This
Tudor costume history information consists of Pages 283-290 of the
chapter on the mid 16th century Tudor dress in the 5 YEAR REIGN of
Mary - 1553-1558, and taken from English Costume by Dion
Clayton Calthrop. Roman Catholic Mary Tudor the Queen Mary I was also
known as Bloody Mary because of all the blood on her hands after the
executions of many individuals of the Protestant religion.
The 36 page section consists of a text copy of the book ENGLISH
COSTUME PAINTED & DESCRIBED BY DION CLAYTON CALTHROP. Visuals,
drawings and painted fashion plates in the book have a charm of their own and are
shown amid the text. The book covers both male and female dress history of
over 700 years spanning the era 1066-1830.
This page is about Tudor dress in
the reign of Queen Mary I - 1553-1558.
For the Introduction to this book see this
introduction written by Dion Clayton Calthrop. I have adjusted
the images so they can be used for colouring
worksheets where pupils add some costume/society facts.
My comments are in italics.
MARY
Reigned five years: 1553-1558.
Born, 1516. Married, 1554, Philip of Spain.
THE MEN AND WOMEN
I cannot do better than commence this chapter by taking you back to the
evening of August 3, 1553. Mary, with her half-sister
Elizabeth, entered
London on this date. At Aldgate she was met by the Mayor of London, who
gave her the City sword.
From the Antiquarian Repertory comes this
account:
'First, the citizens' children walked before her magnificently dressed;
after followed gentlemen habited in velvets of all sorts, some black,
others in white, yellow, violet, and carnation; others wore satins or
taffety, and some damasks of all colours, having plenty of gold buttons;
afterwards followed the Mayor, with the City Companies, and the chiefs
or masters of the several trades; after them, the Lords, richly
habited, and the most considerable knights; next came the ladies,
married and single, in the midst of whom was the Queen herself, mounted
on a small white ambling nag, the housings of which were fringed with
gold thread; about her were six lacqueys, habited in vests of gold.
'The Queen herself was dressed in violet velvet, and was then about
forty years of age, and rather fresh coloured.
'Before her were six lords bareheaded, each carrying in his hand a
yellow mace, and some others bearing the arms and crown. Behind her
followed the archers, as well of the first as the second guard.
'She was followed by her sister, named Madame
Elizabeth, in truth a
beautiful Princess, who was also accompanied by ladies both married and
single.'
In the crowds about the city waiting to stare at the new Queen as she
passed by, one could recognise the various professions by their colours.
The trained bands in white doublets with the City arms before and
behind; lawyers in black; sheriffs and aldermen in furred gowns with
satin sleeves; citizens in brown cloaks and workers in cloth or
leather doublets; citizens' servants in blue liveries; gentlemen's
servants in very gorgeous liveries of their masters' colours.
Here is a
description of a gentleman's page and his clothes:
'One doublet of yelow million fustian, th'one halfe buttoned with
peche-colour buttons, and the other half laced downwards; one payer of
peche-colour, laced with smale tawnye lace; a graye hat with a copper
edge rounde about it, with a band p'cell of the same hatt; a payer of
watchet (blue) stockings.
Likewise he hath twoe clokes, th'one of vessey
colour, garded with twoe yards of black clothe and twisted lace of
carnacion colour, and lyned with crymsone bayes; and th'other is a red
shipp russet colour, striped about th'cape and down the fore face,
twisted with two rows of twisted lace, russet and gold buttons afore and
uppon the shoulder, being of the clothe itself, set with the said
twisted lace and the buttons of russet silk and gold.'
This will give some notion of the elaborate liveries worn, and also it
will show how, having understood the forms of the garments and the
material which may be used, the rest, ornament and fancy, depend on the
sense of the reader.
This
costume plate shows dress during the transition era of 1530 and 1560
with an illustration of a man wearing a Spanish influenced cloak very much of
the period. He wears a tunic that is evolving into the
Elizabethan doublet.
A change has come over the streets, the town is full of
Spaniards come over with Philip, and these bring with them many
innovations in dress.
The most noticeable is the high-peaked Spanish
hat, a velvet bag with a narrow brim, worn on one side of the head.
