Hi Catherine, I recently researched this for a Honiton article:
I got ahold of Kay Staniland and Santina Levey's book on Queen Victoria's wedding dress. The lace consisted of a large skirt flounce, 25.5" by four yards in circumference. It was apparently started in 1837 or 1838, well before the engagement was announced (she proposed to him on Oct 15, 1839), so probably represents an attempt by the queen to support the Honiton industry well before she thought about the dress. More than 200 persons were constantly employed from March to November, 1839 - looks like just on the flounce, There's a narrow Honiton edge on the neckline of the dress which is probably a later replacement. A bertha collar, 5.5" deep, widening to 7.5" over the sleeves. Sleeve frills shaped like 18th century examples, 2.5" in the front widening to 8-5/8" below the elbow. The veil is 55.5" square. This seems to be the last piece made, and might have been from a different designer. Seems that the bertha, sleeve flounces and veil were ordered in December 1839. So the ~6 weeks to make the veil is probably correct since she was married on Feb. 10, 1840. Miss Jane Bidney, not too much known about her. Apparently she already had a shop in London, and went back to her native Beer to supervise the work. According to family tradition she was summoned to London to receive the royal order where she fainted in anticipation of her audience with the Queen. However, she may have moved to London before her appointment on Aug 14, 1839 as 'Lace Manufacturer Ordinary to Her Majesty', since it's fairly well agreed that she went from London to Beer to supervise the work. She had a shop at 76 St Jame's Street, Pall Mall, by 1839, and was quite active immediately after the wedding. She had a shop by 1842 in St. James street, but by 1843 she seems to have vanished. The authors speculate that she was a little too early for the late 1840's sudden revivial of Honiton lace, and although she had a good time just after the wedding, probably failed. The wedding lace was also about 10 years ahead of its time in design, which also wouldn't have helped Bidney much. Plus, there was already competition from other manufacturers. Although it is said the lace cost 1,000 pounds, it seems she was paid only about 464 pounds. The design of the lace was done at the Government School of Design at Somerset House by William Dyce and an unnamed student, who was much in tune with French lace design at the time. The actual design is more influenced by a combination of Brussels and French designs, and it's somewhat of a mystery how Dyce got his knowledge of lacemaking to make an effective design. But overall it looks more like early 18th century Rococo designs. There's a photo of Bidney in the Staniland/Leavey book. By the way there are some oral traditions from people who were young children when the wedding lace was being made. They remember picking up the tiny buds from off the ground which were scattered around - the ones used as esprits in the ground. Basically all the pieces were Honiton applique. Lauire _________________________________________________________________ Laurie Waters lacen...@gmail.com, lwaters...@comcast.net <http://lacenews.net/> http://lacenews.net - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
