Show starch has a history was first made 1 in n flanders and invaded england la elizabeths time at first unpopular with the puritans A package of asked the intelligent and learned grocer and as he wrapped the package up he talked of the article starch originated he said in flanders it was introduced into eng land with the big ruff in the time of queen elizabeth it was like our starch of today except that it was made in colors red yellow green blue the effect of this was to tint delicately the white linen to which the starch might be applied before queen elizabeth s time rut ruf fles and ruffs were made of fine hoi hot land which required no stiffening then the ruffs of cambric came and these must of necessity be starched the grocer consulting his memo book resumed it Is recorded that when the queen had ruffs made of lawn and cambric for her own princely wearing there was none in england could tell how to starch them but the queen made special means for some women that could starch and mrs GuIl gulliam hain wife of the royal coachman was the first in 1564 a flanders woman frau fran van der plasse came tb london and established there a school for the teaching of starching the school succeeded the flanders frau got rich sh charged 25 5 a lesson and an extra twenty shillings for a recipe for the making of starch of wheat flour bran and roots yellow was the most fashionable color in starch among the nobility the fast racing set went in for green the puritans used blue starch though at first they had been against the stuff altogether dubbing it A certaine cert alne alrie kinde of liquida matter which they called starch wherein the devill hath willed them to wash and dive their ruffes which when they be dry will then stand stiffie stiffe and inflexible about their necks starch is made from wheat corn and potatoes and starving men have often subsisted on it finding it nour ashing though not tasty |