Royal Mourning

Mourning was a regular part of life in the 18th and 19th centuries.  It was rare to find a family that hadn’t experienced death . All families with any pretension to gentility always had to have the proper clothes on hand for a funeral.

Royalty was just like other people in this regard with the difference that if the King and Queen and royal family went into mourning, everyone who visited court had to wear mourning as well.  In many circumstances all the people of England were expected to dress themselves in mourning, whether or not they knew the person or ever attended court.

Mourning was required of those who attended court and of the populace, not only for members of the English royal family but also for their in-laws.

Court mourning was  also worn in like manner, and was commanded on the death of any foreign Sovereign.

Richard Rush, an American   wrote  that all the diplomats were requested to  fall in with whatever mourning was proclaimed.   He thought that many would be surprised to learn that "within the compass of a few brief years, the ... foreign ministers and their wives in London, were officially called upon to appear in the habiliments of grief for a king of Sweden; a grand duke of Tuscany; the king of Spain's mother; the king of Saxony's aunt; a princess of Saxe Hilbourghausen; a prince of Conde; a king of Sardinia; and for a long list in addition, as European royalty, direct, collateral and remote, from time to time, passed to the tomb. But so it was."

Mourning was divided into periods,: Deep Mourning, Mourning, and half Mourning. Each of these periods required different gowns and accessories, though black predominated. Several times when royal deaths came too close together or the mourning period was exceptionally long, the drapers and manufacturers of cloth sent in a petition asking for the period of mourning to be shortened because they were losing too much money.   Both the manufacturer who made colored cloth and the draper or milliner who sold it faced financial ruin if a large stock of colored cloth went out of fashion before the ladies were out of mourning.

Some of the dates and people for whom the court, courtiers, and population went into mourning.

• 25 August 1805 Duke of Gloucester, brother of the king
• 16 October 1806 Duke of Brunswick, brother in law of the king and father of Caroline, Princess of Wales.
• 2 November 1810 Princess Amelia
• 23 March 1813 The King's sister who was the mother in law of the Regent. Duchess of Brunswick, Princess Royale of England)
• 16 June 1815 Duke of Brunswick, Caroline's brother.
• 6 November 1817 Princess Charlotte
• 17 November 1818 Queen Charlotte
• 23 January 1820 Duke of Kent , father of princess Victoria
• January 27 1820 George III

Princess Amelia, Aunt to George III 1786

In consequence of the death of her Royal Highness the Lord Chamberlain sent an order, between four and five the next evening, to the two theatres, to cease representing any plays,, &e. till after the funeral of the Princess. His Lordship also sent the same night a letter to the City Remembrancer (Peter Roberts, Esq;) requesting him to acquaint the Lord Mayor, that it was expected the same rules which were observed, on Lord Mayor's Day immediately succeeding the death of the late Duke of Cumberland, might be observed upon the present occasion...

Notice was likewise given from the Earl Marshal's Office that it was expected all persons would put themselves in decent mourning, which commenced on the 10th of November, the day after the funeral. The mourning is to expire on Sunday the 3rd of December.

Duke of Gloucester 1805

Austen letter August 1805 " I suppose everybody will be black for the D. of G.[death of the Duke of Gloucester, the King's brother] must we buy lace, or will ribbon do? "

The Lady’s Magazine  September 1805 London Fashionable Mourning Dresses
(Mourning for the Duke of Gloucester) Died August 1805
 Plain chemise dress of Italian gauze; full front, fastened in the centre with a jet broach, over a black sarcenet slip; sleeves and front trimmed with black net trimming, fastened with bugles. Leather gloves, and black jean shoes.

Death of Her Royal Highness Princess Amelia, 1811

The Earl Marshall’s General Mourning for her late Royal Highness  the Princess Amelia. 1810.

These are to give public notice, that it is expected that, upon the present occasion of the death of her late Royal Highness the Princess Amelia, all persons do put themselves into decent mourning : the said mourning to begin on Sunday next, the 1lth instant.

(Signed) Norfolk, E. M. [ The Duke of Norfolk, the Earl Marshall]
Horse Guards, Nov. 5. 1810. It is not required that the officers of the army should wear any other mourning, on the present melancholy occasion, than a black crape round their left arms with their uniforms. By command of the Right Honourable the Commander-in-Chief, Harry Calvert, Adj. Gen.

