Bridgerton is Back - So Let's Talk About the History of Spinsters

Dearest Gentle Reader, 

If you've been keeping up with Regency-Era London, you know that Bridgerton Season 4 Part 2 is dropping today on Netflix. If you weren't...now you have a fun fact for the week.  

What intrigues us you say? As always, the costumes, yes. (see which L&K colours are a perfect match for your favourite Bridgerton characters below!) 

But this time, its something Eloise, one of the Bridgerton sisters said earlier in the season. Something about being a spinster. 

Now, the historian in us at Lamb & Kid wanted to unpack that word - 'spinster'. From Regency-Era London to modern day, that word continues to be in circulation. Yet as a knitter, being a spinster doesn't sound all that bad...especially if we get to work with yarn. 

So allow us to delve in a short history lesson. 

According to The Cambridge Group for this History of Population and Social Structure (Campop):

‘Spinster’ originated in the 14th century, formed from the verb ‘to spin’ with the feminine suffix ‘ster’, to mean a woman who spun a textile fibre.

In the 16th century, 'spinster' morphed and started to be used to describe an un-married woman, which has carried on its meaning throughout modern day. Why not pick a different word you say? Good question - Campop expands: 

‘Spinner’ also meant a person who spun, of either sex, from at least the 15th century if not earlier, and retained it occupational meaning without mutation. But despite the availability of ‘spinner’, spinster continued to be used in its occupational as well as its marital sense in some places through the 18th century.

So 'spinster' was just as much an occupational title as well as a marital status, Eloise Bridgerton. In fact:

Spinning was one of the most important employments for women for over 500 years. One estimate based on the volume of cloth that England exported in the 17th century suggests that almost every woman in the country must have been spinning. 

Quite a feat, considering women were not afforded many occupations in the 17th century. Campop also notes that various historical artworks and paintings have featured women spinning, drawing parallels to how that depiction lead into 'spinster' being a designation of feminine virtue, martial status and occupation throughout history. 

The frequent images of women spinning reflect the ubiquity of this form of labour in the centuries before mechanisation. While that very ubiquity produced the elision of spinster with unmarried woman, today ‘spinster’ is most often employed pejoratively.

Next time you encounter it, remember the occupational basis of the marital descriptor which has, like so many words describing women, been weaponised to denigrate them.

Hear Hear Campop. While history may not have been kind to 'spinsters', rest assured that modern day knitters will "re-spin" the conversation.

So really...to the discerning reader...who both knits and knows Eloise Bridgerton's character...is it possible that actually, what Eloise was saying was that she wanted an occupation?! Rather than dealing with the marriage-market minded mothers of the Ton?! This reader is going to interpret the plot that way until proven otherwise. 

(Want to read the full article yourself? The Cambridge Group for the History of Population and Social Structure, Cambridge)

 

With that brief historical interlude...shall we now guide our focus back to our beloved Bridgerton characters? Because I don't know about you, but I'm still thinking about the costumes. 

The Independent talked with the costume designers for Bridgerton Season 4, and confirmed: 

Colour continues to symbolise power, personality and place throughout the different households.

So cast your gaze on some of our favourite shades to draw you ever-closer to the Ton's prominent figures. We're sure you'll find something to suit the next gala in your life: 

The Bridgerton Family

Famous for their light and airy blues, The Lamb & Kid has just the right colours for your palette. Might we recommend Gloaming, Postcard, Icicle, Cumulus or Lilla? Violet Bridgerton would certainly approve. 

(Gloaming on Birdie)

The Featheringtons

Penelope Featherington lamented over her families bright yellows and oranges in the beginning of the show, before transforming her own style into an array of beautiful aquas. Yet if you're like us and see the beauty in both of Penelope's palettes, then let us steer you towards Lemon Drop, Sungold, Fetch, Hi-Vis, and Pendant. To emulate Penelope's newer palette, enter Carnaby Street and Dolce. 

(Lemon Drop on Birdie)

(Carnaby Street on Birdie)

Lady Danbury

It just has to be said upfront that Lady Danbury is our favorite character. She is strong-willed, resilient, independent and humorous. And we've yet to even mention her fabulous jewel-toned ensembles. If Lady Danbury is also one of your favorite characters, you're going to want to look at Jammy, Scout, Chesterfield, Town & Country, Slug, Bramble and Grandma's Button. 

(Jammy on Birdie)

Allow us to make all your Bridgerton fantasies come true! Shop the full Lamb & Kid Yarns Catalog here, or as always, if you don't see your dream color currently available, call us (206.201.3563) or email us (heykid@thelambandkid.com) and we'd be happy to help you with a special order!

 

 

The Lamb & Kid is a local yarn shop located on Bainbridge Island, WA dedicated to offering an exquisite selection of artisan yarn. Our work is centered around our passion for yarn and our beloved knitting community. We hand‑dye our skeins locally in small batches and are proud to share them with knitters and makers around the world.