Medieval costumes worn in the 11th and 12th centuries

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The years concidered here cover the medieval period from just before the Conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066 until ...

Men

At the time of William the Conqueror medieval men, both Saxon and Norman, wore similar clothing. A man's tunic was generally either loose fitting or tight fitted like a knitted pullover. The loose fitting tunics could either be full length or finishing above the knee. They had a split a few inches in length at the neck. The sleeves were wide and loose fitting and finshed just below the elbow. All of the tunic's edges were decorated with embroidery or coloured bands. The loose tunic was tied at the waist by a band. Beneath the tunics shirts, mainly white in colour, were worn. The shirts had long sleeves reaching to the wrists and the shirt could be seen above the neckine of the tunic.

Close fitting trousers of wool or cloth were worn on the legs. The trousers were bound at the knees and ankles by crossed garters of material to keep them close to the leg. On the feet woolen socks were worn and shoes were made of leather shaped to the foot.

A cloak made from a semicircular piece of material was also worn. The cloak was fastened with a brooch over the right shoulder or at the chest.

At the time of the Conquest a Norman man's hair was cut short and could even be shaved at the back of the head. The fashion for short hair died out and hair became long and beards were also grown.

Gradual changes occurred but Henry II (1154-1189) brought a shorter tunic into fashion. The king even got the nickname 'Curtmantle' in respect to the short mantle that he wore.

Women

The medieval woman of this period wore loose fitting gowns with ample skirts that reached to the ground. A belt made of wool or cloth was used to hold the gown in at the waist. Similar to the man's tunics the gown had an opening at the neck and large sleeves ending at the elbow. A long chemise was worn under the gown with long sleeves to the wrist. A cloak was worn over the shoulders fastened with a brooch. On the head was worn a wimple. This piece of cloth covered the hair so that it could not be seen and was held in place with a band around the forehead.

Possibly around the time of Henry II (1154-89) the fashion for women was to wear a chin strap under the wimple. The hair was usually plaited into two parts and wound around the head. A piece of cloth was taken under the chin and fastened at the top of the head. A band of cloth was then wound around the head above the forehead. Another piece of linen was then placed over the head and draped over the shoulders.