The Llan-gors textile: an early medieval masterpiece 3 May 2007 Excavations at Llan-gors Lake in 1991. The textile was discovered in the silts beyond the oak palisade visible in this trench. The lump of charred textile, as found lying on a piece of wood. Part of the decoration preserved on the textile, showing a group of birds framed by vines. Unfortunately none of the original colour was preserved in the textile, making the design very difficult to see without assistance. It is picked out here with superimposed white lines. The total area shown is roughly 9cm tall by 7cm wide (3.5 x 2.8 inches). Digital-simulation of colour on a photograph of the original textile. In 1990, archaeologists working at a site on Llan-gors Lake, near Brecon, made an unexpected discovery - the remains of a magnificently decorated textile, over a thousand years old. Just off the northern shore of Llan-gors Lake lies a crannog (a man-made island) built as a royal site for the ruler of Brycheiniog in the 890s - a turbulent period in the kingdom's history. At this time, Brycheiniog was under pressure from several neighbouring kingdoms, and Llan-gors must have seemed a safe retreat. However, excavations of the site have shown that this haven was short-lived, being destroyed by fire in the early 10th century. Much of the archaeological work at Llan-gors focused on the waterlogged silts that surrounded the crannog. It was here that the textile was discovered, badly charred and very fragile. Through careful conservation treatment it was possible to separate and clean its many layers revealing this unlikely lump to be among the most important finds of early medieval textile yet found in Britain. The base material of the textile was a very fine plain-weave linen. Silk and linen threads have been used to decorate the textile with birds and other creatures within a framework of vines, and with borders containing repeating patterns or lions. The skill with which this work has been accomplished continues to be a source of wonder. The linen has 23 threads to the centimetre - a magnificent achievement given the equipment available in the 9th and 10th centuries AD. The textile appears to be part of a garment, perhaps a tunic or dress - it has a hem and a belt loop - but unfortunately too little survives to indicate its detailed shape. Its owner was a person of considerable status since the silk that decorates it must have been imported to Britain, while the quality of the needlework suggest that it was produced in a specialist workshop. So how did this fine textile come to be lost? A clue can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for AD916, which records that in this year a Mercian army from England destroyed a site called Brecenanmere (Brecknock-mere = Llan-gors Lake) and captured 'the wife of the king and 33 other persons'. Was this the event that saw the burning of Llan-gors and the loss of the textile? It is tempting to believe so. Background Reading 'A fine quality insular embroidery from Llangors Crannog, near Brecon' by H. Granger-Taylor and F. Pritchard. In Pattern and Purpose in Insular Art edited by M. Redknap, S. Youngs, A. Lane and J. Knight, p91-99. Published by Oxbow Books (2001). 'Worn by a Welsh Queen?' by L. Mumford and M. Redknap. In Amgueddfa, vol. 2, p52-4 (1999). 'The Llangorse textile; approaches to understanding an early medieval masterpiece' by L. Mumford, H. Prosser and J. Taylor, in C. Gillis and M.-L. B. Nosch (eds), Ancient Textiles: Production, Craft and Society, 158-62. Published by Oxbow Books (2007).
Glitz and glamour - the outstanding costumes of the the Tredegar Collection 11 April 2007 Tredegar House and Park. The house and grounds are now in the ownership of Newport County Council. Many rooms have been restored and are open to the public. Image © Steve Burrow. Silver embroidered blue damask court mantua (an open fronted gown with an elaborate train), made between about 1730-40. This is a very grand robe which would have been worn for presentation at court. This coat was probably worn by Sir William Morgan. It is of yellow lace pattern silk, dated to about 1725, and is of either English or French origin. For glitz and glamour, look no further than the Tredegar Collection. This impressive collection of 18th century costume was presented to the Museum in 1923 by Courtenay Morgan, also known as Lord Tredegar. The items belonged to his rich ancestors who wanted to flaunt their wealth and power. Each garment was designed to dazzle. Although the Morgans owned Tredegar House near Newport, they spent most of their time in London. For the gentry, the capital was the place to be. Pleasure gardens, operas and assemblies - their lives revolved around socializing. A royal debut The Tredegar costumes were probably made in London, using the finest woven damasks and brocaded silks you could buy. The most elegant dress in the collection dates from around mid-1720s. The grandness of this open fronted blue gown - often called a mantua - suggests that it was made for a young lady's royal debut. The detailing is elaborate and elegant, both on the front and the back.The gown was much longer originally, but a large section was cut off during the 1800s, supposedly for a fancy dress party. Whalebone corsets Gowns like this one were very awkward to wear. To achieve the exaggerated look, women wore wide hoop petticoats to increase the width of their skirts. They also wore tight corsets stiffened with whalebone under their dresses. Corsets encouraged good posture by squeezing the upper body into shape. Style was more important than comfort. This yellow brocaded frockcoat was made in the early 1720s. The floral design is typical of the period, so is the bright yellow colour. Further reading: M. R. Apted, 'Social Conditions at Tredegar House, Newport, in the 17th and 18th Centuries', The Monmouthshire Antiquary 3:2 (1972-3), pp. 124-54. Janet Arnold, 'A Court Mantua of c. 1740', Costume: Journal of the Costume Society 6 (1972), pp. 48-52. Avril Hart & Susan North, Historical Fashion in Detail: The 17th and 18th Centuries (London: V & A Publications, 1998).
Elaborate embroidered suit surviving from the 1770s 19 February 2007 Velvet suit dating from 1770 Velvet coat embroidered with silks and gold sequins. One of the most important piece of 18th century men's clothing in Amgueddfa Cymru's collections is a velvet suit dating from 1770. It belonged to Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn of Wynnstay, an extremely rich and well-known patron of the arts. His clothes reflected his lifestyle. Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn (1749-1789) of Wynnstay bought elaborate velvet suits in France and Italy while making the Grand Tour in 1768-9. During the 1770s he bought clothes from many London tailors, hosiers and lace-makers, spending around £1,000 a year on suits alone - a huge sum at the time. Gold sequins and silver thread The plum-coloured velvet coat is embroidered with silks and gold sequins. The matching waistcoat and breeches were made at a slightly later date. The Museum also bought a fine red wool coat of similar date, decorated with silver thread embroidery. Sir Watkin put on a considerable amount of weight as he grew older, and perhaps this is why the suit survived in such excellent condition. Lavish embroidery The suit coat has a cutaway front and short stand-up collar. It is lined with green silk satin to match the fabric of the waistcoat. The waistcoat has green silk satin fronts and a paler silk plain weave lining and back. Like the suit, the embroidery is of gold purl, metal sequins and floral ribbon. The work is very fine. The suit was probably produced in a London tailor's workshop. This would have employed the best craftsmen, with a number of professional, male, embroiderers. It is very likely that the red wool coat was made in the same workshop, as the embroidery also consists of gold and silver sequins and metal purl and silk threads, with similar motifs of bows, swags and tassels. Grand clothes for grand occasions Matching waistcoat and breeches These clothes were so expensive that they could have been worn at the royal court. In Wales, Sir Watkin could have worn such clothes at his coming of age party in 1770. This was legendary in its lavishness and size, with 15,000 guests and three coaches of cooks sent from London. A hall was built especially for the occasion, later incorporated into the main building at Wynnstay, with bedrooms added on above. The food eaten at the party included some 30 cows, 50 pigs, 50 calves, 80 sheep, 18 lambs, 37 turkeys and 421 pounds of salmon. This could help explain Sir Watkin's later size! Five years later, in 1735, King George III appointed Sir Watkin to be Lord Lieutenant (the King's representative) for Merioneth.
