In December I had house guests staying and realised that the wardrobe in the spare bedroom had become an overflow of my wardrobe and had to find somewhere else to put all the dresses and jackets. After Christmas would I put them back or manage to thin them out and put some in a charity bag ? Ha ! Silly question, only one outfit has been put aside for the charity bag, and all the rest have gone back again. Oh, I still like that outfit, and I still like that one, and that one still does fit - just .... As I am a dressmaker most are made by me anyway and I make them to fit me and they last a very long time. However I do go through my clothes from time to time and send some to a charity shop. How useful these shops are (though some complain that there are too many of them), as they allow recycling of all kinds of items as well as raising money for good causes. But what happened to old clothes in the past ? Being the youngest in a family meant that you were the recipient of hand-me-downs, and I had a fair share of these, even into adulthood I was grateful for others' cast-offs. But this is something perhaps frowned upon now. In the past you may even have received clothes as a beneficiary in someone's will. Those of us who are historians LOVE reading old wills, they tell us so much, so this month I am looking at evidence of clothes that must have been very special to have been mentioned as a bequest. Alyce Croft of East Witton made a will in 1620 in which she left to Alyce Croft daughter of Raulf my best greene Gowne and my pettycoat of flannell The second line down of this snippet says that Alyce left to Elizabeth Crofte daughter of John a felte hatt lyned with velvet, and the next line down is a bequest to Alyce Thwayt of another felt hatte. Now the rest of Alyce Croft's bequests were beds, household items and her sheep and the crops in her field and farm tools [husbandry gear]. But she gives a little insight into her life, as well as being a canny farmer she had some nice clothes and at least two hats. Who made them ? did she make them herself, or someone in the village ? Ellen Lobley of Coverdale also bequeathed a hat and a petticoat when she made a will in 1635 to Elizabeth Geldart, but Dorothy Fosse got her Best gown and her Best hat. Did they dress like this in the Yorkshire dales ? This is from a book by John Peacock, a complete guide to English Costume. Christopher Bainbridge was a Citizen and Brewer of London when he made his will in 1654, but my interest in him is because he had relatives in Teesdale. Item I give unto my Brother in law Mr Robert Robinson my best suite and cloak of Silke grogran. Now what was grogran ? Grogram was a mixture of silk and wool used for suiting, and was a stiff, course cloth. Probably hard wearing and would turn a shower of rain. Did Christopher Bainbridge dress in the Puritan style ? or was he a more flamboyant dresser ? He would certainly have a choice of tailor in London compared to Middleton in Teesdale or Barnard Castle. Many wills put all items of clothes together thus - "all my wearing apparel" - and often passed down to servants who would wear it themselves or sell it. It is the wills that bequeath specific identified items that are interesting. Now when you are dead and gone what might happen to your underwear ? Yes, do think about it ! some wills mentioned bequests of "body linen", would you be pleased to be the recipient ? William Hammond of Naburn (but originally from Wensleydale) left his servant Dorothy Willis £150 and all his wearing apparell and linen in 1759. This next snippet is from the will of another northerner who went to London. Richard Heslop became a Pewterer of London and made a will in 1744. I give to my said Nephew Robert Massam my best suit of Cloaths and if he does not like them then to have his Choice of such other suit as he shall please in the Room thereof and I also give him my best Silver Buckles I give to my said Cousin Peter Tomlinson such Coat waistcoat and Breeches as he shall chuse after my said Nephew has had his election I give to my prentice George my Grey Coat Wastcoat and Breeches or three Guineas to buy him mourning which he will and I give to the said Samuel and William Hall such of my Cloaths after my said Nephew and Cousin have had their choice as my executors shall think fitt The next line bequeathed an Amethyst Ring to his niece Ann Massam. The Heslop family had originally been in Bowes in Yorkshire and Richard took as his apprentice a Robert Masham who also came from Teesdale. This will indicates that Robert was his nephew as well as his apprentice. Another Teesdale will is that of John Joplin of Cragg near Lartington in 1784. He left a silver watch and a " best Blue Sute of cloths and my linen shifts" to Mr Bradsha a priest. I hope he was grateful. Another Heslop, this time Ralph Heslop who was of London when he wrote his will in 1810 but had a brother and sister in the Ripon area in Yorkshire. He left his Body Linen to his brother Francis Heslop of Norton Mills near Ripon. My metal watch and Gold Seal and also all my Body Linen I leave to my said Brother Francis Heslop and all my other wearing apparel I desire may be divided amongst the Sons of my said late Sister Mary Mason and Jane Polhill and of my said brother Francis Heslop in such manner as they shall agree on or as my executors shall think fit. This was not unusual, Edmund Alderson died in Queen's Row, Pentonville in London in 1822 with brothers in Arkengarthdale, and left his body linen and his silk handkerchiefs in his will. Interior of a Tailor's Shop, Museum of London, and on the ArtUk website. They really did sit crossed legged then. The large window would give maximum light. We have now lost sight of the people who actually MAKE our clothes. At one time they were part of your community. On the left a picture called The Tailor by Alexander Austen care of the North Lincolnshire Museum and on the right, The Radical Tailor by J Campbell which is in a collection at Leeds University. The local tailor would be proud to see his clothes being worn round about his community. This is called "Women making lace" and is Dutch, early 17th century, and in the Wellcome Collection. I am interested in the wooden contraptions that they are using on their knees. Lace was very expensive and prized. And here are people wearing lace. The lady on the left has no name, and the painting is of the Flemish School at the Bowes Museum. On the right is a portrait of a youth said to be Sir John Suckling circa 1625 at the Ashmolean Museum. Both show how lace was worn. All pictures on the ArtUk website. They do help us to imagine what our ancestors wore. We have good details of late 17th century clothes from the pen of Samuel Pepys. His father had been a tailor, and he was very interested in clothes. The very beginning of his diary 1st January 1660 describes his clothes " I rose, put on my suit with great skirts...." 22nd April 1661 " Up early and made myself as fine as I could, and put on my velvet coat...." He spent extravagantly .... 11 October 1663 " to my great sorrow find myself £43 worse than I was last month, but it hath chiefly arisen from my layings-out in clothes for myself and wife viz for her about £12 and for myself £55 or thereabouts, having made myself a velvet cloak, two new cloth suits, black, plain both, a new shag-gown trimmed with gold buttons and twist, with a new hat, and silk tops for my legs and many other things ..... and also two periwigs one whereof cost me £3 and the other 40s ...." There was a tailor had a mouse .... but first to a tailor who had a cat, called Simpkin, who was a very naughty cat and hid a twist of cherry coloured silk. Beatrix Potter gives us some lovely words in her opening of The Tailor of Gloucester. In the time of swords and periwigs and full skirted coats with flowered lappets - when gentlemen wore ruffles, and gold-laced waistcoats of paduasoy and taffeta - there lived a tailor in Gloucester. We use many different sources to conjure up the lives of our ancestors, we want to know where they lived and what they did, what they ate and what they wore. Glimpses of the past come from many different places, and sometimes a bequest in a will can just add that little bit of detail. Many clothes would be home made and last for years and years and some would be made by village tailors. They must have mostly had mice as I have been humming this song -
There was a tailor had a mouse, Hi diddle unkum feedle ! They lived together in one house, Hi diddle unkum feedle ! Hi diddle unkum tarum tantum Through the town of Ramsay, Hi diddle unkum over the lea Hi diddle unkum feedle Now think, who are you going to leave your body linen to ?
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AuthorThis is where you can share creativity with me. I believe that everyone has something creative within them, and it is a joy to find ways of being creative. Blogging is NEW to me, so here goes ..... Archives
January 2024
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