Monthly talk: Rosemary Griggs – An Audience with the Lady Katherine
At our July meeting, members were privileged to be granted an audience with Lady Katherine. She made her impressive entrance in the attire befitting a lady with connections to some of the most distinguished families of Devon and the English court. Lady Katherine introduced herself to us, speaking in the elegant language of 16th century England.
She then adopted her alter ego, Rosemary Griggs, a one-time civil servant who is now immersed in her two major interests, history and dress making. These interests had always been part of her life but once she became a volunteer at the Devon National Trust property, Castle Compton, she was able to take these on to a completely different level.
Supported by the National Trust she began to research the lives of Devon women in the 16th century, and to talk to visitors and to take on their personas by making and wearing their clothing. Her initial focus was on the life of Lady Katherine Champernowne who was, quite remarkably, the mother of Sir Humphrey Gilbert from her first marriage and Sir Walter Raleigh by her second marriage. To say that she was at the centre of Devon’s maritime history would be an understatement but as is so often the case with women of this and many other eras, little is known of her life. Rosemary Griggs is putting this to rights and giving us an insight into just how significant Katherine was and how her life deserves to be properly known and understood.
Most of Rosemary’s talk focused on the design and making of the clothes worn by women at that time. She described the making of the garments as more akin to engineering than dress making. While some original items of clothing have survived, other evidence comes from less obvious sources such as wills and inventories. The fact that so much is included in wills indicates just how valuable these clothes were and important to their wearers.
Rosemary explained that these fabrics were often very expensive, as were the dyes which were used. Clothing was not just a matter of fashion and personal preference: what people wore was severely constrained by ‘sumptuary laws’ which dictated what different types of people could – and could not – wear. These were often intended to protect specific trades, such as Devon woollen cloth industry. The laws were also intended to control society. Certain fabrics and dyes could only be worm by those in specific classes of society: they determined status. If we see people wearing black in a portrait, we should understand that black dyes were extremely expensive and to wear them was a sign of high status. There were significant punishments for those who broke these laws.
The design of Lady Katherine’s dress was explored in detail. We learned about the ‘busk’, the origins of the design and term ‘bodice’, the ‘farthingale’ and even the ‘bum roll’. For those who want to learn more about these (and the writer of this article is ill-qualified to attempt to cover this ground!), Rosemary Griggs’ own website has links to videos where she shows how she makes these clothes and how they are designed. https://rosemarygriggs.co.uk/
Rosemary’s research has led to the publication of a number of novels, including A Woman of Noble Wit about Katherine, and other notable Devon women in The Dartington Bride and Dartington Hall. They are all securely based in the historical evidence and Rosemary’s impressive archival research. There are more to come!
John Vick