“That sash will hang you”: Political Clothing and Adornment in England, 1780–1840

Abstract

On 25 November 1830, John Benett, Tory MP for Wiltshire, met a group of "Swing" rioters approaching his property near Salisbury. Though their threat to break his agricultural machinery obviously disturbed him, Benett was also struck by their appearance. The leaders of the group were wearing what he described as "partycoloured sashes." Benett warned one leader: "I am sorry to see you with that sash on […] Young man, that sash will hang you." The rioters blankly refused to take off their adornments and continued towards his land; Benett called out the yeomanry and a disturbance ensued. 1

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Revolutionary Threads: The Mediation of Gender and Political Identity in the ‘New Irish Dance Costume’, 1917–37

“…As Wendy Parkins, Elizabeth Wilson and others have claimed, the wearing of symbolic items allows individuals to perform gender and politics through the body in the generation of a 'body politic'. 68 As political adornment, dance costume articulated Irishwomen's self-identification within a broader political collective. This intersection, however, created a double bind, particularly as it related to Irishwomen's access to full citizenship.…”

The Material Culture of Scottish Reform Politics, c.1820–c.1884

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