There is, also, a hard-crowned hat, round the crown-base of which is a
gold cord clasped by a jewel; a feather is stuck into this hat.
Yet the
mass of citizens wear the flat cap, some of them, the older men, have a
coif tied under their chins, and over this the flat cap. Again, older
men wear black velvet skull caps.
The Ruff
With these Spaniards comes, also, the first appearance of the ruff, very
neat and small.
Although the overcoats of Henry's and
Edward's reigns still form the
principal wear, the short Spanish cloak has come in, cut in full folds,
and reaching not far below the waist. They also brought in the cloak
with a turned up high collar; and some had sleeves to their cloaks.
Shoes are now more to the shape of the foot, and high boots strapped up
over the knee, also half-boots with the tops turned over to be seen.
Often, where the hose meet the trunks, these are turned down.
The doublets become shaped more closely to the body, all showing the
gradual change towards the Elizabethan costume, but still retaining the
characteristics of earlier times, as the long skirt to the doublet, and
the opening to show the collar of the shirt, or partlet strip.
Wearing flowers in the opening of the dress was a frequent habit at
this time. The fashion was begun in this reign. This dress lays the
silhouette and styling of the
later Elizabethan fashion which were an exaggeration of
gowns such as this example.
The gowns themselves, though retaining the same appearance as before,
full skirts, no trains, big sleeves, and split to show the under-gown,
have the top part of the gown covering the bosom made of a
separate material, as, for instance, a gown of fine cloth will have
collar and yoke of velvet.
Women wear neat linen caps, made very plain and close to the head, with
small ear-pieces.
On the shoulders there is a fashion of wearing kerchiefs of linen or
silk, white as a rule; white, in fact, is frequently used for dresses,
both for men and women.
The custom of carrying small posies of flowers comes in, and it is
interesting to see the Queen, in her portrait by Antonio More, carrying
a bunch of violets arranged exactly as the penny bunches sold now
in our streets.
There was, in most dresses, a great profusion of gold buttons, and the
wearing of gold chains was common - in fact, a gold chain about the neck
for a man, and a gold chain girdle for a woman, were part of the
ordinary everyday dress.
You will realize that to one born in the reign of
Henry VIII the
appearance of people now was very different, and, to anyone as far away
as we are now, the intervening reigns of
Edward and
Mary are interesting
as showing the wonderful quiet change that could take place in
those few years, and alter man's exterior from the appearance of a
playing-card, stiff, square, blob-footed, to the doublet and hose person
with a cart-wheel of a ruff, which recalls to us
Elizabethan dress.
MARY
Reigned five years: 1553-1558.
Born, 1516. Married, 1554, Philip of Spain.
This
Tudor costume history information consists of Pages 283-290 of the
chapter on the mid 16th century dress in the 5 YEAR REIGN of
Mary - 1553-1558, and taken from English Costume by Dion
Clayton Calthrop. Roman Catholic Mary Tudor the Queen Mary I was also
known as Bloody Mary because of all the blood on her hands after the
executions of many individuals of the Protestant religion.
The 36 page section consists of a text copy of the book ENGLISH
COSTUME PAINTED & DESCRIBED BY DION CLAYTON CALTHROP. Visuals,
drawings and painted fashion plates in the book have a charm of their own and are
shown amid the text. The book covers both male and female dress history of
over 700 years spanning the era 1066-1830.
This page is about Tudor dress in
the reign of Queen Mary I - 1553-1558.
For the Introduction to this book see this
introduction written by Dion Clayton Calthrop. I have adjusted
the images so they can be used for colouring
worksheets where pupils add some costume/society facts.
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This
Tudor costume history information consists of Pages 283-290 of the
chapter on the mid 16th century Tudor dress in the 5 YEAR REIGN of
Mary - 1553-1558, and taken from English Costume by Dion
Clayton Calthrop. Roman Catholic Mary Tudor the Queen Mary I was also
known as Bloody Mary because of all the blood on her hands after the
executions of many individuals of the Protestant religion.
This
costume plate shows dress during the transition era of 1530 and 1560
with an illustration of a man wearing a Spanish influenced cloak very much of
the period. He wears a tunic that is evolving into the
Women wear neat linen caps, made very plain and close to the head, with
small ear-pieces.
