace, from St. Audrey.
"She had in her youth been used to wear carcanets of jewels, and being afterwards tormented with violent pains in the neck, was wont to say, that Heaven, in his mercy, had thus punished her for her love of vanity. She died of a swelling in her neck. Audry (the same as Ethelrede) was daughter of King Anna, who founded the Abbey of Ely."
Spenser in the Shepherd's Calender, has:—
"Bind your fillets faste
And gird in your waste
For more fineness with a tawdry lace;"
and in the Faithful Shepherdess of Beaumont and Fletcher, Amaryllis speaks of
"The primrose chaplet, tawdry lace and ring."
A passage already quoted in Much Ado about Nothing shows us that, in Shakespeare's time, the term "to lace" was generally used as a verb, denoting to decorate with trimming. Margaret, the tiring woman, describes the Duchess of Milan's gown as of "Cloth o' gold, and cuts, and laced with silver."
Much Ado about Nothing.
New Year's Gifts of Mrs. Wyngfield, Lady Southwell, and Lady Willoughby.—Nichols' Royal Progresses.
"Mrs. Edmonds. A cushion cloth of lawn cutwork like leaves, and a few owes of silver."—New Year's Gifts.
"Eidem pro le edginge unius panni vocat' a quishion cloth de lawne alb' operat' cum spaces de opere sciss' et pro viii. virg' de Laquei alb' lat' operat' sup' oss' 33s. 4d."—G. W. A. Eliz. 31 & 32.
"Mistress Twist, the Court laundress. Four toothcloths of Holland wrought with black silk and edged with bone lace of silver and black silk."—New Year's Gifts.
"Lady Ratcliffe. A night coyf of white cutwork flourished with silver and set with spangles."—Ibid.
"Cropson. A night coyf of cameryk cutwork and spangells, with a forehead cloth, and a night border of cutwork with bone lace."—Ibid. 1577-8.
"Eidem pro emendac̄ lavacione et starching unius par' corpor' (stays) et manic' de lawne alb' bon' deorsum operat' in diversis locis cum spaciis Lat' de operibus Italic' sciss̄ 20sh."—G. W. A. Eliz. 26-27.
Ibid.
Ibid. 28-29.
G. W. A. Eliz. 29-30.
Ibid. 35-36.
Ibid. 43-44. "A round kyrtle of cutwork in lawne."—B. M. Add. MSS. No. 5751.
"One yard of double Italian cutwork a quarter of a yard wide, 55s. 4d."—G. W. A. Eliz. 33 and 34.
"Una virga de opere sciss' lat' de factura Italica, 26s. 8d."—Ibid. 29 & 30.
"For one yard of double Flanders cutwork worked with Italian purl, 33s. 4d."—Ibid. 33 & 34.
"3 suits of good lawn cutwork ruffs edged with good bone lace 'operat' super oss',' at 70s., 10l. 10s."—Ibid. 43 & 44.
"7 virg' Tenie lat' operis acui, ad 6s. 8d., 46s. 8d."—Ibid. 37-38.
"Eidem pro 2 pectoral' de ope' sciss' fact' de Italic' et Flaundr' purle, ad 46s."—Ibid. 42 & 43.
"Eidem pro 1 virg' de Tenie de opere acuo cum le purle Italic' de cons' ope' acuo 20s."—G. W. A. Eliz. 40 & 41.
Eliz. 44 = 1603.
"3 yards broad needlework lace of Italy, with the purls of similar work, at 50s. per yard, 8l. 15s."—Ibid. 41-42.
Bone lace varies in price from 40s. the dozen to 11s. 6d. the yard. Needle-made lace from 6s. 8d. to 50s.—G. W. A. Passim.
Lace is always called "lacqueus" in the Gt. Wardrobe Accounts up to 1595-6, after which it is rendered "tænia." Both terms seem, like our "lace" to have been equally applied to silk passements.
"Galons de soye, de l'espèce qui peuvent être dénominés par le terme latin de 'tæniola.'"
"Laqueus, enlassements de diverses couleurs, galons imitation de ces chaînes qui les Romains faisoient peindre, dorer et argenter, pour les rendre plus supportables aux illustres malheureux que le sort avoit réduit à les porter."—Traité des Marques Nationales. Paris, 1739.
"Fine white or nun's thread is made by the Augustine nuns of Crema," writes Skippin, 1631.
From the Great Wardrobe Accounts the price appears to have been half a crown an ounce.
"Eidem pro 2 li. 4 unc.' fili Sororis, ad 2s. 6d. per unciam, 4l. 10s."—Eliz. 34 & 35.
State Papers Domestic. Eliz. Vol. 84. The sum total amounts to 4,287.
