CLOTHING-COSTUME. 



Anglo-Saxon Serf. 



admit the passage of the head, from which it may be 

 inferred that it was put on by slipping it over the 

 head and shoulders, in 

 the manner of a modern 

 shirt or ancient hauberk. 

 Sandals, bound with 

 thongs made of boar's 

 hide, protected the feet ; 

 and a sort of roll of 

 thin leather was bound 

 artificially round the 

 legs, and, ascending 

 above the calf, left the 

 knees bare, like those of 

 a Scotch Highlander. 

 To make the jacket sit 

 more closely to the body, 

 it was gathered at the 

 middle by a broad leath- 

 ern belt, secured by a 

 brass buckle, to one side 

 of which was attached 

 a sort of scrip, and to 

 the other a ram's horn, accoutred with a mouth- 

 piece for the purpose of blowing. In the same 

 belt was stuck one of those long, broad, sharp- 

 pointed, and two-edged knives which were fabri- 

 cated in the neighbourhood, and bore even at 

 this early period the name of a Sheffield whittle. 

 The man had no covering upon his head, which 

 was only defended by his own thick hair matted 

 and twisted together. One part of his dress only 

 remains, but it is too remarkable to be suppressed : 

 it was a brass ring resembling a dog's collar, but 

 without any opening, and soldered fast round his 

 neck ; so loose as to form no impediment to his 

 breathing, yet so tight as to be incapable of being 

 removed, excepting by the use of the file. On 

 this singular gorget was engraved, in Saxon char- 

 acters " Gurth, the son of Beowulf, is the born 

 thrall of Cedric of Rotherwood." ' 



The Anglo-Saxon females wore under-tunics, 

 with sleeves ; another inner garment the linen 

 kirtle ; and over these the long full gown, with 

 loose sleeves. The head-dress was a hood or veil, 

 which, falling down before, was wrapped round 

 the neck and breast ; and this was the only head- 

 covering of the women when abroad. The hair 

 was carefully dressed, and golden head-bands, 

 half-circles, neck-bands, and bracelets were worn ; 

 with ear-rings, necklaces, crosses, and jewelled 

 ornaments too numerous to describe. The hose 

 and shoes resembled those worn by the men. The 

 long sleeves of the gown or the mantle, drawn 

 over the hands, served as gloves, which were not 

 worn before the eleventh century. All classes 

 used on their cheeks a red cosmetic, so that the 

 art of painting the face is not the creature of 

 refinement. The general colours of the dresses 

 were red, blue, and green, sometimes embroidered 

 in patterns ; and gold tissue and cloth of gold 

 were worn by princesses and nuns ; and the latter 

 embroidered robes, sandals, tunics, vests, cloaks, 

 and veils of enormous cost for pearls and pre- 

 cious jewels were interwrought with the materials, 

 and sometimes three years were spent in working 

 one garment; and their dresses were often lined 

 with sable, beaver, and fox furs, or the skins of 

 lambs or cats. 



In the article of dress, the Danish intruders into 

 Britain were, after a time, equally profuse. The 



Anglo-Danish kings appear principally to have 

 worn a red habit, embroidered with gold, and a 

 purple robe ; and their mantles were richly em- 

 broidered with gold and pearls. Upon a manu- 

 script of the reign of Canute, that monarch is, 

 however, represented in a Saxon dress, the mantle 

 being richly ornamented with cords or ribbons and 

 tassels ; and he wears shoes and stockings with 

 embroidered tops. His body, when discovered 

 in Winchester Cathedral in the year 1766, was 

 decorated with gold and silver bands, and a richly 

 jewelled ring; bracelets were worn by all persons 

 of rank, and invariably buried with them. Canute's 

 queen wore the tunic, mantle, and long veiL 

 The materials of the Danish dresses were cloths, 

 silks, or velvets, procured either from Spain or 

 the Mediterranean, by plundering the Moors. 



From the Danish invasion to the Norman Con- 

 quest there were few changes in costume, if we 

 except the imitation of Norman-French fashions 

 in the reign of the Confessor, by shortening the 

 tunics, clipping the hair, and shaving the beard, 

 but leaving the upper lip unshorn. Tattooing 

 after the Pictish fashion was practised even to 

 this time, although it had been forbidden by a law 

 passed in the eighth century. 



Eleventh till Fourteenth Century. 



The Norman Conquest introduced a greater 

 degree of taste and splendour into British cos- 

 tume ; but the dress of the common order of 

 people remained long of a comparatively rude 

 fashion, partly from the effect of caste and sump- 

 tuary laws, which prevented any decided change. 

 As time advanced, the materials of dress improved, 

 but the fashioning was little different, and, till this 

 day, we have a sample of the Anglo-Saxon tunic 

 in the smock-frock, a species of overall linen shirt, 

 very generally worn by the peasantry of England. 

 The blouse, a coarse linen shirt of blue instead of 

 white, which is now universally worn by workmen 

 in France, Switzerland, the Low Countries, and 

 part of Germany, had an equally early origin. 



In the reign of Rufus many costly changes were 

 made in dress ; the tunics were lengthened, and 

 the under garments even trailed upon the ground. 

 The sleeves were also drawn over the whole hand, 

 although gloves were worn, at least by the higher 

 classes. The cloth mantles were lined with rich 

 furs ; and one lined with black sables and white 

 spots cost ,100. Extravagantly peaked -toed 

 boots and shoes were worn ; and a court cox- 

 comb, who caused the points of his shoes to curl 

 like a ram's horn, received the name of Dt Comi- 

 bus, or 'with the horns.' The hair, which had 

 been shorn from the back of the head as well as 

 the face by the Norman-French, was now a 

 worn long ; and the courtiers in Stephen's reign 

 even wore artificial hair, so that wigs may date 

 from the twelfth century- The long beard also 

 reappeared in the reign of Henry I. (1100-1135). 



About this period, gloves, highly ornamented, 

 appear to have been used by kings and the higher 

 church dignitaries. Gloves, or a clothing of 

 leather for the hands, had not been unknown in 

 early ages ; by the Greeks and Romans they were 

 employed as a protection in certain kinds of rough 

 labour. Now they were employed as part of a 

 mailed dress, and also on ceremonial occasions. 

 From the monumental effigy of Richard I. it is 

 seen that he wore gloves ornamented with jewels 



