, 1873-11-23
THE RUFF

1FtE RUt"F.
History of Ncc15 a,rnn,nc cnta, Past and
presc11t--lS tho Ruff mn Aid to
3cnuty, or Otherwise 7-<sId-1rln,o
IsufEs, and Their Hlo1orn lnlitn-
Lions.
From Chambcrs' Journal.
Tho ruff md tho various othor mock orna-
naouts OF a kindred nature have little history,
which illustrates In 10 slight doEroo tho rnannor-
isns mud social poouliaritos Of thoso OF our
ancestors who woro tAcm md towards forming
that history, wo hayo gathered. chiefly from, very
remote SOURCES, good doal Of matter, which
will, in all probability, be now to Our readers.
Tho first introduction Of rufra into England
appoara to havo taken plans at or about tho timo
Of the marriage Of King Philip Of Spain with our
Quoon Mary, thono porsonagcs being roprcuont-
cd on tho Great Seal Of England, in 1864, with
small ruifa about thor nocks na we'll as thoir
wrists. Tho neclz-ruffa consist Of ono set Of
folds only and tho dIninutive ones about their
wrists resemble grcatly tho larger onoB. By tho
timo Of tho ncconsiou Of Queen Elizabeth to tho
throne, only four yonrg after tho abovo dato, tho
ru1 Ind iuoreasod very largely in sisc, us hor
Great Soal boars ample witnons. ThiH seal OK
presaes mlnutely the court-lross Of tho timo; a
hand roaching from cloud on each side Tho
aenl, holdB back tho royal robes, iu order tlat
tho iress under them may bo distinctly Boon..
The art Of starching, though at thin tilno we'll
known to tho manufacturers OF Flanders, had
not Jet reached England rutrs, therefore, must
linen imported from Flandors could not be mado
to support itanf after having been once washed
In tile year 1864 Queen elizabeth first used d
Goaeh. nor ooacnman' ;1a william Bosn9n, Was
etnrcling. Hor MnjoBty, no doubt. availed hor
self Of Mrs. Bocueu'a skill, and seans to havo
exclusively poeecspod the secret OF Etarching
ruff, till the arrival, soon attor, Of Madame
Dinghen, tho daughter OF q worshipful
knight, who. cnmo from Flanders to got up nH
q cloar-atarchor In London. 81 Tho most cu-
rious wiveB," says Stow, "now made for
themselves r1frs OF cambric, and .aont them
to Mrs. Dinghen to DO starchoa. who charged
high prices; nftor tiuo made themselves rllffs
Of lawn; md tl,oreupon rosa . general acon or
by-word, TINT shortly they would make their ruffs
OF apidors' wob. A1rH. Dinghen ut last took thoir
daughters as her pupils; her us'sal ternu woro
"a OF .t6 for tonchug tharn to starch, and E1 for
tho art Of soothing starch"
With regard to tho making OF atnrch in this
country, wo find, on returning to tho State pa
pcra Of tho reign Of Elizabeth. TINT tho monopo-
ly Of tho manufacture was secured to ONO Rich
1888; and In December, 1889, there was prose-
cnton sgainst IN infringer On the patout. The
subject or this was u Charlon Glead, gentleman,
now resident In Kont. found aud proved maker
OF Hs1{Q0 NJ GQ8 AlF. 0EopeE b, 89QEieHhu III BE-
danwoll, in SAID county" Nj. alead, It ap-
pears, did not sttompt to deny tho alloga-
uons against him, bu! confessed thEt ho had
also nlade starch "at his fathers, in Oxford
shira." Indeed. ho had tho hnttihood to DECLARE
to tho Queens mcaoongers that he would mako
starch, notwithstanding any patont or other
WARRANT yet granted, unless it was SGT down by
act Of Parliament. Wo have not beon able to
trace the ultimate fate OF this worry refractory
gentleman OF Kent. Another instance occurs
nh E1n 1EHn n En n rnYs1.
ing upon the house Of Oarnund Withors. OF
Taunton, who waa charged with = like infrinEo-
me1t.
