Perhaps this will help clear up things a little:

From modehistorique.com

Farthingale: Current opinion among most costumers is that there are three types of farthingales: The Spanish (cone) Farthingale, the French (pad) Farthingale and the Wheel (Drum) Farthingale. These three styles of undergarment are distinct in construction as well as silhouette. Sometimes the wheel and French farthingales are confused to to mean a drum shaped farthingale supported by large pads. The purpose of this paper is to clear up some of the confusion and debate over what constitutes a farthingale vs. a "bumroll" and how we might revise conventional "wisdom" to distinguish how each garment was worn.
"Farthingale: Single hoop mounted on a circular piece of material or fastened at waist by tapes. Also, hair-stuffed cushion worn around waist, under the skirt, to extend the skirt." (A Dictionary of Costume & Fashion Historic & Modern, 178)

And, according to fashion-era.com

In the 1830s a linen material woven with horsehair called crinoline was first used for cloth petticoats. The word crinoline comes from the French for 'crin' and 'lin', meaning horsehair and linen respectively. This version of a petticoat was the original crinoline and later the name continued in use incorrectly, but universally for the caged or hooped underskirt frames.
Italics mine for emphasis

Perhaps much of the confusion stems from the Victorians stealing from the Elizabethans, tweaking it slightly, calling it by a different name and proclaiming it a "new fashion"! That sounds most realistic.
[sitting here whistling "Everything Old Is New Again"-e]

Last edited by consuelo; 12/13/05 02:06 PM.