See Burgundy. "The naturalized French residing in this country are Normans of the district of Caux, a wicked sort of French, worse than all the English," writes, in 1553, Stephen Porlin, a French ecclesiastic, in his Description of England and Scotland.
1559. Oct. 20. Proclamation against excess of apparel.—State Papers Dom. Eliz. Vol. vii.
1566. Feb. 12.—Ibid. Vol. xxxix.
1579. Star Chamber on apparel.
State Papers Dom. Eliz. Vol. xxiii. No. 8.
Ibid. Vol. xlvii. No. 49.
Ibid. Vol. viii. No. 31.
The value of thread imported amounts to £13,671 13s. 4d.
Walsingham writes: In opening a coffer of the Queen of Scots, he found certain heades which so pleased certain ladies of his acquaintance, he had taken the liberty to detain a couple.
"A mantel of lawn cutwork wrought throughout with cutwork of 'pomegranettes, roses, honeysuckles, cum crowns.'"
"A doublet of lawn cutwork worked with 'lez rolls and true loves,' &c."—G. W. A. Eliz. Last year.
New Year's Gifts. By the Lady Shandowes. 1577-8.
Marquis of Northampton.
Lady Carew. "A cushyn of fine cameryk edged with bone lace of Venice sylver."
"Laqueus de serico Jeano"—(Genoa). G. W. A. Eliz. 30-1.
1571. Revels at Court. Cunningham.
Some curious entries occur on the occasion of a Masque called "The Prince" given at court in 1600:—
"For the tooth-drawer:
"To loope leace for his doublet and cassacke, 8s.
"For leace for the corne-cutters suite, 7s.
"For green leace for the tinkers suite, 2s.
"For the mouse-trapp-man:
"6 yards of copper leace to leace is cloake, at 1s. 8d., 10s.
"The Prophet merely wears fringe, 2 Ruffes and cuffes, 3s. 10d."
The subject of the Masque seems lost to posterity.
Lady Chandos, jun. "A cushyn cloth of lawne, wrought with white worke of branches and trees edged with white bone worke wrought with crownes."—New Year's Gifts. 1577-8.
1572. Revels at Court.
In the possession of Mrs. Evans of Wimbledon.
Sir Gawine Carew. "A smock of cameryke wrought with black work and edged with bone lace of gold."
Lady Souche. "A smock of cameryke, the ruffs and collar edged with a bone lace of gold."
The Lady Marquis of Winchester. "A smock of cameryke wrought with tanny silk and black, the ruffs and collar edged with a bone lace of silver."—New Year's Gifts. 1578-9.
"A bearing cloth," for the Squire's child, is mentioned in the Winter's Tale.
Many of these Christening robes of lace and point are preserved as heirlooms in old families; some are of old guipure, others of Flanders lace, and later of Valenciennes, or needle-point. The bib formed of guipure padded, with tiny mittens of lace, were also furnished to complete the suit.
In 1584-5 Queen Elizabeth sends a most wonderful apron to be washed and starched, of cambric, edged with lace of gold, silver, and in-grain carnation silk, "operat' super oss'," with "pearl buttons pro ornatione dict' apron."—G. W. A. Eliz. 26 & 27.
"A handkerchief she had,
All wrought with silke and gold,
Which she, to stay her trickling tears,
Before her eyes did hold."
—"Ballad of George Barwell."
New Year's Gift of Lady Radcliffe. 1561.
New Year's Gift of Lady St. Lawrence.
Surtees' Wills and Inv. "Though the luxury of the court was excessive, the nation at large were frugal in their habits. Our Argentine of Dorset was called 'Argentine the Golden,' in consequence of his buckles, tags, and laces being of gold. Such an extravagance being looked on as a marvel in the remote hamlets of the southern counties."
Hence ruffles, diminutive of ruffs. "Ruff cuffs" they are called in the G. W. A. of James I., 11 & 12.
Stowe's Chron.
Endless are the entries in the Gt. W. Acc. for washing, starching and mending. The court laundress can have had no sinecure. We find "le Jup de lawne operat' cum stellis et aristis tritici Anglice wheateares" (Eliz. 42 & 43), sent to be washed, starched, etc. A network vail "sciss' totum desuper cum ragged staves." (Leicester's device. Ibid. 29 & 30.) A diploid' (doublet) of cut-work flourished "cum auro et spangles" (Ibid.), and more wonderful still, in the last year of her reign she has washed and starched a toga "cum traine de la lawne operat' in auro et argento in forma caudarum pavorum," the identical dress in which she is portrayed in one of her portraits.
"Eidem pro un ruff bon pynned sup' le wier Franc' cū rhet' aur' spangled, 70s."—Eliz. 42 & 43.
Gt. W. Acc. Eliz. 33 & 34.
