ABSTRACT
Early in Elizabeth’s reign there are only a few gifts of jewels and clothing among the purses of gold, mainly from the Queen’s close women friends, who would have known her taste. By the 1580s an increasing number of elaborate jewels and exquisitely embroidered clothes, some of which must have been very expensive, are listed in the New Year’s Gift Rolls. It is easy to understand why petticoats, foreparts, loose gowns, ruffs, and smocks were popular gifts. They required very simple sets of measurements, and were easier to make than close-fitting garments like doublets, where the measurements would have to be exact; the wrong size or a poor fit would make the gift unacceptable. The pretty flowers and leaves for the embroidery motifs were later defined as pansies, the Queen’s favourite flower, according to Lady Sussex. Presumably Walter Fyshe was given the order to make the cloak and safeguard just after this letter was written.