Tho toola used in st.rching woro called setting
were made Of wood or bone. tho last Of
iron, and Loatod in tho fro. BY this heated
tool, the folds acquired that accurate
and scemly order which constituted tho
When tho use OF starch and poking-sticks had
rendered tho arrangement Of a ruff easy, their
sizo began rapidly to increase. Those both Of
men and women, writes Stow again, "bocama
intolorably large, being 4uartor Of yard deop.
fashion; but when Eugiiahmen camo to Paris,
the French know it not, mud, in derision, callod
it the English monBtor." At this time, ho who
had tile deepest ruff aud tho longest rapiur was
held to be tho ,greatost gallant; proclamation
citiz0ng wo1e placed ut ovcry gato OF London to
cut tho riffs and break the rapior-poiuts OF all
TINT exceeded yards longth in their rapi6r, OF
a "nai1 OF yard in tho depth Of thor r1ltls.
cation OF this nitro used by tic 1udiea. were
probably in their graudent Hplendor.
RufIs, in their stiff aud formal shape, were con-
6idorcd by both anxes rather aa tho demonntra-
to boauty. It was not loug after thoir introduce
ton that tho younger ladies', diainclined 10 COLI
cca! their goodly nccks from the oyes Of their ad-
1nirers, opened the front Of their rufrs, and ole
vnted tho part behind their heada, thus incurring
tho consuro Of that worthy disseotor Of abusos,
Philip atubbs. A beautiful example Of the gor- |
got, called. in more modern times, whisk, IL !
shown III Vortue's print Of Elzabeth's visit to |
Lord Huusdon; here you soc al tho younger
~ ~" o5
cealment effected by tie fore-part Of the orna-
mental attire.
rho weight of tlis new article Of dress, whom
formed Of = frame Of wire covered With tue finest
! stincned collar uEed by both ee1ea to support
thoir nec!s-ornaments-Naa devised. Sir Joseph
Bnnks, In sotne manuscript notes on this subject |
preserved in tho British Museum, writes that
uiggns, tailor, introduced tho improved plcca-
lilly, and Lis doxterty in making this article OF
lrcaa brougl. him into high vogue with the fair I
.ex. His houso. adds Sir Joaoph, "stood on the
north aldo Of Coventry street, opposite tho L.
,ensed gaming-house at the corner OF the Hay-
ASVNSAAt
afterwards took its natno from tho well.known
2iceadilly house. Homo. in his "E1eryday
Book," tolls somewhst different story, but
equally worth quotation.
The ,pioadi," writes ho,. "waa tho round
lem, or tho pioce set about the edgo or skirt Of
i. gsrmsnt. whether st top or bottom; also
.ind Of etitt oollsr, mado III fashion Of band,
hat went about tho neck aud round about Tho +
hence tho term wooden piccadil-
oes [ueaning tue pillory) In Hudlbras.' At
he timo thn. ruiis and pieadils were much iu
'sshion, there was 2 celebrnted ordinary noar
IT. James, called piccallly. bocauus, u somo
'ay, 1t was the outmoNt or skirt-houso, situate
# tho cnd Of the town but 1t mora prob
'bly took its name from ono Higgins, =
ailor, rho mtde fortune by picadils, aid built
Lis with few adjoining houses. Tho namo
laB by feW been derived from much-fre-
luontod house for the aalo of these artolea
'ut this probably took itu rise from the croum.
tanee Of Higgins hnyin. built houaes there,
glich. however, wore not for selling xuffu.''
Yel1ow.1tArched Ekuffss
From tho 81. Ltts;s Republican.
The effort making by fashonahloa In tha East
o Introduce yellow starch "a a HttttsnlnG mnto-
III! for tho DraYaffinH r11ff ramnJa ra Of a m.