DOI issue:
October 13, 1860
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16866#0156
148
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. [October 13, I860.
regret to perceive that the house in virtue of ■which Mr. Lobkins
claims was totally destroyed by fire at an early hour this morning-
Mr. Lobkins (<astounded.) O, Blazes ! (Rushes out of Court.)
The Barrister. Curious. Well, he can’t vote for a house that does
not exist.
Name expunged.
The lists were signed, and delivered over, and the entire business
was completed, and the Barrister had left, when Mr. Jolliboy, as he
put up his papers, remarked to his Clerk, that his o wn eyes were not so
good as they had been, and he saw, on second reading, that it was the
house next door to Mr. Lobkins that had been burned. However,
mistakes would happen, and he would have some lunch.
PUNCH'S BOOK OF BRITISH COSTUMES.
CHAPTER XXXII.—PERIOD—THE REIGNS OF HENRY THE
FOURTH AND FIFTH.
N an inventory taken at the
death of Henry the Fifth
t here is mention of a “peti
coat,” manufactured of red
damask, and having open
sleeves. But for this adden-
dum, one might have almost
thought the garment was the
one which is exclusively
confined to female use ; did
not one remember that the
monarch was residing in
Paris when he died,* and
that the word “peti” was
doubtless put instead of
“petit,” by the French
valet de chambre who no
doubt made out the list.
We may therefore think this
petticoat was simply a small
coat, being perhaps so called
in distinction from a great
one. It was however not
at all uncommon at this
period to see small swells
attempting to make great
girls of themselves by wear-
ing clothes which looked
much more as though they
had been made by a milliner
than a tailor. In many of the figures represented in old manuscripts
the sex is to be scarcely distinguished by the dress; and as the gentle-
men, we find, very commonly wore gowns, it is not at all impossible
that petticoats were also included in their wardrobes.
That men-servants dressed like women in the same way as their
masters, we have proof in some remarks made by the poet Occleve,
which occur in one of the quaint poems he composed, concerning “ ye
Pride and ye Waste-Clothing of Lordes Men:”—
COSTUMS OF A
‘ VALET.”
FIFTH.
["EMP. HENRY THE
“ What is a Lord without his men ?
I put case, that his foes him assail
Suddenly in the street, what help shall he
Whose sleeves encumbrous so side trail
Bo to his lord : he may not him avail.
In such case he is but a woman ;
He may not stand him in stead of a man ;
His arms two have might enough to do,
And something more, his sleeves up to hold.”
In the reign of Henry the Fourth a decoration first appears, the
origin of which is differently accounted for. This is the collar of Esses,
which Camden says was composed of a lot of letters S, that being the
initial of Sanctus Simo Simplicius, an eminent Homan lawyer, and
the collar he adds was chiefly worn by men of that profession. Other
writers say that the collar had its origin in the initial letter of the
motto “ Souveraine,” which King Henry the Fourth bore when he
was Earl of Derby, and which, as he afterwards ascended to the
throne, appeared to have been auspicious, and to have brought him
great good luck. But whatever were its origin, it is certain that the
Collar was worn during his reign : and one old writer tells us that so
many titled fools were in his time distinguished by it, that instead of
* We trust that wo may note without giving offence to our friends across the
Channel, that after the battle of Agincourt King Henry the Fifth caused himself
to be elected heir to the French crown : and that having espoused the Princess
Catherine, daughter of King Charles, of France, he fixed his residence at Paris,
and lived there till he died. By the treaty it was provided that France and England
should, in future, for ever be united under the same King, but should still retain
their respective laws and privileges; including of course the privilege of picking
quarrels with each other whenever anything, or nothing, might set them by the ears.
