A suit belonging to Edmund Verney (1636-88) survives in the Claydon House collection of the National Trust. [Figure 1] A bill, dated 18th May 1660, would seem to indicate that the suit may have been made in advance of Edmund’s marriage to Mary Abel (1641-1715) in July 1662. As can be seen from the photograph the suit consists of a short doublet, petticoat breeches, and a matching cloak. There is also a sword hanger and a pair gloves. The National Trust did a considerable amount of conservation work on the suit in 2013, and a report on that was published. (1 pp. 14-5) Sadly the National Trust collections website does not include any images.
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| Figure 1: Verney suit at Claydon House. National Trust. |
The Doublet
The doublet is in the short style of the 1650s and early 1660s, that had been caricatured in the print “An Habit of an English Gentleman”. [Figure 2]. The body of the doublet is interlined with linen, triangular panels of which are stiffened with reeds at bottom of both sides of the centre front. The doublet lining is of silk. The collar is stiffened with buckram and whalebone. The front closure is of round buttons, covered in plaited silk thread, and buttonholes. The sleeves are thin panes, with cream silk cuffs trimmed with bunches of coloured ribbons.
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| Figure 2: The English Antick. |
The Breeches
The breeches are in the style known as petticoat breeches. This was a short lived style and caused Pepys to comment on one gentleman’s discomfort, “met with Mr. Townsend, who told of his mistake the other day, to put both his legs through one of his knees of his breeches, and went so all day.” (2 p. 10 April 1661) The breeches are fully lined with linen, with two pockets made with silk and chamois leather. There are eight metal hooks sewn onto outside of waistband to attach the breeches to the doublet. The breeches are trimmed at the waist and at the side of the legs with, originally 52, bunches of coloured silk ribbons, only 38 bunches remain. The hems of the legs of the breeches are bound with more ribbon, and each leg is 156cm (61½ in.) in circumference. An image of a pair of petticoat breeches in the Victoria and Albert Museum gives an indication of the size. [Figure 3]
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| Figure 3: Petticoat breeches. Victoria and Albert Museum. |
The Cloak
The cloak is almost circular, being 194cm (76 in.) in diameter, and hip length, with a stand-up collar. It has a plaited tubular cord loop and toggle fastening at the neckline. It is lined with a plain slightly yellow, cream silk taffeta.
The Sword Hanger
The sword hanger or baldrick, is in the same fabric as the suit, this covers a leather foundation, and the back lining is again of cream silk taffeta. The National Trust describes it as “The back strap divides at the bottom side front and is finished in two points; each is laid on to, and stitched to a separate sword loop. The back strap is inserted into the inner sword loop and secured.” (3) The construction may be similar to this example in the Victoria and Albert Museum which is of embroidered yellow leather lined with cream silk taffeta.[Figure 4]
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| Figure 4: Embroidered leather sword hanger. Victoria and Albert Museum. |
The Gloves
The gloves are of brown kid leather gloves, with bunches of decorative ribbons around the cuff of each glove. The ribbons match those on the rest of the outfit, and reflect the fashion for ribbons on gloves in the 1660s, though the Verney gloves are much plainer than a pair in the Glove Collection Trust, Figure 5 is a close up of the ribbons used there.
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| Figure 5: Ribbons trimming a 1660-1690 glove. Glove Collection Trust. |
The Fabric
The main fabric has been identified as a figured cream lampas, with metal threads. Lampas has a complex structure that requires two warp systems, a ground one and a binding one, and at least two sets of wefts. (4) This results in a three-dimensional effect in the design, and allows metal threads, in gold or silver, to be incorporated. The fabric would probably have been a pale gold colour originally, and may well have been imported from Italy.
The Ribbon Trims
Taken together there are around 197 metres (216 yards) of the coloured silk ribbons, on the cuffs of the doublet, the waist and side legs of the petticoat breeches, and the gloves. (5 p. 92) There are six types of ribbon and the colours have faded to a pastel blue, pink, yellow and lilac, but can be seen to be stronger in areas where they have not been subjected to light. The amount of ribbon indicates a high level of fashion, at the time John Evelyn wrote:
“It was a fine silken thing which I spied walking th’other day through Westminster Hall that had as much ribbon about him as would have plundered six shops and set up twenty country pedlers. All his body was drest like a May-Pole or Tom o’ Bedlam’s cap. A frigate newly rigged kept not half such a clatter in a storm as this Puppet’s Streamers did when the Wind was in his Shrouds; the Motion was wonderful to behold, and the well-chosen colours were Red, Orange and Blue, of well-gummed Satin which argued a happy fancy.” (6)
Fashionability
The whole ensemble is an example of a fairly short-lived fashion. Edmund married at Westminster Abbey in July 1662, in May 1662 Charles II had married Catherine of Braganza and in the same style of outfit. [Figure 6]
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| Figure 6: Marriage of Charles II and Catherine of Braganza |
References
1. Weatherall, Rosamund. A Hidden History at Claydon House: The elaborate 17th-century wedding suit of Edmund Verney. National Trust Arts, Buildings & Collections Bulletin. 2014, Autumn.
2. Pepys, Samuel. Diary. [Online] https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary.
3. National Trust. Sword belt (Claydon House Collection). [Online] [Cited: April 8, 2025.] https://www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/1446624.5.
4. Lampas. Silk Heritage Thesaurus. [Online] [Cited: April 7, 2025.] http://data.silknow.org/vocabulary/305.
5. Reynolds, Anna. In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion. London : Royal Collection Trust, 2013.
6. Evelyn, John. Tyrannus, Or, The Mode: In a Discourse of Sumptuary Lawes. London : G. Bedel and T. Collins at the Middle Temple Gate, and J. Crook at the Ship in St Paul's Churchyard, 1661.
