302

HISTORY OF LACE.

Laced aprons, which even found their way to the homes of theAnglican clergy, and appear advertised as “ Stolen from thevicarage house at Amersham in Oxfordshire: An apron of needle-work lace, the middle being Network, another Apron laced withcut and slash lace.” 14

The newspapers crowd with losses of lace, and rarer—finds. 15

They give us, however, no clue to the home manufacture. “ Apasteboard box full of laced linen, and a little portmanteau withsome white and grey Hone lace,” 16 would seem to signify a lacemuch made two hundred years ago, of which we have ourselvesseen specimens from Dalecarlia, a sort of guipure, upon whichthe pattern is formed by the introduction of an unbleachedthread, which comes out in full relief—a fancy more curious thanpretty.

The petticoats of the ladies of King Charles’s court havereceived due honour at the hands of 1’epys, whose prying eyesseem to have been everywhere. On May 21 of the same year heso complacently admired himself in his new lace band, he writesdown: “ My wife and I to my Lord’s lodging ; where she and Istaid walking in White Hall Gardens. And in the Privy Gardensaw the finest smocks and linnen petticoats of my Lady Castle-maine’s, laced with rich lace at the bottom, that ever 1 saw ; andit did me good to look at them.”

Speaking of the ladies’ attire of this age, Evelyn says :—

“ Another quilteil white and red,

With a broad Flanders lace below;

Four pairs of bas de sove shot through

a pair of “ laced gloves.” Lord Camp-bell, in 1850,at the Lincoln Lent assizes,received from the sheriff a pair of whitegloves richly trimmed with Brusselslace and embroidered, the city armsembossed in frosted silver on the back.

M “ London Gazette,” 1077, Jan. 28-31 ; again, Oct. 4-8, in the same year:“ Stolen or loBt out of the Petworthwaggon, a deal box directed to the LadyYoung of Burton in Sussex; there was init a fine Point Apron, a suit of thin lacedNight clothes,” &c.

15 “London Gazette,” 1675, June14-17 : “ A right Point lace with a longmusling neck laced at the ends with a

narrow Point about three fingers broad,and a pair of Point cuffs of the same,worn foul and never wasbt, was lost onMonday last.”

Ibid. 1677, Oct 22-25: “Found in aditch, Four laced forehead cloths. Onelaced Pinner, one laced Quoif, one pairof laced ruffels. . . . Two point apronsand other laced linen.”

“Intelligencer,” 1664, 0< t. 3: “Lost,A needle work point without a border,with a great part of the loups cut out,and a quarter of it new loupt with theneedle. £5 reward.”

16 “ London Gazette,” 1677, Oct.8 - 11 .