Enforcing
Statutes of Apparel
Elizabethan Era Clothing Law for Men "None shall wear in his
apparel:
Any silk of the color of purple, cloth of gold tissued, nor fur of
sables, but only the King, Queen, King's mother, children, brethren,
and sisters, uncles and aunts; and except dukes, marquises, and
earls, who may wear the same in doublets, jerkins, linings of
cloaks, gowns, and hose; and those of the Garter, purple in mantles
only. Cloth of gold, silver, tinseled satin, silk, or cloth mixed or
embroidered with any gold or silver: except all degrees above
viscounts, and viscounts, barons, and other persons of like degree,
in doublets, jerkins, linings of cloaks, gowns, and hose. Woolen cloth made out of the realm, but in caps only; velvet,
crimson, or scarlet; furs, black genets, lucernes; embroidery or
tailor's work having gold or silver or pearl therein: except dukes,
marquises, earls, and their children, viscounts, barons, and knights
being companions of the Garter, or any person being of the Privy
Council.
Velvet in gowns, coats, or other uttermost garments; fur of
leopards; embroidery with any silk: except men of the degrees above
mentioned, barons' sons, knights and gentlemen in ordinary office
attendant upon her majesty's person, and such as have been employed
in embassages to foreign princes. Caps, hats, hatbands, capbands, garters, or boothose trimmed with
gold or silver or pearl; silk netherstocks; enameled chains,
buttons, aglets: except men of the degrees above mentioned, the
gentlemen attending upon the Queen's person in her highness's Privy
chamber or in the office of cupbearer, carver, sewer [server],
esquire for the body, gentlemen ushers, or esquires of the stable.
Satin, damask, silk, camlet, or taffeta in gown, coat, hose, or
uppermost garments; fur whereof the kind groweth not in the Queen's
dominions, except foins, grey genets, and budge: except the degrees
and persons above mentioned, and men that may dispend £100 by the
year, and so valued in the subsidy book.
Hat, bonnet, girdle, scabbards of swords, daggers, etc.; shoes and
pantofles of velvet: except the degrees and persons above names and
the son and heir apparent of a knight.
Silk other than satin, damask, taffeta, camlet, in doublets; and
sarcanet, camlet, or taffeta in facing of gowns and cloaks, and in
coats, jackets, jerkins, coifs, purses being not of the color
scarlet, crimson, or blue; fur of foins, grey genets, or other as
the like groweth not in the Queen's dominions: except men of the
degrees and persons above mentioned, son of a knight, or son and
heir apparent of a man of 300 marks land by the year, so valued in
the subsidy books, and men that may dispend £40 by the year, so
valued ut supra.
None shall wear spurs, swords, rapiers, daggers, skeans, woodknives,
or hangers, buckles or girdles, gilt, silvered or damasked: except
knights and barons' sons, and others of higher degree or place, and
gentlemen in ordinary office attendant upon the Queen's majesty's
person; which gentlemen so attendant may wear all the premises
saving gilt, silvered, or damasked spurs.
None shall wear in their trappings or harness of their horse any
studs, buckles, or other garniture gilt, silvered, or damasked; nor
stirrups gilt, silvered, or damasked; nor any velvet in saddles or
horse trappers: except the persons next before mentioned and others
of higher degree, and gentlemen in ordinary, ut supra.
Note that the Lord Chancellor, Treasurer, President of the council,
Privy Seal, may wear any velvet, satin, or other silks except
purple, and furs black except black genets.
These may wear as they have heretofore used, viz. any of the King's
council, justices of either bench, Barons of the Exchequer, Master
of the Rolls, sergeants at law, Masters of the Chancery, of the
Queen's council, apprentices of law, physicians of the King, queen,
and Prince, mayors and other head officers of any towns corporate,
Barons of the Five Ports, except velvet, damask, [or] satin of the
color crimson, violet, purple, blue.
Note that her majesty's meaning is not, by this order, to forbid in
any person the wearing of silk buttons, the facing of coats, cloaks,
hats and caps, for comeliness only, with taffeta, velvet, or other
silk, as is commonly used.
Note also that the meaning of this order is not to prohibit a
servant from wearing any cognizance of his master, or henchmen,
heralds, pursuivants at arms; runners at jousts, tourneys, or such
martial feats, and such as wear apparel given them by the Queen, and
such as shall have license from the Queen for the same."
Elizabethan Elizabethan Clothing - Men
Details, facts and information about the new
Sumptuary Laws called the 'Statutes of Apparel' relating to men as decreed
by Queen Elizabeth I on 15 June 1574. For additional information please
click the following link
Elizabethan Clothing allowed for
Men