Weaving was an important industry in the 16th and 17th centuries. In Flanders, which is in modern northern Belgium, professional weavers made intricate tapestries and cloth for export. The Langley and Dauntesey families at Agecroft would have been connected to this industry. They raised sheep and sold their wool to the factories in Flanders. Eventually due to the upheavals of wars on the continent, many of the talented weavers from Flanders immigrated to England. This movement of tradesman increased the skill level of weavers in England. Some of the tapestries in Agecroft’s collection are imports, while others were made by English weavers.

Buttons weren’t the only way that people in Tudor Times fastened their clothes! They also often used laces. These laces could be made of colorful ribbon or simple white linen tape. You would wind them back and forth across the doublet of jacket, pulling them tight enough to close the garment as you made your way up. Think about how you would lace a pair of shoes, and you get the idea! Laces were also used to close pairs of bodies or stays, which is what corsets were referred to in the 17th century. Despite what you might see in movies or on TV, stays were not tied so tight that you couldn’t breathe! They were laced up just enough to fit and provide support. Below you can see some pictures of our Mistress Dauntesey getting dressed using different laces. You can also see the simpler laces on the servant’s jacket.

Even though we had some snow here in Richmond last weekend, it looks like spring may have sprung! Much like the “snow” that you are making for this project, some of the things we see for spring would have popped up in Tudor food. For example, they loved to add edible flowers to their salads, as you can see below. Cooks would even sugar rose petals for a sweet treat. We even see flowers in food today- fried zucchini blossoms are a popular appetizer, especially at Italian restaurants. You can add flowers to your food as well, just make sure that the flowers you add are edible!