Ceremonial robe
Category
Costume
Date
1743
Materials
Silk velvet, silk, taffeta, gold, silver and silk thread.
Order this imageCollection
Ham House, Surrey
NT 1140477
Caption
Ceremonial clothing performed an important function in 18th-century society, denoting the profession and social rank of the wearer at state functions and other official gatherings. This full-length green velvet robe was supplied by the Royal Great Wardrobe to Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart (1708–70), for his investiture into the Scottish Order of the Thistle in 1743. The style was informed by centuries of tradition. Made from Italian velvet and lined with silk, the robe was worn over a doublet and breeches of cloth of silver, together with a purple velvet surcoat and matching purple hood. The embroidered emblem of the order decorates one shoulder: a silver star featuring a thistle surrounded by the Latin motto Nemo me impune lacessit (No one provokes me with impunity), which is associated with the Scottish monarchy. The order traces its origins to James V (1512– 42) in the 1540s and was revived by James II of England and VII of Scotland (1633–1701) in 1687. Membership was reserved for 16 knights and ladies appointed by the sovereign. Emma Slocombe
Summary
A ceremonial robe for the Order of Thistle in which Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart was invested with the Scottish Order of St Andrew or Thistle in 1743. Constructed of bottle green silk velvet, fully lined with white silk and thinly woven taffeta. On the left hand breast is a large applied emblem of the Order of the Thistle. It is constructed of silver ribboned thread. The emblem has been sewn through to the lining with an additional patch of silk for reinforcement. There is a plain standing up collar with a gathered yoke and large horizontal slits to take the tassled cord.
References
Ribeiro 2013: Aileen Ribeiro, 'Elite male fashion in mid- eighteenth-century England: The case of Lionel Tollemache, 4th Earl of Dysart', in Christopher Rowell (ed.), Ham House 400 Years of Collecting and Patronage, Yale, 2013, pp.298-308.., pp. 304-305 Antrobus and Slocombe 2025: Helen Antrobus and Emma Slocombe, 100 Things to Wear: Fashion from the collections of the National Trust, National Trust 2025, pp. 62-63.