Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-08-18
HOSIERY IN HISTORY.
stockings I'm All Times and Ages
Bare.Lambed Lassies.

OeQ LhnshcSs
It is decidedly interesting, if not en-
tirely instructive, to look into the history
of stockings. So far as civilization and
civilized usages must be considered
the interior history of this country if
that Of the land which furnished the
bulk OF it's colonists, and 80 it becomes
matter of pertinence to America to learn
that while the Scotch Highlanders, from
the days of Agricola to the battle of Kill
licrankie, looked with scorn upon gar
ments of any sort, at least in the heat oi
battle, the Southern or Belgic Britons
were clad, like the Gauls, in cloth of fine
wool, which included GOVERN G for their
limbs also. But the days of distinctive
hose for the Highlander and South Briton
were days of Glow development.
In the time of the Apglo-Ss draw
ers reaching half way down the thigh
and stockings meeting them were alluded
to by Saxon writer's under the name ol
breech and hose. In France the femor-
ALA or drawers of Charlemagne were oi
linen. The Monk of st. Gall speaks oi
tibialia vel coxalia stockings or drawers)
of linen off one color, but ornamented
with precious workmanship. 1t is evi-
dent from the context that the writer
meant long drawers or hose and drawers
in one, like the brace of Cssar's Gauls.
In the days of the Norman and Plan
tagenet Kings the costume of the neither
extremities consisted of drawers with
long stockings or pantsloons with feet to
them, called by the Normans "chausses. u
The Saxon word hose occurs in ward
robe roll of King Johns time. Cloth
stockings, embroidered with gold, arr
among the articles of dress ordered by
Henry III for his sister Isabel. In the
reign of Henry / the hose were richly
fretted with gold and variously colored
silks.
But Elizabeth was the first sovereign
to wear genuine knitted stockings, and
as soon as the fashion had been inaugn'
rated the ladies' went wild over it. 1t is
expressly stated in contemporary re-
cords that they were mot ashamed tc
wear hose of all kinds of changeable
colors, as gray, red white, russett ,tawney
and else what mott" commonly knit,
too and "curiously intended in every
point with quirks, clocks, open seami
and erything else accordingly"
It was Mrs. Montague who presented
the Queen with the first pair of blacl
knit silk stockings, which pleased her 81
much that che would never wear clotl
hose afterward. Soon after this, say
Stow, William Rider, then apprentice t
Thomas Burdet, seeing pair of kni
worsted stockings at an Italian mer
chants, brought from Mantrim, borrowed
them, and having made pair lik
them, presented them to the Earl o
Pembroke, which was the first pair o
worsted stockings knit in England.
In 1899 William Lee, master of art
and fellow of st. Johns College, Cam
bridge, invented stocking frame. Ira
dition attributes the origin of his inve1
tion to Q pique he had taken against
townswoman with whom he was in low,
and who neglected his passion. She 60
her livelihood by knitting stockings, ant
to depreciate her employment he Con
etructed this frame and instructed hi
brother and other relatives how to worl
il. The other stocking makers combined
and drove him from the country, go tina
ct last he died at Paris of broken heart
In the reign of Queen Anne the vest;
were heightened to meet the stockings
and entirely conceal the breeches, the
stockings being of blue or scarlet silk
with gold and silver clocks. Scarle
stockings were worn by fashionable
bellies who INDUCED in the practice O
snuff-taking.
Mrs. Damer, the eccentric and cele
brated sculptor of the days of George III
is said to be the first female who wore
black silk stockings in England. Lsdie!
wore white stockings even in mourning
as late as the year 1873, and white stock
ings are worn by two.thirds OF the EGG
lish women of all classes today, the cos
and trouble of washing Notwithstanding
The bare-limbed ladies of Scotland ant
Ireland have attracted the eye of ever,
American tourist. In the former case tn,
custom, which prevails chiefly in tn
rural districts, is largely dictated by tn
prsctice prevalent among Scotch womel
of washing heavy articles by treadin
them in tub with their feet, and per
haps also for convenience of fording tn
burns or brooks in the mountainous sec
tions. As to the Irish Colleen" stock
ings have been deemed superfuity 70
q century past, as every contemporar
historian has taken special pains to re
cord. They might have added that th
average Irish lsssie, stockings or n
stockings, is the most virtuous girl on tn
face of the earth.-T San Francisco Chror
icle.
British Money fn America.
The London Illustrated Ne,Us compute