Iron Stays

Stays made of iron, seventeenth century.

By York Castle Museum

Iron corsetYork Castle Museum

One of the rarest items in York Castle Museum's costume and textiles collection, this set of iron stays dates from the seventeenth century.

Iron corset Iron corset (1580-1599)York Castle Museum

Stays are an early form of corset, worn in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries usually made of linen or leather, and stiffened with reeds or whalebone.

Iron corsetYork Castle Museum

Iron stays were made by blacksmiths and armourers for a small number of wealthy women who wore them to help with posture or figure problems. They helped create a fashionable aristocratic body shape.

The stays began life as a flat sheet of iron. The holes were punched into the iron to make it lighter and provide ventilation.

They were beaten into shape; the uneven surface produced by the hammer strokes can still be seen.

Iron corsetYork Castle Museum

The overall shape of the iron stays is the same as fabric stays of the period.

Iron corsetYork Castle Museum

Iron stays were worn over a padded or leather undergarment. Like all corsetry, they were never worn directly next to the skin.

The stays have an internal circumference of 55cm (21.5 inches) and an internal chest circumference of 64cm (25.25 inches). They were probably made for a girl in her late teens.

Iron corsetYork Castle Museum

Hinges at the sides are very similar to the hinges used in suits of armour. We believe these stays were made by an armourer.

Iron corsetYork Castle Museum

Alterations can be seen. The band around the bust was added, probably for reinforcement.

Iron corsetYork Castle Museum

This length of metal at the front was also for reinforcement. This made the stays stronger.

Iron corsetYork Castle Museum

The back has been damaged in two places, a break on the left and a split on the right.

Iron corsetYork Castle Museum

The split has been repaired with a metal plate on the inside.

Iron corsetYork Castle Museum

Stays like these are very rare. Not many were made, and fewer have survived.

Credits: Story

Iron Stays
York Castle Museum

Object from York Castle Museums Costume & Textile Collection

Collections photography
Robert Wake, M Faye Prior, Martin Fell

Text
M Faye Prior, Alison Bodley

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

York Castle Museum

Stories from York Castle Museum

Online Exhibit