The jacket is said to have been made for and worn by a member of the Wodehouse family, from Kimberley (Norfolk, England), possibly Grizell Wodehouse (d. 1635), the wife of Sir Philip Wodehouse (d. 1623; the first baronet of Wilberhall). According to family legend, the jacket was given to the family by Queen Elizabeth I (r: 1558-1603). However, the cut of the garment and the style of embroidery date to after the Queen’s death.
The jacket was acquired by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in 1942, along with two other items that are associated with the family, namely a contemporary woman’s coif and forehead piece (acc. no. 43.244a-b) and a much later, falcon’s hood (38.1300).
Boston Museum of Fine Arts online catalogue (retrieved 26th March 2017).
GVE