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The Inventory of King Henry VIII: Textiles and Dress

edited by Maria Hayward and Philip Ward

The Inventory is not only a catalogue of magnificence but also a key text for evaluating the successes and failures of the Tudor monarchy. Henry VIII had extravagant ideas of image and authority and loved his possessions, amongst which where over 2,000 pieces of tapestry, 2,028 items of gold and silver plate and 41 growns. Although he left the country with heavy debts and an empty exchequer, he was far from bankrupting the monarchy as some scholars have suggested. Indeed the Inventory allows us to calculate that at the time of his death the contents of his palaces and wardrobes were worth about 300,000 GBP and the military and naval stores a further 300,000 GBP. Most of what the King owned has unfortunately since disappeared. Yet the Inventory tells us what once existed, enables us to identify surviving objects and also helps identify what once belonged to him. The transcription of the inventory is accompanied by a historical introduction, a glossary of technical terms, and an exhaustive Index which is a major tool of scholarship in its own right. 400p (Brepols 2011)

Table of Contents

Maria Hayward, Introduction: Textiles and Dress at the Court of Henry VIII; Thomas Campbell, The Art and Splendour of Henry VIII’s Tapestry Collection; Maria Hayward, Dressed to Impress: Henry VIII’s Wardrobe and his Equipment for Horse, Hawk and Hound; Maria Hayward, Temporary Magnificence: the Offices of the Tents and Revels in the 1547 Inventory; Donald King, From the Exotic to the Mundane: Carpets and Coverings for Tables, Cupboards, Window Seats and Floors; Santina Levey, The Broderers’ Work; David Mitchell, ‘One Coverpane of Fine Diaper of the Saluatcion of our Ladie’: napery for tables and linens for beds; Lisa Monnas, ‘Plentie and Abundaunce’: Henry VIII’s Valuable Stores of Textiles; Lisa Monnas, The Splendour of Royal Worship; Elspeth Veale, From Sable to Mink. Bibliography. Index.

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