| Repository | University of Roehampton: Whitelands College |
| Level | Item |
| Reference Number | WC/MM/1/1882 |
| Title | Queens Gertude, Edith, Minnie, Rosa, Elizabeth |
| Date | 1882 |
| Extent | No surviving dress |
| Description | This white and gold-trimmed cashmere dress was adapted and worn by queens Gertrude (1882), Edith (1883), Minnie (1884), Rosa (1885) and Elizabeth (1886).
The dress was described in the 1886 College Annual as a ‘loose robe of white cashmere, which was adorned with trimmings of moss studded with pale blossoms’. |
| Administrative History | The second May Queen was Gertrude Bowes. The first May Queen, Ellen, had been in mourning on the day of her ceremony and dressed entirely in black. As a result, in 1882 a special robe was provided. ‘Then came the Queen herself, in a pure white robe trimmed with gold braid, and wearing a crown of moss and flowers’. This dress was then worn, with annual additional embroidery and embellishments, by each queen until 1887. |
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