"Send a prayer to the ones up above, All the hate that you've heard has turned your spirit to a dove, Your spirit up above..."
England ; Latter half of the 14th Century.
0 Comments
"Strangers cry in foreign tongues, And dirty up the doorstep, And I for one and you for two, Ain't got the time for outside, Keep your injured looks to you, We'll tell the world that we tried..."
England ; Latter half of the 14th Century. Photo courtesy AWL Gallery. In this basic representation of a late 14th Century English Esquire, we see the typical clothing worn by someone that sits near the middle of the social hierarchy within his respective 'estate'.
Worn here is a red wool hood with blue and yellow silk embroidery - the latter being a way of showing status as clothing bearing embroidery was only available to Esquires with land worth at least £200 a year and above. Such regulations were dictated by the Sumptuary Laws of 1363 and dictated nearly every aspect of clothing in English society at the time. The hood features the characteristic "dagges" around the lower hem, as well as the long, trailing "liripipe" seen on most hoods of the time. In addition to being worn in the conventional manner, hoods also began to be worn with the face hole rolled up and placed over the top of the head and the rest of the hood wrapped around, this serving as the early renditions of the later famous "chaperon" seen in Renaissance artwork. On his torso he wears a green wool 'Cotte' with cloth buttons down the front and sleeves. During the 14th Century men's clothing in particular left the formless, loose gown-like tunics of the earlier centuries and bordered on the obscene in later decades, with many contemporary chroniclers commenting that the overly-fitted and tight design of men's clothing leaving little to one's imagination, and that men being disrobed looked like they were being "skinned" when their coats and doubled were peeled off their torsos. Buttons are the primary reason for this becoming so common as now clothing could be cut very close to the body's form and fastened in place rather than simply pulled over the head and belted. The Cotte featured here is still somewhat conservative by later 14th Century standards, and is only fitted through the lower arms and chest, with the rest still being looser and longer than other later examples. This style would eventually become short enough that hose would also have to become joined so as to cover the man's groin and buttocks as the short, fitted 'doublets' of later decades would leave all of this exposed. Speaking of hose (or "hosen"), our Esquire here wears a pair of maroon wool separate-leg hosen. This style became commonplace in the European fashion complex during the later years of the 10th Century and remained the fashion stable well into the 15th Century, where they were finally replaced for the most part by hose that more closely resembled trousers. Until this point, the hosen were pulled over each leg separately and were either pinned or fastened via ties (or "points") at the top, either to a belt or directly to the Braies (underwear). They were cut along the fabric's bias which made them stretchy enough to be very fitted to the contours of the wearer's leg, thus showing off the muscular, healthy calves of their owner - something very strongly emphasized in contemporary artwork. On this feet he wears a pair of simple black goat and cow leather shoes. While shoes also began to become highly elaborate - almost to the point of complete uselessness - during this time, a man of his Estate with practicality on his mind would likely have stuck with a more practical design, thus the shoes seen here are of the the turnshoe fashion with thick cow leather soles and more supple goat uppers. They close with a simple strap that runs across the top of the foot and ties through holes at the outer side. They, like the sword scabbard, belt, and belt pouch, are all dyed black, which is a commonly-seen color for leather goods during this time. While black was obtainable in previous centuries, it has been considered one of the most expensive colors to get and was likely out of price range for most folks, however, with certain technological advances during the High Middle Ages, black became more accessible and seems to have been a popular color during this time. For accessories he wears a black leather belt and belt pouch. The belt is of cow leather and bears brass decorative bars throughout, as well as a brass buckle and end cap. The leather has also been tooled with intricate designs, with all of the latter features being copied from belt examples attributes to finds from 14th Century London. The pouch has been copied from period artwork and features a cow leather main body with a calf skin inner gusset. It closes via a simple leather strap with brass buckle and has been tooled. For protection he carries both a dagger and a sword. While the dagger would have been for every day functions, the sword would sometimes (though more rarely) carried for other tasks, as well. The dagger is of the "Ballock" dagger design with a double-edged steel blade, wooden handle, and brass pommel cap. Its sheath is of brown walnut-dyed cow leather. The sword, also bearing a double-edged steel blade, is of the Oakeshott Type XVI style, which is roughly from the early 14th Century, however, it is likely this style saw use throughout the remainder of the century, as well. Where hair and facial hair is concerned, those are where this Esquire's societal rebellions lie - for one, his hair is shorter, and is of the "bowl-cut" fashion, something which only started to take hold in the late 14th Century, especially among high-ranking members of society. At this point, upper-class men still wore their hair relatively long, between chin and shoulder-length, and usually had it parted in the middle. They also still wore large numbers of beards, of which this man has none. It was generally thought that beards made men - especially those of the military class - look too "boyish", and would likewise interfere with one's duties, however, by the end of the century this seems to have started to subside, likely started by men like this who shunned such conventions of the older "traditionalists" - something the 14th Century has become well-known for. |
AboutThis page will focus on the lifestyles of those living in Medieval Europe from approximately the 11th Century through the 14th. Archives
April 2021
Categories
All
|