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Queen Elizabeth's Coaches: The Wardrobe on Wheels

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2011

Julian Munby
Julian Munby
Affiliation:
Oxford Archaeology, Janus House, Oseney Mead, Oxford OX2 0ES, UK. E-mail: .
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Abstract

The origins of the coach in England have never been clearly documented, but the very complete records of the royal wardrobe in the reign of Queen Elizabeth reveal her part in their introduction, and the extent of her lavish expenditure on the creation and repair of coaches from 1564 until her death four hundred years ago. Detailed descriptions of eleven new coaches, and the repairs to a number of gifts from her courtiers, record the astonishing richness and quality of these machines. This suggests that the furnishings, decoration and trappings of both horse and carriage were both an extension of the queen's costume, and also a significant part of the public persona of the monarch.

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Type
Research Article
Information
The Antiquaries Journal , Volume 83 , September 2003, pp. 311 - 367
Copyright
Copyright © The Society of Antiquaries of London 2003

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References

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