| These delightful plates come from the book ENGLISH COSTUME I: EARLY ENGLISH
written and illustrated
by Dion Clayton Calthrop
The four-volume set was published in London in 1906 by Adam and Charles Black. The contents fall into public domain, so are copyright-free.� Thanks to the Portsmouth Public Library for checking. I include these plates as examples of what Robin Hood and His Merry Men and Women may have worn.� I've added Additional Clothing Facts at the bottom of the page. I'm glad to bring these brilliant and beautiful paintings back into public view after a hundred years.� The captions are Calthrop's. |
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A Child of the Time of Henry I
Children were dressed, with slight modifications, after the manner of their parents, looking like little men and women.
Click for full size. |
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A Man of the Time of William I
(1066 - 1087)
Cloak buckled at the shoulder.� Leather thongs crossed on his legs.� Shoes of leather.� Tunic fitting to his body like a jersey. Click for full size. |
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A Woman of the Time of William I
(1066 - 1087)
A twist of wool holds the gown at the waist.� Under the gown the chemise shows.� The neck of the gown is embroidered.Click for full size. |
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A Man of the Time of William II
(1087 - 1100)
Shows the wide drawers with an embroidered hem.� Under them can be seen the long woollen drawers bound with leather thongs.Click for full size. |
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A Woman of the Time of William II
(1087 - 1100)
This shows the gown, which is laced behind, fitting more closely to the figure.� The sleeves are wider above the wrist.Click for full size. |
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A Man of the Time of Henry I
(1100 - 1135)
His hair is curled in
ringlet; he wears a long cloak.� The shirt shows at the neck of
the tunic.� The small design in the corner is from a sanctuary
door-knocker.Click for full size. |
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A Woman of the Time of Henry I
(1100 - 1135)
This shows the pendant
sleeve with an embroidered hem.� The long plaits of hair ended
with metal, or silk, tags.� At the neck and wrists the white
chemise shows.Click for full size. |
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A Man of the Time of Stephen
(1135 - 1154)
He is wearing a cloak
with hood attached; it is of skin, the smooth leather inside.� He
has an ankle gaiter covering the top of his shoes.� On the arm
over which the cloak hangs can be seen the white sleeve of the
shirt.� Click for full size. |
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A Woman of the Time of Stephen
(1135 - 1154)
Her dress fits to her
figure by lacing up the back.� Her long sleeves are tied up to
keep them from trailing upon the ground.� Her hair is fastened at
the end into silken cases.� She has a wimple in her hands which
she may wind about her head.� Click for full size. |
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A Man of the Time of Henry II
(1154 - 1189)
He wears the short
cloak, and his long tunic is held by a brooch at the neck and is
girdled by a long-tongued belt.� There are gloves on his hands.Click for full size. |
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A Woman of the Time of Henry II
(1154 - 1189)
There is a chin-band to be seen passing under the wimple; this band is pinned to hold it round the head.Click for full size. |
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A Man of the Time of Richard I
(1189 - 1199)
Click for full size. |
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A Woman of the Time of Richard I
(1189 - 1199)
Her very full cloak is kept in place by the cord which passes through loops.� A large buckle holds the neck of the gown well together.� The gown is ornamented with a simple diaper pattern; the hem and neck are deeply embroidered.� Click for full size. |
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A Man of the Time of John
(1199 - 1216)
Click for full size. |
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A Woman of the Time of John
(1199 - 1216)
One may just see the purse beneath the cloak, where it hangs from the belt.� The cloak itself is of fine diaper-patterned material.� Click for full size. |
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A Man of the Time of Henry III
(1216 - 1272)
Heavy cloak and fullness of the dress characteristic of the time.� Click for full size. |
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A Woman of the Time of Henry III
(1216 - 1272)
This will show how very slight were the changes in women's dress; a plain cloak, a plain gown, and a wimple over the head.� Click for full size. |
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A Peasant of Early England
(William I - Henry III)
His hood is made from sheep skin, the wool outside, the hem trimmed into points.� His legs are bound up with gaiters of plaited straw.� His shoes are of the roughest make of coarse leather.� He has the shepherd's horn slung over his shoulder.� Click for full size. |
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by Clayton Emery
These "facts" are all my observations, so check around. In the Middle Ages, men and women dressed pretty much alike.� Clothes were simple but elegant since items were tailored to fit. Both sexes wore a linen garment against the skin to mid-thigh.� Men called it a shirt and women a (French) chemise or (Saxon) smock.� They changed it when soiled. Over this went a woollen tunic for men or gown for women.� Wool was woven broadcloth cut and sewn.� There were no sweaters, since knitting wasn't invented until the 1400s. A variation in the north was the kilt, which was pleated and belted and tossed and pinned.� Before a battle, Highlanders threw off their heavy kilts and fought in long shirts.� Dead men were carried home on their kilt like a stretcher. Linen underpants were optional.� Most women did without because it was too awkward to handle long skirts and underpants. For fancy, clothes could be embroidered or smocked.� Other decorations might be rings, bracelets, necklaces, a multicolored belt with bronze buckle and tip, tiny bells, tassels, and points for hems.� Knights' and officials' emblems might be painted on.� Belts and brooches pulled clothes snug. Everyone wore a hat or kerchief all the time, even in the house and church.� A hat reflected the status, occupation, and personality of its owner. In cold weather people added layers.� Men could pull on a capuchin - a shoulder cover with hood - and women a shawl.� Over this went a cloak, long or short, held with a big pin.� Or a poncho-like garment with arm holes.� And gloves. People wore wool hose tied to a cloth garter belt, and might have gone barelegged in summer.� They wore leather shoes or leather-wood clogs, or went barefoot.� I don't know if clergy wore sandals. Men and women tied on aprons for sloppy jobs.� Men also donned oversized work shirts that reached to mid-calf, much like pre-schoolers wear an old shirt to finger-paint.� A work shirt would be hung in the back room, not worn into the house.� A worker might switch to a brimless cap on the job. Rich people had many clothes, average people one wool tunic/gown and a spare shirt or two, and poor people wore castoffs.� People likely got a new suit of clothes and new pair of shoes once a year, perhaps at Christmas, a practice that extended right up to the Industrial Revolution. Children dressed like their parents until the invention of the "teenager" in the 1950s and relaxed dress codes in the 1960s.� Big families had lots of hand-me-downs.� Since clothes wear at the seams and edges, a worn item could be taken apart and resewn one size smaller. In my version of Robin Hood, Robin and Marian, as the "squires" of the Greenwood, give all the Merry Men new clothes and shoes twice a year, when the treasury allows.� In the spring everyone receives a new linen shirt, new Lincoln Green tunic, and new hose of whatever color is cheapest.� In the fall, everyone receives the same in brown.� Hats, gloves, cloaks, and extras are up to individuals to purchase or make.� Robin wears a deerhide jerkin of his own design, basically a leather tabard split up the sides and belted tight. |
