History of the Fylde of LancashirePorter, John (Writer on the Fylde of Lancashire)
History
History of the Fylde of Lancashire
Porter, John (Writer on the Fylde of Lancashire)
Lancashire (England) -- History
generally allowed to have been pretty correct in the costumes of his
heroes and minor characters, has described the appearance of a yeoman of
our county about the middle of the sixteenth century as follows:—
“He was an English yeoman good,
And born in Lancashire.
...
His coal-black hair, shorn round and close,
Set off his sun-burnt face;
Old England’s sign, St. George’s cross,
His barret-cap did grace;
His bugle horn hung from his side,
All in a wolf-skin baldric tied;
And his short falchion, sharp and clear,
Had pierced the throat of many a deer.
His kirtle, made of forest green,
Reached scantly to his knee;
And at his belt, of arrows keen
A furbished sheaf bore he.”
Shortly after the accession of Queen Elizabeth in 1558, remarkable
alterations became evident in the fashions of the inhabitants. The skirts
of the doublet were reduced to much smaller dimensions, so as thoroughly
to expose the upper stocks, which, under the new title of trunk-hose, had
risen to a very important place in the toilet. French trunk-hose were the
first to render themselves conspicuous in our locality, and consisted of
two varieties, the former of which were short, round, and full, becoming,
in fact, in course of time, so swollen by padding that their use was
abandoned by universal consent; and the second variety, going to the
other extreme and fitting tightly to the limb, introduced. The next to
arrive were the Gallic hose, very large and wide, and extending to the
knee only; after which came the Venetian hose, reaching below the knee to
the garter, where they were secured with silken bands. The trunk-hose,
of every kind, were made of silk, velvet, satin, or damask. The nether
stocks, or stockings, were of jarnsey, thread, fine yarn, and later, of
silk, whilst the shoes partook more of the nature of slippers, and were
variously decorated. Ruffs encircled the necks of the males as well as
the females. Above the doublet was worn in the Spanish style a cloak of
silk, velvet, or taffeta, and of a red, black, green, yellow, tawny,
russet, or violet colour, many being bordered with long glass beads.
Hats were conical and high, flat and broad, and flat and round, but in
all cases were made of velvet or sarcenet, and ornamented with bunches
of feathers. The robes of the ladies, made of bright-coloured velvet,
silk, or fine cloth, had both tight and wide sleeves, and were branched
or opened at the front of the skirt to expose the handsome petticoat
beneath. The farthingale distended the dresses of our female ancestry
from just below the bodice or stomacher, in a manner that few, we opine,
of the fair sex would care to see revived at the present day. The ruff
was of cambric or lawn, and when first introduced, moderate in its
proportions, but like many other fashions of that epoch, became enlarged
into an absurdity as years passed on. The hair of the ladies was curled,
crisped, and arranged with most elaborate care; indeed, so curious and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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