Mercurius Politicus

The Mercurius Politicus is the Regimental Newsletter. It is normally issued three times a year—Spring, Summer and Winter—and contains serious and amusing contributions from both inside and outside the Regiment. The Editor —Pete Minall—has provided these excerpts from the newsletter:

Text Box: Gloves...by Janet Lacey. A superstition exists, stating that the giving of gloves as a gift indicates a parting. By coincidence, I have experienced this, but it must be a comparatively recent superstition as such gifts were quite common in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Gloves were a popular gift for Christmas, New Year and Valentines Day as well as for guest gifts at weddings and funerals (these latter being decorated with black ribbon). Such gifts must have been quite valuable and viewed with some importance as it is known that Elizabeth I was presented with many pairs during the last years of her reign. Whether it was the significance behind the gift or the actual value of them, these gloves were highly prized, no doubt the reason that we have so many remaining today. However, whilst being quite exquisite, they were far from being practical. A look at any portrait containing a pair will show you this. These gloves were not made to fit the wearer. In fact, the fingers were elongated by about 2cm and were very narrow, especially in Elizabethan times. To emphasise this, stitching in a contrasting colour was worked all around the fingers. It is safe to assume that the longer, slimmer finger was considered to be more aristocratic in those days. The designs were usually worked to be seen upright when the wearer was holding the hand at the side, as a glance at the many portraits which have this article of clothing in seems to confirm. It is difficult to accurately date the gloves made during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries as the deep cuffs were a common feature for the entire period, swinging between the tabbed and gauntlet styles. In the former, there were anything between 6 and 8 tabs per glove, many having silk gussets between them to enable the top of the glove to splay out over the bottom of the sleeve and cuff. The gauntlet finish, on the other hand, would be open at the lower edge then joined by ribbons or silk bands, again allowing the gauntlet top to fit properly over the sleeve of the wearer. Tabs and gauntlets were often backed with paper or linen canvas to stiffen them whilst salmon pink sarcenet silk was used to line them. (This colour and material was very popular in those days, used to line all sorts of garments as well as for ribbons and fastenings. It is believed that the colour was obtained from a dye made from carnations. It may be that this was very easily obtained and cheap to produce hence the widespread use of it in linings.) In the main, the hands of the gloves were made from doeskin, although kid and lambskin were also used. The tabs or gauntlets, however, could very well be made from material as it was probably easier to work the embroidery on a small piece than on a whole glove. Once the embroidery had been worked, the tops were stiffened and lined before being attached to the wrist edge of the glove itself. The join was covered by a ruffle of ribbon, usually of the pink silk mentioned above, which was trimmed with silver or silver gilt lace. This same lace was used around the edges of the tabs or gauntlet to finish it off. No doubt the many spangles on the lace caught the light to advantage, hence the popularity. It has to be said that, whilst glove and gauntlet or tabs could be cut as one piece, this was very unusual. As with the clothing, there were a wide variety of motifs and stitches employed in the working of designs on tabs and gauntlets. The most popular device appears to have been that of the pelican, plucking blood from her breast to feed her young. It denoted charity and the unselfishness of a true lover. Grapes and vines were another popular motif whilst yet other designs were taken from herbals and bestiaries. No doubt the pattern books of embroidery designs were also much thumbed in an effort to find the right motifs for the person concerned. Stitches included plain and fancy detached buttonhole, tent stitch (to give a 3D effect and satin stitch. Seed pearls and spangles often graced the embroidery to add emphasis or enhance a design. Taking this to a greater extent, part or all of the design used on the tops would be worked in tiny beads, some in silver or gold. Several finishes were employed. One of these was a triangular decoration which could emphasise and reflect the Van Dyke lace that was popular at the time. This could be worked in embroidery or it has been found to have been applied in a silk material. Lace, usually with spangles attached, was a common trimming to the outer edges of the tabs or gauntlets and the ribbon covering the join between them and the glove. An alternative trimming to the top edges was that of fringing. It usually had a striped effect and, judging by the examples I have seen, it could be quite effective. Having mentioned that, gloves could be given as guest gifts at funerals as mentioned above. For these it seems that the gloves usually had black stitching around the fingers and black ribbons rather than the more light hearted pink. The 1630s saw a change in glove production. Ribbons slowly took over as a decoration from embroidery. Initially, they were interspersed with simple embroidered motifs, using silver and silver gilt quite a lot. Gradually, however, the embroidery was totally abandoned and ribbon, in all sorts of colours, started to cover the gloves. Between 1660 and 1680, these trimmings were taken to the extreme and decorated not only the gloves but all forms of clothing for both sexes. By the end of the seventeenth century, however, this temporary insanity had passed. Gloves had lost their arrangement of tabs or gauntlets, although they did remain long, the arm of the glove now more commonly being cut as one with the hand. They became almost understated yet were complimentary to the clothing rather than challenging it, as in the earlier years. Apart from the above, there were gloves designed for practical purposes but they were very simple in design in the main. In fact, the majority appear to have been made in brown leather and were used for work wear or for warmth. Whilst some did have a gauntlet finish, used for hunting and hawking by the gentry at least, many seem to have finished a lot lower. In fact, there are several portraits of ladies in particular which show a plain, fitted glove in wear, which ended at the wrist. These gloves were definitely designed for practicality and everyday wear. In fact, they were so practical that there have even been holes found (deliberately cut, I hasten to add, rather than the wear of time) in one or another finger, to allow the favoured ring to continue to be worn. The most fashionable, or most favoured, ring finger of the time was the forefinger, this is reflected in the examples known. There are many examples of gloves of the more fancy variety to be found in museums all over the country, the V&A and Bath's Museum of Costume to name but two. Try to pay a visit to one of them and see, 'in the flesh' so to speak, the wonders of the age. Pete Minall - Pictured at Stratton

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