"Plain bays for Jenny's"?

[sagehen]

> From a mid-18th century newspaper article, datelined London:
>
>"Several fine Ladies who used to wear French Silks, French Hoops of
>four Yards Wide, Tete de Mouton Heads (or Bob Wigs) and with Sattin
>Smock Petticoats &c are turned Methodists, and Followers of Mr.
>Whitefield, whose Doctrine of the New Birth has so prevail'd over
>them, that they now wear plain Stuff Gowns, no Hoops, common
>Night-Mobs and plain Bays for Jenny's."
>
>I've been asked, "What are 'Jenny's'?"  I'm assuming simply the
>female name, and an erroneous "y's" instead of "ies".
>
>(The second question I've been asked is "What are 'plain Bays [for
>Jenny's]'?", but that may be outside the scope of ADS-L.  I assume
>"bays" is "baize".)
>
>Joel
>
 ~~~~~~~~~
I agree that "bays" is probably baize, & I have a dim recollection of  once
identifying a "Jenny" as a sort of pinafore or apron.  It could also have
been a sort of generic for housemaid, which would account for the
apostrophe (not used for the other plurals). Then the name is a chicken&egg
sort of thing: which came first?
AM

 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
W stands for >:<  War ____Waste___Wiretaps____Witchhunts  >:<
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org