Admiralty-Office, Nov. 5. It is not required that the officers of his Majesty's fleet or marines should wear any other mourning, on the present melancholy occasion of the death of her late Royal Highness the Princess Amelia, than a black crape round their left arms with their uniforms. . J. W.Croker.

Mourning morning carriage dress 1810

Princess Charlotte November, 1817

Court mourning at the death of H.R. H. Princess Charlotte November 7, 1817.
The ladies to wear black bombazines, plain muslin or long lawn crape hoods,
shamoy shoes and gloves, and crape fans. ' The gentlemen to wear black cloth
without buttons on the sleeves or pockets, plain muslin or long lawn cravats and weepers, shamoy shoes and gloves, crape hat bands, and black swords and buckles.

Undress : dark grey frocks [coats]

And two months after, the change of  mourning is thus ordered :Ladies, black silk, fringed or plain linen, white gloves, black shoes, fans, and tippets, white necklaces and earrings. Undress, white or grey lustrings, tabbies, or damasks. Gentlemen to continue in black, full- trimmed fringed or plain linen, black swords and buckles. Undress : grey coats.' And the final change was for - ' Ladies to wear black silk or velvet, coloured ribbons, fans, and tippets, or plain white, or white and gold, or white and silver stuffs with black ribbons. ' Gentlemen, black coats, and black or plain white, or white and gold, or white and silver stuff waistcoats, coloured buckles.'

The Queen 1818
La Belle Assemblee November 1818
Explanation of the Prints of Fashion. (Fashions for December, 1818)
(Mourning for the Death of Queen Charlotte)

No. 1.-Carriage Dress. Round dress of Bombazeen, elegantly finished at the border with broad black velvet, surmounted by a flounce of fine white muslin, headed by a rouleau of the same. Black velvet spenser, with a sautoir, or half handkerchief, of mourning shawl manufacture. Bonnet of white crape, with full plume of black ostrich feathers. Bouilloné ruff of fine muslin. Black chamois slippers and gloves.

No. 2-Evening Dress.Andalusian robe of black crape, worn over a black satin slip, ornamented at the border with crape flutings. The robe vandyked with black velvet, richly ornamented with trimming of twisted crape, down each side. The sleeves confined at the mancherons by a superb knot of jet. Henrietta ruff of white crape broad hemmed. Black velvet toque ornamented with jet, and black cypress feathers.

No. 2 - Evening Dress (Half Mourning for the Death of Queen Charlotte)
Gallician frock of black Italian gauze over a white satin slip; short sleeves.  Head-dress composed of pearl cordons and rich plumes of white ostrich feathers.  Oriental pearl necklace, and white satin slippers.

The mourning now is but partially observed, except by ladies belonging to the court; and even amongst them coloured pelisses, rainbow scarfs, and variegated Madras turbans have already made their appearance.  The festive ball, and the midnight gala have now invariably adopted their usual motley costume, and for the former the elegant engraving in this Number is now the most admired, and is likely to be in very high estimation.

Dresses of Merino crape are trimmed at the border with velvet laid on in festoons, and which velvet is generally spotted; many gowns are trimmed at the border with pieces of velvet set on in full rows, either in the shape of lozenges or medallions.  Brandenburgs are still in use as ornaments, but are reckoned most genteel when they descend no lower than the waist.  Scarlet stuff gowns, with flounces of the same, embroidered with white silk, are much worn for home costume. For the court mourning worn for your late gracious Queen, black velvet dresses formed the favorite costume for the evening; these were ornamented with Brandenburgs of jet: the waist was encircled by a cordon of jet, and the mancherons of the sleeves were fasted up with the same material.

King George III
Dated March 1820 but for February.  George III died on January 27th.
ENGLISH. No. 2—Carriage Costume. Round dress of black crape over black satin, with five fluted flowers of crape at the border. Spencer of black velvet, wild the sleeves and bust ornamented in U a most novel and beautiful style. Black velvet bonnet, with superb plume of cypress feathers. English antique triple ruff of white crape; black chamois slippers, and black chamois gloves.
The rules of dress for attendance at court during periods of national mourning stayed much the same throughout the century.