In 1555 it was reported that Queen Mary I sent four agents to Moscow to meet tsar, Ivan the Terrible, himself the possessor of prodigious facial hair. According to legend, all Mary’s agents had impressive facial hair, especially George Illingworth, whose beard was over 5 feet long.
An encyclopaedia from 1902 includes the following entry on Illingworth and his mission to Russia: ‘At sight of (the beard) a smile crossed the grim features of Ivan the Terrible himself. George’s beard was thick, broad, and yellow; and, after dinner, Ivan played with it, as with a favourite toy.’
Moustaches, Whiskers & Beards by Lucinda Hawksley, National Portrait Gallery
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