The Court to change the mourning, on Sunday the 5th of September inst. Viz. -- The 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. -- The Gentlemen to wear black coats, and black or plain white, or white and gold, or white and silver stuff waistcoats, full trimmed coloured swords and buckles.
And on Thursday the 9th of September, the Court to go out of mourning."
[Domestic Occurrences, Cobbett's Weekly Political Register, pub. 4th September 1802]
The longest type of court mourning included three different degrees of mourning, and usually lasted around six weeks. This most often applied to another reigning monarch or his queen, or a close member of the king's own family.
An example of this type of mourning includes that for Frederick II, Duke of Wurttemberg, which began on 21st January 1798. A first change happened on 18th February, and a second change occurred on 25th February before mourning ended on 4th March. In 1805, following the death of the king's brother, the Duke of Gloucester, mourning commenced on 1st September 1805, it changed on the 29th September, changed again on 6th October and the court went out of mourning on 13th October.
The clothes worn for this three-stage mourning were often announced over at least two editions of the London Gazette, as happened when they reported the Court Mourning for Princess Charlotte, when the initial announcement only mentioned the first period of mourning:
"Orders for the Court's going into mourning, on Sunday next the 9th instant, for Her late Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte-Augusta, Daughter of His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, and Consort of His Serene Highness the Prince Leopold of Saxe-Cobourg, viz.
The Ladies to wear black bombazines, plain muslin or long lawn, crape hoods, shamoy shoes and gloves, and crape fans. Undress—Dark Norwich crape. 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 frock."
[The London Gazette, 8th November 1817
While a subsequent edition of the Gazette detailed the second and third periods of Court Mourning:
"Orders for the Court's change of mourning, on Sunday the 4th January next, for Her late Royal Highness the Princess Charlotte-Augusta ...viz.
The Ladies to wear black silk, fringed or plain linen, white gloves, black and white shoes, fans and tippets, white necklaces and ear-rings. Undress—White or grey lustrings, tabbies or damasks. The Gentlemen to continue in black, full trimmed, fringed or plain linen, black swords and buckles. Undress—Grey frocks.
The Court to change the mourning further on Sunday the 18th of January, viz. The Ladies to wear black silk or velvet, coloured ribbons, fans and tippets, or plain white, or white and gold, or white and silver stuff's, with black ribbons. The Gentlemen to wear black coats, and black or plain white, or white and gold, or white and silver stuff waistcoats, full trimmed, coloured swords and buckles..And on Sunday the 1st of February next, the Court to go out of mourning."
[The London Gazette, 3rd January 1818]
Between the beginning of 1790 and the end of 1820, there were eighty-seven deaths recognised with official court mourning of some degree. The most in one year was six periods of mourning required in 1790 and 1819, while no court mornings were ordered in 1804 or 1812.
Court mourning would never be worn on the king's birthday, or during one of the Queen's drawing rooms. On those days, members of the court would wear their normal court clothing and then resume their mourning the day after.
General Mourning
"It will be a dismal sight next week, for the death of Princess Amelia has put everybody into the deepest mourning. When I say everybody I mean it literally. All tradespeople, workpeople, servants out of livery, every creature who can scrape up money to buy a black rag, will mourn. All the shops are full of black. In short, it is quite an odd look it gives London."
[Letter from Sarah Spencer, daughter of the 2nd Earl Spencer, 8th November 1810]
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Reading the Regency
Non-FictionA guide to Regency England for readers of classic literature or historical fiction set in the early 19th century. England, as it was in the early 1800's, can sometimes be as confusing to a modern reader as travelling to a foreign country. Their clot...
Mourning - Court and Society Mourning
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