Chapter XIV: On the Albe, Surplice, Etc

There are various opinions among the learned both as to the origin and line of descent (so to speak) of all the distinctive vestments worn by the ministers of the Church at the present day. The albe and surplice are not among the least interesting from an historical point of view; however, it is not our purpose to discuss it here, and whatever theory we may prefer—that which derives them from a Levitical ancestry, or from the Eastern garments of common use in the time of Our Lord, or from the Græco-Roman in the early centuries of our era, the fact remains that from the very earliest times of which we have any record of such things _white linen raiment_[13] was a noticeable feature in the dress of the Christian minister, whether priest, deacon, or server.

The albe and the surplice were _possibly_ both derived from one original garment. Their chief characteristics were that they were long, full, and made with sleeves; moreover that they were usually of white linen, and either quite plain or ornamented in some simple and appropriate manner by a border that could be washed with the garment, or (in the case of the albe from the thirteenth century) by apparels which were easily removed without injuring it.

The ALBE has retained its primitive character in all these respects.

The long flowing garment is confined at the waist, for convenience in ministration, by a girdle or band, which may consist simply of a plain linen cord 4 yards long, finished at the ends with tassels of the same; or it may be a band from 1 to 3 inches wide, richly embroidered in silk and gold. When this is the case it should be fastened by strings sewn to the lining, or by hooks and eyes, or a clasp, so that it may not become creased and spoiled by frequent tying. A band is perhaps better for keeping the stole in place as being less liable to roughen and damage the silk. It seems to have been an old English custom to use a band, judging by the old inventories, &c.,[14] but it is not so general in these days as the cord, and the symbolism is lost unless the band is kept quite narrow.

(_South Kensington Museum_)]

The diagram (Illustration II.) shows the shape and dimensions of a very old albe now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, South Kensington. The linen it is made of is 22 inches wide, and the seams are joined down the middle of the front and back by means of an insertion, worked in buttonhole-stitch with white linen thread, rather more than; ¼ inch wide. The seams at the shoulders are treated in the same way with insertion ½ inch wide, into which is worked an inscription in red thread; and there is a small red cross on each of the gussets let in at the waist to contain the gathers, which are set very close together, to provide the necessary fulness for the skirt.

The apparels are made of fourteenth century brocade.

Modern albes are usually either gathered into a neck-band somewhat like a surplice (see Illustration III.), and so are full all the way down, or they may be widened gradually from the shoulder.

The measurements are very similar in each case, and take from 7 to 9 yards of linen, a yard wide.

In the gathered pattern (which is much handsomer than the plain one) there are no _cut_ seams except for the sleeves; the selvedges should be over-sewn together with fine cotton very closely, and then the seams will not show at all. Those on the sleeve should be finely stitched and the raw edge turned in and ‘felled’—i.e. _hemmed_—down on the inside. The neck and shoulder bands should be stitched with fine back-stitching on the outside. They may be decorated with any fancy stitch as well, or a narrow border may be embroidered. The hem round the bottom should be from 1 to 3 inches deep. A border of embroidery may be worked all round, above the hem.

The custom of working a lace insertion in the middle of a seam, which used to be common to the better sort of household linen as well as that for the Church, has fallen into disuse of late years, in consequence of our linen being woven so much wider than it used to be. But it might still be used in the front and back of the plain albe, and it may be well to describe the method of working it, as it is not at all difficult to do, nor so tedious as it might appear at first glance. And irrespective of the _width_ of linen, there are occasions when the _length_ may require addition (such, for instance, as the enlargement of a fair linen cloth for an altar). It is a recognised law of art that Beauty should be called forth by Necessity; and the hiding, covering, or ornamenting a seam was perhaps the very first incentive to embroidery!

If it is a cut edge which is to be joined to another in this manner, each piece of stuff is hemmed separately.

The work is begun upon one hem as a foundation, and when finished is sewn closely on to the other.

For the first row * make two tiny buttonhole stitches into the edge of the hem (or of the selvedge if there is no hem). Then leave a small space, equal to the room taken up by the two buttonhole stitches; then two more stitches, then leave a space of about ⅜ inch, carrying the cotton straight along—repeat from * till the first row is done, all along the edge.

