The Queen's Servants: gentlewomen's dress at the accession of Henry VIII - REVISED 2ND EDITION

Written by Caroline Johnson; edited by Jane Malcolm-Davies and Ninya Mikhaila

• 56 pages full-colour pages
• Patterns for smocks, kirtles, gowns and headwear with variations and comprehensive step-by-step making instructions
• Over 25 historical illustrations
• Detailed line drawings and illustrations by Michael Perry
• Photographs showing finished reconstructed garments worn by real people
• Paperback
• 8in x 10in (20.5cm x 25.5cm)

The Queen's Servants offers detailed insight into women’s dress at the beginning of the 16th century. It paints a vivid picture of the styles of dress worn at Henry VII’s and Henry VIII’s courts, using evidence from royal warrants and account books in The National Archive. Purchases by the Great Wardrobe for the ladies of gentle birth who attended the queens and their children are clues to the appropriate appearance of a woman in close contact with the royal family.

Printing a Second Edition has allowed us to correct mistakes and to make improvements in response to comments by readers.

Transcriptions and translations of more than 200 pages of original Latin and English documents dating from 1485 to 1520 reveals a wealth of fascinating facts about garments for gentlewomen serving at the Tudor court, including precise evidence of fabrics and yardages provided, highlighting features of cut and construction.

The clothes demonstrate a transition in English style between the flowing lines of the late medieval period and those toward the end of the reign of Henry VIII. Typical furs, fabrics and colours are identified with their conventional uses for specific garments and indications as to how these changed over the 35 years of the survey.

The patterns include several styles of smock, a typical kirtle and two styles of gown with a range of neckline and sleeve variations. Bonnets, pastes and frontlets (or ‘gable’ hoods) are the usual items of headwear issued to gentlewomen during the era. Suggestions for recreating these are also provided.

This book is also available in a combination offer with its counterpart, The King's Servants. The combined price is £40, which is a savings of £4 over the standard price when purchased separately.