Stockings fit for a King and Queen
This month ‘Our Favourite Things’, an exploration of the museum collection of Strutt’s North Mill in Belper, explores two objects that have a touch of class: handmade hosiery (stockings) belonging to King George III and Queen Victoria – all made in Belper by the firm that would become George Brettle & Co. Ltd.
A fashion for stockings
Stocking were once a highly fashionable part of any man’s dress. From the 1500s until the early 1800s they were worn with knee length breeches, (short knee length trousers) by any fashionable gentleman. Originally they would have been knitted by hand either from wool, or silk, for those who could afford them. The invention of the framework knitting machine in 1589 by William Lee mechanised the knitting process allowing the operators of these machines to produce material for stockings faster than could be knitted by hand. The introduction in the 1730s of hosiery made from cotton was a step change as they were light, washable and comfortable to wear compared to woollen stockings, whilst being relatively cheap to produce once mechanised cotton spinning techniques were devised and improved.
The history of Brettles can be traced back to John Ward who ran a business making hosiery in Belper in the late 1700s. The hosiery industry at this time was very much a cottage industry with frames in people’s homes from where the finished hose was collected and transported to the fast-growing towns and cities, before being sold. George Brettles’ origins are somewhat of a mystery. George Brettle, for who the business would subsequently be named, formed a partnership with Ward in 1803. Born in 1778, by the age of 25 he was working in a hosiery producers’ warehouse in the City of London. He left a positive impression on John Ward when they first met and together with John’s brother, William, the three entered into partnership to form Ward Brettle & Ward.
However the firm faced a problem in what was becoming an increasingly crowded market – how do they differentiate their product from their competitors’? Advertising was very much in its infancy during this period with the forerunners of what would become business cards and sales catalogues starting to be used by manufacturers eager to advertise their goods. A more traditional method however was to get your product seen to be used by royalty to turn it into a fashionable item that others would buy to emulate the fashion. Ward Brettle & Ward attempted this by producing many pieces of fine hosiery for a succession of monarchs during the company’s history.
George III’s stocking and half hose.
Reigning between 1760 – 1820 George III is sadly best remembered today for his bouts of madness. His reign saw some of the greatest changes to Britain during the reign of any monarch. At home the Industrial Revolution transformed Britain into the first industrialised country while overseas Revolutionary and Napoleonic France was eventually defeated and the British Empire spreading across the globe. The beginning of the Industrial Revolution had given birth to the first modern companies making recognisable products such as Wedgewood and W. G.& J Strutt. Ward Brettle & Ward produced stockings for the King, since what better way to advertise your product that having them worn by royalty.
The collection of Strutt’s North Mill contains a single gentleman’s silk stocking and a single gentleman’s silk half hose (sock) stocking made for the King. Produced from silk on hand looms in Belper, the stockings have been chevened. This strengthening of the seam up the side of the stocking from where the foot joins the heel became a highly skilled decorative art. Yet on these stockings it is very simple with minimal additional decoration. The royal initials are at the top of the stocking below the welt. Apart from this, there is little to differentiate these stocking from the many other finely made stockings that Brettles produced each week.
These silk half hose made for King George III are plain and unadorned, without any additional decorative Chevening, apart from the royal initials below the welt.
Silk stocking and half hose produced for King George III by Brettles.
Princess Victoria visits Belper
Joseph Strutt, son of Jedediah Strutt, demonstrats mechanical cotton spinning to the young Princess Victoria on her visit to the Belper Mills.
A pair of white cotton stocking made for queen Victoria by George Brettle & Co.
Queen Victoria’s stockings
Ascending to the throne in 1836, Queen Victoria’s reign would be an era of continued industrial development and global domination for Britain. The Queen’s connection with Belper however went back to 1832 when as a young princess she visited the town to see the cotton mills.
Strutt’s North Mill collection contains two pairs of stockings made for the Queen by Brettles. Both pairs are of better quality and finer than the ones made for George III, representing the advancements made in knitting frames during this period. The first of these pairs are simple, plain white cotton stockings with a finely chevened ankle extending to a chevron (arrow head) one third of the way up the leg. On the under welt, the area below the double thickness welt at the top of the stocking, the Royal Cypher is chevened together with a crown. The second pair of stockings are made from black cotton with white soles and welts. Like the previous pair they have been chevened along the ankle with a fine black design on the black fabric. They too feature the Royal Cypher on the under welt. The black fabric probably dates these to after the death of Victoria’s husband, Albert the Prince Consort, in 1861. After this she continued to wear dark clothing, until her death in 1901. Like King George’s stockings both of these pairs are relatively plain, but finely made stockings and are typical examples of what the company would have been producing every day during this period.
The Royal Cypher is from of heraldry that display the initials of the reigning monarch and is often surmounted by a crown to show their royal status.
Black stockings made for Queen Victoria to be worn by her after the death of her husband Prince Albert.
The stockings for King George III are far more basic than the ones made for Queen Victoria, showing how advancements in knitting frame technology led to better quality stockings. The hand embroidered chevened decoration on each of the examples marks them out as expensive, probably some of the most expensive Brettles produced, since this work was highly skilled and time consuming – embroidering the same coloured thread as the base fabric. Brettles produced all of these stockings as advertisements for their products as royal patronage was a boost to Brettles’ image and prestige and would drive further sales. This practice still continues today with companies paying celebrities and social media influencers to use and promote their products.