"B.: Where's my ruff and poker?"
"R.: There's your ruff, shall I poke it?"
"B.: So poke my ruff now."—Old Play by P. Dekker. 1602.
Autolycus, among his wares, has "poking-sticks of steel."
"Poked her rebatoes and surveryed her steel."—Law Tricks. 1608.
Middleton's Comedy of Blurt, Master Constable.
Or, the World's Folly. 1605.
Stowe.
Ibid.
Therefore she wore "chin" ruffs.
"Eidem pro 2 sutes de lez chinne ruffs edged cu' arg., 10s."—Eliz. 42 & 43.
Ben Jonson. Every Man Out of His Humour. 1599.
Lady Cromwell. "Three sutes of ruffs of white cutwork edged with a passamayne of white."
Lady Mary Se'm'. "3 ruffs of lawne cutwork of flowers."
"They are either clogged with gold, silver, or silk laces of stately price, wrought all over with needleworke, speckeled and sparkeled here and there with the sunne, the moone, the starres and many other antiques strange to beholde. Some are wrought with open worke donne to the midst of the ruffe, and further some with close worke, some with purled lace so closed and other gewgawes so pestered, as the ruff is the leest parte of itself."—Stubbe's Description of the Cut-work Ruff.
Anatomie of Abuses. 1583.
"Eidem pro 3 dozin laquei fact' de crine brayded cum lez rising puffs de crine, ad 36s. le dd., £5 8s."—Eliz. 31 & 32.
The entry occurs frequently.
In Ibid. 87 & 38 is a charge "pro 4 pirrywigges de crine," at 16s. 8d. each.
In the G. W. A. of the last year of her reign, Elizabeth had a variety of devices in false hair. We have:—
"Eidem pro 200 invencionibus factis decrine in forma lez lowpes et tuftes," at 6d. each; the like number in the form of leaves at 12d.; 12 in form of "lez Peramides," at 3s. 4d.; 24 of Globes, at 12d., with hair by the yard, made in lowpes, "crispat' curiose fact'," curle rotund', and other wonderful "inventions."
"Your trebble-quadruple Dædalian ruffes, nor your stiffe necked Rebatoes that have more arches for pride to row under than can stand under five London Bridges."—The Gul's Hornebooke, by T. Deckar. London, 1609.
Beaumont and Fletcher. Nice Valour.
Ibid. The Blind Lady. 1661.
1641.
Called by James I. "the King of Preachers." Ob. 1621
In the Dumb Knight, 1608, a woman, speaking of her ruff, says:—
"This is but shallow. I have a ruff is a quarter deep, measured by the yard."
See the portraits in the National Portrait Gallery of Sir Dudley and Lady Carleton, by Cornelius Janssens, of the Queen of Bohemia, by Mirevelt, and of the Countess of Pembroke, by Mark Geerards. In Westminster Abbey, the effigies of Queen Elizabeth and Mary Queen of Scots, on their tombs.
Every Man Out of His Humour, 1599.
Again, in his Silent Woman, he says:—
"She must have that
Rich gown for such a great day, a new one
For the next, a richer for the third; have the chamber filled with
A succession of grooms, footmen, ushers,
And other messengers; besides embroiderers,
Jewellers, tire-women, semsters, feather men,
Perfumers; whilst she feels not how the land
Drops away, nor the acres melt; nor foresees
The change, when the mercer has your woods
For her velvets; never weighs what her pride
Costs, Sir."
"Second Acc. of Sir John Villiers, 1617-8." P. R. O.
"150 yards of fyne bone lace for six extraordinary ruff's provided against his Majesty's marriage, at 9s., 67s. 10d."—Extraordinary Expenses. 1622-6. P. R. O.
State Papers Dom., Jac. I. Vol. iii., No. 89. P. R. O.
Jasper Mayne. 1670.
"Mistris Turner, the first inventresse of yellow starch, was executed in a cobweb lawn ruff of that color at Tyburn, and with her I believe that yellow starch, which so much disfigured our nation and rendred them so ridiculous and fantastic, will receive its funerall."—Howel's Letters. 1645.
State Papers Dom., James I. Vol. cxiii. No. 18.
We read that in 1574 the Venetian ladies dyed their lace the colour of saffron. The fashion may therefore be derived from them.
"He is of England, by his yellow band."—Notes from Black Fryers. Henry Fitzgeffery. 1617.
"Now ten or twenty eggs will hardly suffice to starch one of these yellow bandes."—Barnaby Rich. The Irish Hubbub, or the English Hue and Cry. 1622.
Killigrew, in his play called The Parson's Wedding, published in 1664, alludes to the time when "yellow starch and wheel verdingales were cried down"; and in The Blind Lady, a play printed in 1661, a serving-man says to the maid: "You had once better opinion of me, though now you wash every day your best handkerchief in yellow starch."
