hose, or stockings. In another part of the accounts payments are made for knytt hose: "1533. 7 Sept. Peyd for 4 payr of knytt hose viijs." The first-mentioned were for Sir Thomas Lestrange, the second for his children. They were certainly short hose, or stockings. Robert, Duke of Normandy, the eldest son of William, the First, was surnamed, "Curthose," from, as we may presume, his preference in wear, of stockings-short hose-to the Norman Chausses, or long hose. This Gallic Name, Curthose, has been anglicised into that of Shorthose, which may not be unknown to some of my readers. Edmondson, in his " Complete Body of Heraldry," gives the name as of Yorkshire. To the seller of the short hose, or stockings, (and not of the long hose, or chausses,) the appellative (as to his trade) of "Hosier was thus given; but we may presume this trade was not so called, until the introduction of the “knytt” hose, or stockings, which did not take place, until the reign of Henry, the Eighth. Silk "knytt" hose were first brought into use in the time of Elizabeth, as is testified by Howe, in the Continuation of Stow's Annales. "In the second year of Queen Elizabeth," (says he,) "her silk woman, mistress Montague, presented to her majestie a pair of black knit silk stockings, for a new-year's gift; which, after a few days wearing, pleased her highness so well, that she sent for mistress Montague, and asked where she had them, and if she could help her to any more?-who answered, saying, 'I I made them carefully on purpose for your majestie; and seeing they please you so well, I will presently set more in hand.' Do so,' (said the queen,) for I like silk stockings so well, that I will not henceforth wear any more cloth hose. For (continues he) you shall understand, that king Henry, the Eighth, did wear only cloth hose, or hose cut out of ell-broad taffaty; or by great chance there came a pair of silk stockings from Spain. King Edward, the Sixth, had a pair of long Spanish silk hose sent him for a great present. "But in the year 1599, William Lee (master of arts of St. John's College, Cambridge) invented a steel loom, or engine, for the weaving of silk stockings, pieces for waistcoats, and various other things: but even then they were confined to the nobility. Upwards of thirty years before that time, one William Rider (near the foot of London-bridge) seeing a pair of knit worsted stockings in the lodging of an Italian merchant, which came from Mantua, borrow'd them for a time, and caused others to be made like them. These were the first worsted stockings which were made in England, which being approved of by the commoners, the sale of them became very great, and in a short time the kingdom was well supplied them. At their first appearance, even the nobles themselves used to wear them. The earl of Pembroke is set down in the Chronicle, as the first nobleman that ever wore any worsted stockings in England." * Strutt's "Manners, &c.," Vol. 3, p. 87. By the preceding statement it does appear clearly, that silk hose were introduced in the year 1560; and it is also thus proved, very circumstantially, that worsted hose became an article of common wear some thirty years before in the reign of Henry, the Eighth. Thus are confirmed the items in the accounts of the family of Lestrange. It is also manifest, that, prior to the introduction of worsted hose, those of cloth were the usual wear; and these, we may reasonably presume, were manufactured by the tailor for the immediate use of the wearer without the intervention of the "Hosier." Knit worsted short hose, or stockings, were imported prior to their general manufacture in this country; and, when first introduced, the "Haberdasher," adding this much-called-for article to his vendible wares, described himself, as at the present day, "Haberdasher and Hosier." "The Company of Haberdashers" was incorporated in the 26th of Henry, the Sixth, 1407, by the name, and style, of "The Fraternity of St. Catherine, the Virgin, of the Haberdashers of the City of London ;" but, had they then brought to their trade the sale of hose, I have no doubt, that they would have taken the title of "The Company of Haberdashers and Hosiers." Their Hall is in Maiden Lane, and they are one of the twelve greater Companies. The trade of hosier has made an addition to the English Nomenclature. Who has not heard of the pathetic ballad of "Admiral Hosier's Ghost," by Glover, the author of the poem of G G "Leonidas?" (23). I may here also refer my readers to the etymological remarks in the opening of this little dissertation; they will there see, that kousse is the Belgic for hose, and that kous-maecker is the Belgic for one, that maketh hose. Here, then, we have the origin, doubtlessly, of the English Name of Cousmaker, which family must have been of German Extraction, and, perhaps, came in with the House of Brunswick. Thus hath hose (the subject of discussion) supplied the country with the three names of Shorthose, Hosier, and Cousmaker. Although knit worsted hose, or stockings, were not introduced until the time of Henry, the Eighth, yet other articles of worsted manufacture were known long prior to that æra; and it is not an uninteresting fact, that this manufacture received its name from that of the parish, in which it first seated itself on its introduction by the Flemings. Lewis, in his "Topographical Dictionary of England," in describing the town of Worstead, in Norfolk, says: "This place was formerly celebrated for the invention and manufacture of woollen twists, and stuffs, thence called Worsted goods;' but this branch of trade, soon after its introduction by the Flemings, in the reign of Henry, the First, was, on the petition of the inhabitants of Norwich, removed to that city in the reign of Richard, the Second, where it was finally established in the reign of Henry, the Fourth." As the present investigation is, more especially, relative to the long hose, or chausses, I shall say nothing more as to the short hose, or stockings, but resume the more appropriate discussion. About the reign of Edward, the Second, a most singular fashion arose that of the party-coloured dress; Chaucer makes the Persone (Parson) in his " Tale" to deplore bitterly the raging taste for the motley-suit. He states, that the varying colours of the hose, "white and red-white and blue-white and black-or-black and red"-make the wearers thereof appear, as if" the fire of Seint Anthonie or other swiche mischance" had cankered, and consumed, one half of their bodies. This most strange fashion was not restricted to the hose, but pervaded the whole dress. In an illumination, which represents John of Gaunt sitting to decide the claims on the coronation of his nephew, Richard, the Second, (Cotton MSS. Nero, D. 6,) he appears in the party-colours of the House of Lancaster, the one half of his robe. being blue, the other red. The party-coloured hose, or chausses, were still more common. an illuminated MS. in the library of C. C. College, Cambridge, is a representation of Henry, the Fifth, sitting in state, and receiving a book from John Galopes, Dean of the Collegiate Church of St. Louis of Salsoye in Normandy. "On the other side of the king stands a courtier with a short coat of green, holding in his hand a mace of office. What is singular, the hose on his left leg is red, that on his right leg white." Mr. Tyson, the author of the memoir referred to, erroneously presumes this varying coloured hose to be singular; but such a fashionable Archæologia, Vol. 2, p. 196. In |