Turn the work over to the other side, or fasten off thread and begin at the same end as at first: by turning it over the same effect is attained—viz. working from left to right for each row, which keeps the work even.

For the second row the threads which stretch across the spaces of ⅜ inch are covered with fine buttonholing, and two stitches are put into each of the tiny spaces left for them in the first row.

When the end of the second row is reached the work should be turned over, as before, and the third row done exactly the same as the first, except that the pairs of stitches are worked _into the little spaces_ caused by going from the bar to the middle of the pairs of stitches instead of into the stuff: _c_ on Illustration IV. shows this very much enlarged; _a_ and _b_ are the same size as the work on the old albe. After the first row, which is worked into the linen, it is better to use a blunt needle. The button-hole-stitches should be drawn up tightly over the thread throughout the work; in the illustration of the detail they are not drawn tightly enough for the real work.

From three to five bars are enough for this pattern. A great number of different ones can be arranged with a little ingenuity, variation being brought about by differing the proportions of buttonhole ‘filling,’ bars and spaces.

The sleeve of the albe is, theoretically, tight fitting, but for convenience in wearing it over other clothing, and to get it easily over the hand, it is generally made from 12 to 14 inches in circumference at the wrist. In old pictures one often sees it fitting _quite closely_, in which case it is provided with buttons and buttonholes to fasten the extra opening, which has to be made at the under seam.

The AMICE is either a square or rectangular piece of fine linen from 29 to 36 inches in length, worn as a neck-cloth with the albe and covering the edge of the chasuble, where it would otherwise come in contact with the neck of the wearer. It is hemmed with a narrow hem all round and has two strings 74 inches long, fastened at the upper corners to keep it in place. It sometimes has a large cross embroidered upon it, as in this example which is taken from that of St. Thomas à Becket, and has an apparel of gold embroidery attached to the upper edge. These apparels were almost universal from the thirteenth to the sixteenth century, and are retained in the English use. It is lightly tacked on to the edge of the amice, so that when it is turned back over the chasuble it lies evenly round like a collar. It may be made to match the colour of the vestment it is worn with, or one richly embroidered with gold or made of gold tissue, may be worn with any of them.

(A.D. 1301)]

The SURPLICE, which from very early times seems to have formed part of the choir habit of clergy and other ministers alike, is very similar to the albe, except that, being an outer instead of an under vestment, the sleeves are long and full, and also in consequence of being worn over a cassock, an albe, or a ‘pellice’[15] it has become somewhat shorter in the skirt; but there are, from the time of Edward the Confessor onward, numerous canons, laws, and directions always ordering the surplice to be long enough to reach down to the heels. The albe, surplice, and rochet are very much alike; in the old documents it is often difficult to determine which of the three is meant, there being so many names for the same thing, and both names and uses almost interchangeable. But in the present day we confine the term _albe_ to the one with somewhat tight-fitting sleeves, _surplice_ to the one with long flowing sleeves, and _rochet_ to the one without any, or with full ones gathered into a band at the wrist. Albes were at one time occasionally made of silk, and sometimes were even coloured,[16] but I do not think surplices ever were, neither have they ever been much ornamented. Smocking at the gathers or an embroidered neck-band seems to have been the only decoration at all common. The rochet was and still is sometimes embroidered all round just above the hem.

The accompanying diagram (Illustration VIII.) shows how to cut a surplice like the one represented at Illustration VII.

The dimensions are very similar to those given by Dr. Rock, except that his is fuller in the skirt. If this is desired it can be done without any difficulty by merely adding another width of linen (placing the _centre_ on the diagram 18 inches further to the right, and thus using _two_ full widths instead of one).

It is better in this case to make the collar-band deeper, as it is difficult to get so many gathers into the 29 inches of circumference given here.

All the selvedge seams should be ‘whipped,’ ‘seamed,’ or ‘over-sewn’—three names for one and the same process. The diagonal seams or any with cut edges must be ‘run and felled.’

This pattern takes 6½ yards of linen, a yard wide; Dr. Rock’s would take 2½ yards more. His is more suitable for smocking; and where a deep collar-band is used it may be embroidered, preferably in white, though some of the old ones were done in red.

A priest’s surplice should measure at least 4½ yards round the bottom; those for choir men and boys are not usually so wide.