Minggu, 06 Juli 2008

The Early Medieval period


Some of the cultures in England and Wales at the time were the Anglo-Saxons , the Vikings , the Welsh and the Cornish .
Some of the most beautiful and exciting objects from this time were put into Anglo-Saxon graves. Many people were buried in their best clothes, with particular tools or weapons next to them. There were no coins used at this time. Buttons hadn't been invented yet, and clothes weren't stretchy, so pins and brooches were used to keep the clothing tight and warm around the body. At this time, too, coins slowly become more common as people begin to buy and sell more.
The stirrup-strap mounts and stirrup terminals are particularly exciting as they represent the earliest archaeological evidence for the use of stirrups in England .

Sabtu, 28 Juni 2008

Medieval Clothing in Scotland


The purpose is not to tell you exactly what clothing to make, but rather to outline the issues concerned, and to indicate the known references that discuss women's clothing in Scotland. Firstly, it is unfortunately true that very little has been published (or even researched) about women's clothing in Scotland.
“What clothing did medieval Scottish women wear?” is not actually a question to which there is a single answer, because what women wore changed over the 1000 years of the middle ages in Scotland just as it did elsewhere in Europe. And, just as elsewhere in Europe, what women wore depended on what social class they belonged to.
So, before you can answer "What clothing should my Scottish persona wear?" you must answer three questions:
1. Exactly when does your persona live?
2. To which Scottish culture does your persona belong?
3. To what class does your persona belong?
Women living in the burghs (towns) were not part of Gaelic culture, and would not have dressed as Gaels. In general, their clothing, it seems, was very similar to that worn by women of similar class in England, France, or other northern European kingdoms.
Women living in Gaelic culture, sometimes even noblewomen, it seems, for most of the middle ages would have dressed very similarly to how Irish women dressed. In the very late middle ages, however, it appears that, just as Scottish Gaelic men's clothing diverged from that of the Irish, that Scottish Gaelic women's clothing also may have diverged. Unfortunately there seems to be very little evidence about Scottish Gaelic women's clothing. What is known is that at least in the 17th century, Gaelic women wore an earasaid (modern Scottish Gaelic spelling), though exactly how is not clear, and married women wore the brèid (modern Scottish Gaelic spelling), which is a type of kerchief, though exactly how is again unclear.
There is some possibility that Highland nobles of the 15th or 16th century would have worn Highland fashion while at home, but Lowland fashion if they visited court. Please note that I have not even begun to address several Scottish cultures and classes whose women may have dressed quite differently from those discussed above!