calling it the Collar of Esses, “ ye common folke were wont to nick-
name it ye Collar of Asses.” A. specimen of this Collar may be seen
in an old drawing, which is in the Punch Collection, and which illus-
trates the anecdote of how the judge, Sir William Gascoigne, was
struck in open Court by the madcap Prince of Wales, for having
fined Sir John Falstaff for wrenching off a door-knocker, and
having been found drunk and disorderly in the street.*
One of the chief features in the costume of the fourteenth and the
fifteenth centuries was the variety of fashion in the hoods which were
in use; as if, says Mr.Falrholt, “as if the ingenuity of fashionable
changes had been directed most to decorate the heads that had invented
them.” In the illuminated MSS. which may be viewed as the Books
of Fashion of the period, we see all sorts of hoods and caps and other
kinds of head-cover; some of the first enveloping the shoulders and
the neck, and of the latter some like nightcaps, and some like our
modern wideawakes. These latter were worn mostly slung around the
neck, for in fine weather the head was left in general uncovered, and the
luxury of an umbrella not having been invented, our forefathers when
it rained used first of all to throw their hoods over their heads, and
then for further shelter used to clap their caps a-top of them. One of
the oddest looking of all the hoods in use was made to cover the head
and shoulders, and to reach down to the elbow, having pointed ends
which peaked out from the head on either side. This hood is still on
view in a drawing in the Romance of St. Graal and Lancelot, which
any one may see in the British Museum, if they only take the trouble
to go there and apply for it. To save them this exertion our artist
has, however, made a copy of the picture, and they are at liberty to
test the faithfulness of his designs by comparing the original with the
sketch we here subjoin:—
This charming work of art, which was executed doubtless by one of
the most eminent domestic painters of the period, throws as much light
on the customs as the costumes then in vogue, and is therefore doubly
serviceable to the student of the time. For fear of misconception we
may as well just state, that it represents a countrywoman in the act of
churning, to whom a blind beggar is shown approaching to. ask alms
carrying one of his (twelve) children in what looks something like a
chemist’s mortar at his back. Besides the
curious hoods worn by the beggar and his
baby, the observer is requested to observe
the careful way in which the girl (or
grandmother) has put her apron on to save
her dress from splashes, and has tied her
kerchief round her head and neck to shield
her from bronchitis, toothache, or sore-
throat. Notice also should be taken of the
manner in which her gown is pinned up at
the bottom, to show off her dark petticoat,
which is left visible beneath it; and the
eye of the observer should likewise be
especially directed to the dog, who is
advancing towards her with the platter in
his mouth. This interesting creature
should command a close inspection, be-
cause it shows us the antiquity of this
mode of street-begging; and, indeed we
think the animal can hardly be regarded
without some sentimental feelings, for
when we view the tray or platter in his mouth we seem to see quite
clearly that the creature was an ancestor of our much lamented friend,
the famous Boor Dog Tray.
To show that swells were extant thenadays as much as they are
nowadays, we should note that in the fourth year of the reign of
Henry" the Fourth it was thought needful to revive the sumptuary
laws which had been previously enacted ; but we scarcely need observe
that such enactments almost always proved to be dead letters, and that
DAIRY-MAID OF THE PERIOD.
FOURTEENTH CENTURY.
* Of course every child remembers how the prince was committed to prison for
this offence; and how his father, when he heard of it, is reported to have said,
turning up the whites of his eyes as he did so, “ Happy is the King that hath a
magistrate endowed with courage to execute the laws upon such an offender ; ay,
and still more happy is he in having a son who is found willing to submit to such a
chastisement.”
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. [October 13, I860.
regret to perceive that the house in virtue of ■which Mr. Lobkins
claims was totally destroyed by fire at an early hour this morning-
Mr. Lobkins (<astounded.) O, Blazes ! (Rushes out of Court.)
The Barrister. Curious. Well, he can’t vote for a house that does
not exist.
Name expunged.
The lists were signed, and delivered over, and the entire business
was completed, and the Barrister had left, when Mr. Jolliboy, as he
put up his papers, remarked to his Clerk, that his o wn eyes were not so
good as they had been, and he saw, on second reading, that it was the
house next door to Mr. Lobkins that had been burned. However,
mistakes would happen, and he would have some lunch.
PUNCH'S BOOK OF BRITISH COSTUMES.
CHAPTER XXXII.—PERIOD—THE REIGNS OF HENRY THE
FOURTH AND FIFTH.
N an inventory taken at the
death of Henry the Fifth
t here is mention of a “peti
coat,” manufactured of red
damask, and having open
sleeves. But for this adden-
dum, one might have almost
thought the garment was the
one which is exclusively
confined to female use ; did
not one remember that the
monarch was residing in
Paris when he died,* and
that the word “peti” was
doubtless put instead of
“petit,” by the French
valet de chambre who no
doubt made out the list.
We may therefore think this
petticoat was simply a small
coat, being perhaps so called
in distinction from a great
one. It was however not
at all uncommon at this
period to see small swells
attempting to make great
girls of themselves by wear-
ing clothes which looked
much more as though they
had been made by a milliner
than a tailor. In many of the figures represented in old manuscripts
the sex is to be scarcely distinguished by the dress; and as the gentle-
men, we find, very commonly wore gowns, it is not at all impossible
that petticoats were also included in their wardrobes.
That men-servants dressed like women in the same way as their
masters, we have proof in some remarks made by the poet Occleve,
which occur in one of the quaint poems he composed, concerning “ ye
Pride and ye Waste-Clothing of Lordes Men:”—
COSTUMS OF A
‘ VALET.”
FIFTH.
["EMP. HENRY THE
“ What is a Lord without his men ?
I put case, that his foes him assail
Suddenly in the street, what help shall he
Whose sleeves encumbrous so side trail
Bo to his lord : he may not him avail.
In such case he is but a woman ;
He may not stand him in stead of a man ;
His arms two have might enough to do,
And something more, his sleeves up to hold.”
