Whalley Abbey Vestments

These vestments were made for the Cistercian Abbey of Whalley, which was founded in the name of St. Mary in 1296. The vestments, made between 1415 and 1430, were among Whalley Abbey’s most valuable objects.

Strawberries feature strongly in the design of the cloth of gold. We can see green strawberry leaves and small white strawberry flowers. The strawberry is the symbol of righteousness. The orphreys, or embroidered bands, depict sacred scenes beneath architectural canopies, worked in silver gilt and silver thread on linen in underside couching to give flexibility for the wearer. The background pattern is formed by the linen underside couching thread which pulls through tiny gaps of gold thread from the front of the work. The priest is the central figure during Mass (church service) and the back of his chasuble bears the most important orphrey in the form of a cross.

The orphreys tell the story of the Virgin Mary, from the marriage of her parents until the Holy Family fled into Egypt to escape King Herod’s soldiers.

The Maniple: A narrow strip of cloth worn over the left arm by vested priests, deacons and sub-deacons This garment, derived from a towel, originally carried by the celebrant to wipe perspiration from his face during mass. The Whalley Abbey maniple is made from many scraps of cloth trimmed with various gold and silver braids. It is lined with cream silk and a pink and white damask which dates from the early 1600s.

Survival of the Vestments

Along with a dalmatic in The Burrell Collection in Glasgow, the dalmatic and chasuble at Towneley Hall form the only remaining set of medieval High Mass vestments in Britain.

Chasuble – The outermost garment or vestment was worn by the priest, over an ankle-length tunic of white linen, for the celebration of Mass.

Dalmatic – A sleeved calf-length vestment worn by deacons who assisted the priest during the celebration of the Mass. Like the chasuble, it was worn over an ankle-length white linen tunic.

Cloth of Gold: The background fabric is Italian cloth of gold with borders of fine voided satin brocaded velvet. It has been embroidered to create a three-dimensional effect, the red velvet strawberries are textured with flecks of higher pile velvet.

Opus Anglicanum Embroidery: The vestments are decorated with embroidered bands known as orphreys. The embroidery in silk, silver and silver gilt threads is English work, in the medieval style known as Opus Anglicanum. This was an English art form admired and sought after across Europe. It was very costly, high quality work produced in professional workshops, mainly in London. Male and female embroiderers were employed, who had first to serve a seven year apprenticeship. The stitches include split stitch thread for faces and drapery, surface couching of silk and metal threads for outlines and soldiers’ armour and the more flexible underside couching for the gold backgrounds. The richness of the gold would be emphasised during the celebration of the Mass service by the play of light from flickering candles and shafts of sunlight.

Conservation

The vestments at Towneley Hall are special. When King Henry VIII established the Church of England, almost all Catholic vestments in England were cut up and used elsewhere, like as cushion covers. This fabric eventually wore out. The vestments here have survived over 600 years and most of the work remains in good condition. Textile conservation was carried out in 1992 to stabilise parts, such as the right sleeve of the dalmatic.

The right sleeve has a detailed patch support of linen, which has been dyed and painted to represent the missing gold cloth with strawberry design. The fringes originally striped in red, green, white and indigo have partly decayed.