Anne Montagu, Countess of Sandwich, died in 1690 after her dress caught fire from a candle. Death by fire from clothing was one of the most common causes of death among women in the 17th and 18th centuries. Wide skirts and loose sleeves made of flammable fabric caught easily from open fires and candles. The fashion continued unchanged for generations. Hundreds of women died the same way. It was considered an unavoidable domestic accident.
INTERESTING FACT The risk was so well known that some households kept buckets of water in every room specifically for this purpose. It made no difference. The fashion for wide flammable skirts continued until the 19th century. The women who died were recorded as accidents. The dressmakers who profited were never questioned.
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