In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes >. When we got to the time of >the Puritans and then >Cromwell's England, the professor said that the upper crust Puritans and >Roundheads did wear lace >and showed us several photographs of paintings to prove it.
And then there is the story that Cromwell himself was buried in his finest lace.... can't remember where I read that, but definitely it was one of his army who is quoted in John Yallop's History of the Honiton Lace Industry as saying that lacemaking was a worthy form of activity for the poor, in that it enabled them with a means of earning a living. So if lace was being made, someone would have had to wear it! I suspect that the lace worn by the parliamentarians was probably more modest, elegant edgings rather than the flamboyant frills and flounces that James II's reign introduced after the reformation. As to the quote about Mrs Turner, it was yellow starch that she used to colour the ruffs, etc, but I understood from the context in the book that though she was the person who introduced its use, she was not the only one using it. I'm not too sure that where the aristocracy were concerned, the issue of dyes not being colourfast when washed was that much of a problem.... much like today's "wear it once" society!!! Wasn't that one of the reasons for the layers of plain linen undergarments, that kept the outer layers away from the body so they would stay "clean" for possibly more than several wearings? Maybe it is this lack of colourfastness that has added to the impression that all lace was white!!! -- Jane Partridge - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
