References to Mockado Fabric

The earliest reference to Mockado that I’ve come across so far is from 1543 for man’s a night gown and hose, from there it seems be used on through the 1620′s for various clothing: kirtles, farthingales, gowns, petticoats, aprons, fool’s clothing, which I’ve listed below.


The Tudor Tailor

“A verdingall of red mockado” for Lady Jane Seymor. H. VIII accounts 1558

“Red petticoat with an upper body of red mockdo” Widow 1576

“A mockado half kirtle” Single woman 1558


Elizabethan Treasures: The Hardwick Hall Textiles

“Bed curtains of red mockado.”


The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 11:

“Each woman hath with her also, according to her abilitie, all her familie trimmed vp in white mockado: the better sort and wealthier women goe in litters of Cedar artificially wrought and richly dressed.” Note: In context this seems to refer to the women of Japan in relation to funerals?


Costume in England: A History of Dress to the End of the Eighteenth Century:

“Thomas Lodge, in his ” Wit’s Miserie,” 1596, speaks of the extravagance in dress that had begun to characterize the hitherto plain country folks. ” The plowman, that in times past was contented in russet, must now a daies have his doublet of the fashion with wide cuts, his garters of fine silk of Granado to meet his Sis on Sunday. The farmer, that was contented in times past with his russet frock and Mockado sleeves, now sells a cow against Easter to buy him. silken geere for his credit.”


The Clothing of Margaret Parnell and Millicent Crayforde 1569 to 1575, Susan Mee, Costume: The Journal of the Costume Society. issue 38

“..The petticoats were made form six yards of broad cloth costume 2s 4d a yard. Two yards of mockado and two yards of lockram lining were also required for their construction, the making up costing 2s 6d….”

“…The gown was made of eight yards of tufted mockado priced at 4s. od. a yard, bringing the total cost of the fabric to 32s Trimmings of billiment lace and fourteen yards of fringe came to 19s, …”


Contemporary Plays and Writings

“And there is a decency of apparel in respect of the place where it is to be vsed: in the Court to be richely apparelled: in the countrey to weare more plain & homely garments. For who would not thinke it a ridiculous thing to see a Lady in her milke-house with a velvet gowne, and at a bridal in her cassock of mockado:“ The Arte of English Poesie, printed in 1589


Wills and Inventories

“a payre of mockado breeches xx d.” “frocke of fust mackado xvj d.” The inventory of William Darrel, died in 1576; A Register of the Members of St. Mary Magdalen College.

“…I geve to my brother Tomas Redman one night gowne of mockeado with one pare of house of the same…” 1543 will of Richard Redman

“..The complete outfit supplied to “a mayde” in Queen Elizabeth’s Court was as follows: ‘A black fryse cassocke with poyntinge rebande and two fustian pockettes lyned collar and ventes: sixe lynen aprongs: one apron of fuste mockeado: foure cutt koyves….two petycoates, one red cloth the’ other stammel frysado, upper bodied with mockado, lyned with fustian, fringed with cruell…” – Handbook of English costume in the sixteenth century, Cecil Willett Cunnington, Phillis Emily Cunnington volume 1970, part 2

“…First oone Gowne & kirtle of damaske gardid withe velvett drawne oute with sarceonett with poyntynge Ribunde Item one other gowne of cloth. And a Kirtle of grograyne drawne out with sarceonett lyned as afore Item one peticote of red clothe or grograyne and one varthingale of mockeado . . .one clout of spanyshe nedles…” Warrant for Ipollyta the Tarletan 1564 – QEWU?

“lent vpon sylk mockeado gowne layd with lace and a veluet cape of m’s northe for… {xvs; 16th of december 1593″ pawn accounts, Henslowe’s Diary, Philip Henslowe, R. A. Foakes

…”A coat of wrought velvet and tufted taffeta, ‘paned red, grene and yellowe’, striped with decroative buttons and loops of braid; a cassock of chaungable mockeado’. lined with buckram for stiffening and decorated with silk buttons, and a doublet of..” The Fool, William Shenton’s outfit 1574/5 – Fools and jesters at the English court, John Southworth

“blew fustyn of Naples, the pleights lyned with cotton and buckram, the bodyes and sleeves with fustyan, the upper sleeves and fryse and for making of a kyrtle for her of striped mockado, lyned with cotton, the bodyes and placard with lynnen cloth. And for making of another dowche gown for her of wrought fustian of Naples, the pleights lyned with cotton and buckram..” Shakespeare’s Enviroment, Marie Carmichael Stopes

“…macadowe…a doublet for him of striped sackcloth trymmed with lace.. a jerkin of chaungable mockado striped above with billymente lace, furred with black coney skynees and 10 white lamb skynnes” (Elizabeth’s fools and dwarfs chapter) Shakespeare’s Enviroment, Marie Carmichael Stopes

“…One counterpane of mockado…One foreparte of a kirtle of purple satin, 6s 8d; One forepart of a kirtle of worsted and one of mockado 3s….” 1581 Inventory of Lady Byron, wife of Sir John Byron

“..To Dorcas Cranmer her sister-in-law her mockdo gown and best red petticoat, a worsted kirtle and a mockado half kirtle.” Essex Wills 1587 – 1599

“..to Marthy Cooper my daughter… blue mockado kirtle…..”
Essex Wills 1587 – 1599

“To George Cam that he paid for xj yards of clothe for the gentel woman’s gown at ixs the yard..
For v yards of mockado to lyne the sleeves ixs. ijd” – report on the manuscripts of Lord Middleton, Great Britain. Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts, William Henry Stevenson

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