Working Arras and Arras Workers: Conservation in the Great Wardrobe under Elizabeth I.

ENGLAND. King's Wardrobe; EMPLOYEES; REIGN of Elizabeth I, England, 1558-1603; WEAVERS; ELIZABETH I, Queen of England, 1533-1603; SIXTEENTH century; TAPESTRY; HISTORY; MAINTENANCE

The article examines the arrangements for the ongoing care of the royal tapestries under Queen Elizabeth, based on the continuous series of accounts for the arras men found in the National Archives LC 9, AO 3 and E 351. Taken on 'at need', the men worked a variable number of days per year in the Great Wardrobe, south of St Paul's. The majority were émigré tapestry weavers resident in London, though a gradually increasing number of Englishmen entered service. An attempt is made to identify tapestries repaired or sent to an external firm for 'refreshing' and 'cleansing'. Transcripts of the accounts are available on the National Archives web site, Your Archives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]