Just as the royal family wear crowns, members of the peerage, on very formal occasions, would wear small crowns or "coronets." Each rank had a characteristic design incorporated into their official coronet. For a duke or a duchess, this design was one of strawberry leaves, made from precious metals and jewels. In Wives and Daughters (Part Three, Chapter XXVI) Mrs. Goodenough is sorely disappointed when the Cumnor's guest, a duchess, attends the charity ball without her aristocratic finery: "...It's late hours for such folks as me, and I only stayed out of my bed to see the duchess, and I thought she'd come in diamonds and a coronet; and it puts one out at my age, to be disappointed in the only chance I'm like to have of so fine a sight." English Society Illustrated: Introduction | Earl & Countess | Duchess | Lord & Lady Squire | Young Lady | Doctor & Apprentice | Barrister Land Agent | Governess | Servants Essays + Interviews | 19th C. Women Writers | English Society Illustrated Novel to Film | Who's Who | The Forum | Links and Bibliography Home | About The Series | The American Collection | The Archive Schedule & Season | Feature Library | eNewsletter | Book Club Learning Resources | Forum | Search | Shop | Feedback ©