Lost From Her Majesties Back: A Day Book Recording Clothes and Jewels Lost By Queen Elizabeth I Between 1561 and 1585 - A Manuscript in the Public Record Office

by Janet Arnold

Transcript of an itemization of items formerly of the wardrobe of Queen Elizabeth I. What was once an inventory of items no longer in her wardrobe is now an invaluable resource for those interested in Elizabethan costume.

Genres: History, Sewing, Fashion

Paperback

First published December 1, 1980

About the author

Janet Arnold (6 October 1932 – 2 November 1998) was a British clothing historian, costume designer, teacher, conservator, and author. She is best known for her series of works called Patterns of Fashion, which included accurate scale sewing patterns, used by museums and theatres alike. She went on to write A Handbook of Costume, a book on the primary sources on costume study, and Queen Elizabeth's Wardrobe Unlock'd, as well as many other books.

Arnold was awarded the inaugural Sam Wanamaker Award in 1998. After her death, the Society of Antiquaries of London who had previously made her a fellow, created a grant in her name, as did The Costume Society, which she helped to found.

Reviews

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I borrowed Janet Arnold's "Lost from Her Majesties Back" through Interlibrary Loan. This was a fascinating little book on the gowns and jewels of Elizabeth I, published by the Costume Society in 1980. The manuscript came from a Day Book maintained by one of queen's ladies-in-waiting. Whenever an article of clothing was given away, or fabric was given as livery, an entry was written in the book, along with the receiving signature. Or if a jewel went missing, even a single pearl during the beading of a Queen's dress, an entry was also included, so that every gown or jewel was accounted for. Arnold includes a glossary for those who don't know a farthingale from a partlet. She also includes a helpful key, so you can tell if an entry was crossed out of the book. After all, a Queen has a right to change her mind.

The entries themselves are stories in themselves like Queen Mary's old jewelry that was lost after it was loaned out for use in a play. Or the fabric sent to the steward of a bishop as payment for spying on his master for the Queen. Or the garments given to an "Irish gentlewoman" at a time when Elizabethan relations with Ireland were tenuous at best. [And would-be writers scoff at doing research when so many ideas *come* from research in the first place!]

Reading biographies on Elizabeth I, one can almost understand her fascination with clothes. When her father King Henry VIII married Jane Seymour, he seems to have completely forgotten about the little Princess Elizabeth. The princess was at the age when children outgrow their clothing quicker than they can wear them, prompting the royal nanny to complain to King Henry. The mistake was rectified, but my guess is Elizabeth never forgot. She was thrifty, though, recycling old gowns to her ladies when necessary.