The Renaissance

Clitherow, Margaret ..........................

(1556–1586)

A Catholic martyr who lived and died in
the northern English city of York, some-
times referred to as the Pearl of York. She
was the daughter of Thomas Middleton, a
chandler who would become the sheriff of
York in 1564. She was raised as a Protes-
tant, marrying a prosperous butcher, John
Clitherow, who was a devout Protestant
but whose close brother was Catholic.
Margaret converted to Catholicism at the
age of eighteen. During the reign of Eliza-
beth I, England was returning to the Prot-
estant Anglican church established under
Elizabeth’s father Henry VIII. Strict laws
enforcing attendance at the Anglican par-
ishes landed her in prison for two years
for her defiance. She made her home a
center of Catholic resistance to the reli-
gious laws and Protestant domination. She
took in Catholic priests and held secret
Masses in hidden chambers in her home,
and sent her own son abroad to a Catholic
school.

In the meantime the English govern-
ment had passed laws banning priests from
the realm, and against protecting any
Catholic or taking part in Catholic fasts,
prayers, confessions, or religious ceremo-
nies on penalty of death. In 1586, her hus-
band John Clitherow was summoned to
appear before the magistrates of York to
explain his wife’s activities; during the in-
vestigation hiding places in her home were
found, along with the robes of Catholic
priests. Margaret was arrested and charged
with harboring fugitive priests and attend-
ing a Catholic Mass. On refusing to plead
her case or call any witnesses in her de-
fense, in order to spare her children and
servants, she was sentenced to be crushed
to death. The sentence was carried out on
March 25, 1586. Her happy bearing and

refusal to confess to any crime at the place

of her execution made her into one of the

most prominent martyrs of Catholicism.

SEEALSO: Catholicism; Elizabeth I; En-

gland

clothing .............................................

New styles of dress evolved in the Renais-

sance, when men and women became

acutely aware of clothing fashion.

Throughout Europe, the cut, color, and

material of clothes became important in-

dicators of status, profession, and wealth.

The clothing industry flourished, includ-

ing a busy international trade in textiles

and the creation of weaving and cloth-

making workshops. New technologies al-

lowed manufacturers to weave and dye

clothing in larger quantities and at a faster

pace. A general improvement in economic

conditions allowed members of the middle

class more disposable income to spend on

clothing and ornaments. The changing

style of clothing proved troublesome to

the authorities, however, and new sumptu-

ary laws limited the display of certain fab-

rics and colors, in order to more clearly

differentiate the classes and keep society

orderly.

Clothing and luxury industries thrived

in Italy, where Florence and Lucca became

prosperous silk-weaving centers that im-

ported their raw material through the port

of Venice. The Lucchese clothing indus-

tries also imported eastern fashion with

their raw silk, adopting patterns and mo-

tifs of Chinese and Mongol clothing. Flo-

rence was known for its floral patterns.

Italian damask, velvet, lace, satin, and taf-

feta were sold throughout the continent,

and for those who could afford it, these

luxury materials replaced heavy wool and

simple linens as clothing material. The war

in northern Italy, in which French and

clothing