HENRY VIII of ENGLAND 1491 - 1547

Source:    https://www.google.com/search?q=Henry+VIII&sa=X&stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgFuLQz9U3SC5KS1ICs4wLzM21-AJSi4rz84IzU1LLEyuLAYdAASMmAAAA&biw=1255&bih=861&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=A0-o6Pr1NkVmFM%253A%252Cs_hW1TA3Ylu2QM%252C_&usg=__JP9MTB_2uGZiSutOkK3_PEHNVug%3D&ved=0ahUKEwjOlMKuu9PbAhUTiIMKHXbrBWgQ_h0IjgIwFA#imgrc=k32NGlAmw5yM3M:&spf=1528989960252

 
Despite all the historical information that there is for this well known English king, he is probably best known for having 6 wives - 2 of which he had beheaded, 2 died of natural causes, 1 died due to complications of childbirth, and the final one Katherine Parr (already twice widowed) outlived him only to die of complications of childbirth for husband number 4.

What is not well known is that Henry VII had quilts - lots of them in fact.

King Henry VIII of England gave his new queen, Catharine Howard, 23 silk quilts as presents for their wedding in July 1541(DeKoning-Stapel, 1999; Fraser, 1992; and Hake, 1937).   I have to wonder what happened to these quilts after Henry had Catherine executed for adultery in February 1542.

Source: Hanson, Marilee. "Catherine Howard: Facts, Biography, Portraits & Information" https://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/catherine-howard/">https://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/catherine-howard/, January 31, 2015

Late in his life, Henry would have to address the issue of his increased girth and loss of mobility.  He came up with “two invalid chairs called trams […] one was covered in quilted tawny velvet” (Weir, 2001).

Henry VIII died in 1547, and an inventory of all his possessions done at this time listed 110 quilts, including one that was described  as being green silk with fluers-de-lis, roses, and pomegranates quilting designs. The designs are thought to symbolize the ties with France and Spain that the Tudor royalty had.  From the description, this quilt is also thought to be part of the dowry of Catharine of Aragon when she came from Spain to marry Arthur, Henry’s older brother, in 1501 (Netherton, R. & Owen-Crocker, G, 2008).

Sources:

DeKoning-Stapel, H. V. (1999).  Silk Quilts from the Silk Road to the Quilter’s Studio. Chicago: Quilt Digest Press. 

Fraser, A. (1992).  The Wives of Henry VIII. New York: Alfred and Knopf.

Hake, E. (1937).  English Quilting Old and New.  New York: Charles Scribner Sons.

Netherton, R. and Owen-Crocker, G. (2008).  Medieval Clothing and Textiles 4.  Rochester, NY: Boydell and Brewer.  

Weir, A. (2001). Henry VIII: The King and His Court. New York:  Ballantine Books.

 

 

 

CARDINAL WOLSEY 1475 - 1530

(Portrait source: http://www.historicalportraits.com/Gallery.asp?Page=Item&ItemID=2015&Desc=Thomas-Wolsey,-Cardinal-of-York-|-16th-Century-English-School)


In 1530 (Webster, 1928), Cardinal Wolsey’s household inventory listed 231 bed hangings (this term usually meant the hangings around the bed and the coverlet or quilt on it).  None are known to survive (Von Gwinner, 1988).  Historically, Wolsey was a very rich and powerful man in the court of Henry VIII, so he would have had the resources to make this amount of purchases, or to have commissioned them.  When he died, Henry VIII claimed his property, so these items could realistically been given to other court members as gifts, sold, or even destroyed (Webster, 1928); maybe someday more information will be available.

Sources:

Von Gwinner, S. (1988). The History of the Patchwork Quilt: Origins, Traditions, and Symbols of a Textile Art. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Ltd.

Webster, M. D. (1928). Quilts: Their Story and How to Make Them. New York: Doubleday.

QUILTED GOWN 1750-1755

This beautiful white silk quilted gown is housed at the Museum of London (Source: Piecework Magazine S/O 2005).

(click on image to make larger for reading)

THE MERMAID PETTICOAT 1758

I am simply copying the four pages in full for you to read - I find the article from Piecework Magazine J/F 2003 to be a fascinating read with good photos. This is not just some object found in an attic, but the maker and date is known. 

I guess my point being that quilting is not just for quilts on beds, but in a historical context, also for various clothing parts.

Remember that clicking on the image will make it larger for reading.