Bands

Clerical bands are a relic of the ancient amice, a square linen tippet tied about the neck of priests during the administration of mass (Discontinued by the parochial clergy the latter part of the 19th century, but still used by clerics on the Continent.)

Legal bands are a relic of the wide collars which formed a part of the ordinary dress in the reign of Henry VIII., and which were especially conspicuous in the reign of the Stuarts. In the showy days of Charles II. the plain bands were changed for lace ends.

“The eighth Henry, as I understand,

Was the first prince that ever wore a band.”

John Taylor, the Water Poet (1580–1654).

· ·

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.