Gloves And the Glove Trade

mselves from the cold by similar means. Mr. J. R. Planch6, in his Cyclopaedia of Costume, instances examples from the dress of Anglo-Saxon times, where the tunics worn by the men of that period were furnished with a long wide sleeve, which in mild weather was wrinkled up at the wrist and secured by a strap or bracelet of leather, but which could be drawn down over the hand in severe weather to afford the protection now obtained from the glove. Muffs were also used for the same purpose. Gradually, however, the advantage to be derived from gloves came to be recognised, and they have steadily grown in popular favour. From records still extant it would appear safe to assume that most early gloves were of the fingerless type, having a separate stall for the thumb only. The glove fitted with separate fingers developed later. In the first place they were worn for the warmth or protection they afforded their wearers, but from mere articles of utility they ultimately came to be regarded both as a badge of rank and as a means of ostentation and display. It is impossible at this distance of time to trace the gradual evolution of their development in these respects, but, according to both William Hull and S. William Beck, by the thirteenth century we find them figuring in theinvestiture of kings and among the symbolical vestments of the clergy. The gloves of the early monarchs were frequently adorned with precious stones and richly decorated with gold or silver embroidery. In...