La Courtisane à la Mode, selon l'Usage de la Cour de ce Temps. Paris, 1625.
Carlo, in Every Man Out of His Humour. 1599.
"Eidem pro 29 virg' le opere sciss' bon' Italic', ad 35s., £68 5s."—Gt. W. A. Jac. I. 5 & 6.
The New Inn.
Advice to Sir George Villiers.
See Parliamentary History of England.
Sir Giles was proceeded against as "a monopolist and patentee," and sentenced to be degraded and banished for life.
Speech in Parliament. Rushout Papers. Vol. xi., p. 916.
"The office or grant for sealing bone lace was quashed by the King's proclamation, 1639, dated from his manour of York."—Verney Papers.
B. M. Bib. Lands. 172, No. 59.
1604. Sept. 27. Patent to Ric. Dike and others to make Venice gold and silver thread for 21 years.—State Papers Dom., Jas. I. Vol. ix. 48.
1604. Dec. 30. Lease of the customs on gold and silver thread.—Ibid. Vol. x.
1605. Feb. 2. The same. Ibid. Vol. xii.
1611. May 21. Patent to Ric. Dike renewed.—Ibid. Vol. lxiii. 9.
In the same year (June 30) we find a re-grant to the Earl of Suffolk of the moiety of all seizures of Venice gold and silver formerly granted in the fifth year of the King.—Ibid. Vol. lxiv. 66.
In 1622 a lease on the customs on gold and silver thread lace is given to Sir Edward Villiers.—Ibid. Vol. cxxxii. 34.
Ibid. Vol. cxxi. 64.
Ibid. Vol. cxxxii. 34.
In 1624 King James renews his prohibition against the manufacture of "gold purles," as tending to the consumption of the coin and bullion of the kingdom.—Fœdera, Vol. xvii., p. 605.
Petition. April 8, 1623.—State Papers, Vol. cxlii. 44. See Chap. xxx.
"Twoe payer of hande rebayters," i.e., cuffs.
In the P. R. O. (State Papers Dom., James I. 1603, Sept. Vol. iii. No. 89) is "A Memorandum of that Misteris Jane Drum̄onde her recyte from Ester Littellye, the furnishinge of her Majesties Linen Cloth," a long account, in which, among numerous other entries, we find:—
"It. at Basinge. Twenty four yeardes of small nidle work, at 6s. the yearde, £7 4s.
"More at Basinge. One ruffe cloth, cumbinge cloth and apron all shewed with white worke, at 50s. the piece, £7 10s.
"It. one pece of fine lawin to bee a ruffe, £5.
"Item, for 18 yeards of fine lace to shewe the ruffe, at 6s. the yearde, £5 8s.
"Item, 68 purle of fair needlework, at 20 pence the purle, £5 15s. 4d.
"Item, at Winchester, the 28th of September, one piece of cambrick, £4.
"Item, for 6 yards of fine purle, at 20s., £6.
"Item, for 4 yards of great bone lace, at 9s. the yard, 36s.
Queen Anne has also a fair wrought sark costing £6, and a cut-work handkerchief, £12, and 2 pieces of cut-work, ell wide and 2 yards long, at £2. the length, etc.
Lady Audrye Walsingham's Account. 1606.—P. R. O.
Mary, her third daughter, died 1607, not two years of age. Mrs. Greene quotes from the P. R. O. a note of the "necessaries to be provided for the child," among which are six large cambric handkerchiefs, whereof one is to be edged with "fair cut-work to lay over the child's face"; six veils of lawn, edged with fair bone lace; six "gathered bibs of fine lawn with ruffles edged with bone lace," etc. The total value of the lace and cambric required for the infant's garments is estimated at £300.—Lives of the Princesses of England. Vol. vi., p. 90.
England is rich in monumental effigies decorated with lace—too many to enumerate. Among them we would instance that of Alice, Countess of Derby, died 1636, in Harefield Church, Middlesex, in which the lace is very carefully sculptured.—Communicated by Mr. Albert Hartshorne.
1620-1. We have entries of "falling bands" of good cambric, edged with beautiful bone lace, two dozen stitched and shagged, and cut-work nightcaps, purchased for James I., in the same account, with 28s. for "one load of hay to stuff the woolsacks for the Parliament House."—G. W. Acc. Jac. I. 18 to 19.
In the same year, 1620, an English company exported a large quantity of gold and silver lace to India for the King of Golconda.
Malcontent. 1600.
Extraordinary expenses, 1622-26. P. R. O.
"2nd Acc. of Sir J. Villiers. 1617-18." P. R. O.