ABSTRACT
The stays held at Chilcombe House are part of the Hampshire Cultural Trust collection. They have ten panels and are dated around 1760, there are no straps or the straps have been removed to allow for a wider lower neckline. The stays are made from a beige coloured cotton, lined with natural linen. The fabric layers of the stays are hand stitched together with neat even stitches, creating visible channels where the whalebones of varying widths are placed. The eyelets of the stays are also hand worked and the lace at the centre back is drawn up at a diagonal. The top and bottom edges of the stays are bound with leather. The centre front has a decorative lace that does not appear to be the original.