In the reign of Henry the Fourth a decoration first appears, the
origin of which is differently accounted for. This is the collar of Esses,
which Camden says was composed of a lot of letters S, that being the
initial of Sanctus Simo Simplicius, an eminent Homan lawyer, and
the collar he adds was chiefly worn by men of that profession. Other
writers say that the collar had its origin in the initial letter of the
motto “ Souveraine,” which King Henry the Fourth bore when he
was Earl of Derby, and which, as he afterwards ascended to the
throne, appeared to have been auspicious, and to have brought him
great good luck. But whatever were its origin, it is certain that the
Collar was worn during his reign : and one old writer tells us that so
many titled fools were in his time distinguished by it, that instead of
* We trust that wo may note without giving offence to our friends across the
Channel, that after the battle of Agincourt King Henry the Fifth caused himself
to be elected heir to the French crown : and that having espoused the Princess
Catherine, daughter of King Charles, of France, he fixed his residence at Paris,
and lived there till he died. By the treaty it was provided that France and England
should, in future, for ever be united under the same King, but should still retain
their respective laws and privileges; including of course the privilege of picking
quarrels with each other whenever anything, or nothing, might set them by the ears.
calling it the Collar of Esses, “ ye common folke were wont to nick-
name it ye Collar of Asses.” A. specimen of this Collar may be seen
in an old drawing, which is in the Punch Collection, and which illus-
trates the anecdote of how the judge, Sir William Gascoigne, was
struck in open Court by the madcap Prince of Wales, for having
fined Sir John Falstaff for wrenching off a door-knocker, and
having been found drunk and disorderly in the street.*
One of the chief features in the costume of the fourteenth and the
fifteenth centuries was the variety of fashion in the hoods which were
in use; as if, says Mr.Falrholt, “as if the ingenuity of fashionable
changes had been directed most to decorate the heads that had invented
them.” In the illuminated MSS. which may be viewed as the Books
of Fashion of the period, we see all sorts of hoods and caps and other
kinds of head-cover; some of the first enveloping the shoulders and
the neck, and of the latter some like nightcaps, and some like our
modern wideawakes. These latter were worn mostly slung around the
neck, for in fine weather the head was left in general uncovered, and the
luxury of an umbrella not having been invented, our forefathers when
it rained used first of all to throw their hoods over their heads, and
then for further shelter used to clap their caps a-top of them. One of
the oddest looking of all the hoods in use was made to cover the head
and shoulders, and to reach down to the elbow, having pointed ends
which peaked out from the head on either side. This hood is still on
view in a drawing in the Romance of St. Graal and Lancelot, which
any one may see in the British Museum, if they only take the trouble
to go there and apply for it. To save them this exertion our artist
has, however, made a copy of the picture, and they are at liberty to
test the faithfulness of his designs by comparing the original with the
sketch we here subjoin:—
This charming work of art, which was executed doubtless by one of
the most eminent domestic painters of the period, throws as much light
on the customs as the costumes then in vogue, and is therefore doubly
serviceable to the student of the time. For fear of misconception we
may as well just state, that it represents a countrywoman in the act of
churning, to whom a blind beggar is shown approaching to. ask alms
carrying one of his (twelve) children in what looks something like a
chemist’s mortar at his back. Besides the
curious hoods worn by the beggar and his
baby, the observer is requested to observe
the careful way in which the girl (or
grandmother) has put her apron on to save
her dress from splashes, and has tied her
kerchief round her head and neck to shield
her from bronchitis, toothache, or sore-
throat. Notice also should be taken of the
manner in which her gown is pinned up at
the bottom, to show off her dark petticoat,
which is left visible beneath it; and the
eye of the observer should likewise be
especially directed to the dog, who is
advancing towards her with the platter in
his mouth. This interesting creature
should command a close inspection, be-
cause it shows us the antiquity of this
mode of street-begging; and, indeed we
think the animal can hardly be regarded
without some sentimental feelings, for
when we view the tray or platter in his mouth we seem to see quite
clearly that the creature was an ancestor of our much lamented friend,
the famous Boor Dog Tray.
To show that swells were extant thenadays as much as they are
nowadays, we should note that in the fourth year of the reign of
Henry" the Fourth it was thought needful to revive the sumptuary
laws which had been previously enacted ; but we scarcely need observe
that such enactments almost always proved to be dead letters, and that
DAIRY-MAID OF THE PERIOD.
FOURTEENTH CENTURY.
* Of course every child remembers how the prince was committed to prison for
this offence; and how his father, when he heard of it, is reported to have said,
turning up the whites of his eyes as he did so, “ Happy is the King that hath a
magistrate endowed with courage to execute the laws upon such an offender ; ay,
and still more happy is he in having a son who is found willing to submit to such a
chastisement.”