English Costume by Dion Clayton Calthrop
Henry The Second 1154-1189
By Pauline Weston Thomas for Fashion-Era.com
English Costume by Dion Clayton Calthrop
Henry The Second 1154-1189
This costume history information consists of Pages
46 to 54 of the chapter on late 12th century dress in the era of Henry The
Second 1154-1189 and
is taken from English Costume by Dion Clayton Calthrop.
The 36 page section consists of a text copy of the book ENGLISH
COSTUME PAINTED & DESCRIBED BY DION CLAYTON CALTHROP. Visuals,
drawings and painted fashion plates in the book have a charm of their own and are
shown amid the text. The book covers both male and female dress history of
over 700 years spanning the era 1066-1830. This page is about dress in
the 35 year reign of King Henry The Second 1154-1189.
.
For the Introduction to this book see this
introduction written by Dion Clayton Calthrop. I have adjusted
the images so they are mostly 400 pixels high and can be used for colouring
worksheets where pupils add some costume/society facts. My comments are in italics.
Reigned thirty-five years: 1154-1189.
Born 1133. Married, 1152, to Eleanor of Guienne.
THE MEN
The King himself is described as being careless of dress, chatty,
outspoken. His hair was close-cropped, his neck was thick, and his eyes
were prominent; his cheek-bones were high, and his lips coarse.
The costume of this reign was very plain in design, but rich in stuffs.
Gilt spurs were attached to the boots by red leather straps, gloves were
worn with jewels in the backs of them, and the mantles seem to have been
ornamented with designs.
The time of patterns upon clothes began. The patterns were simple,
as crescents, lozenges, stars.
William de Magna Villa had come back from the Holy Land with a new
fabric, a precious silk called 'imperial,' which was made in a workshop
patronized by the Byzantine Emperors.
The costume plate shows a man wearing a short cloak and the long tunic is held
together by a brooch at the
neck. The tunic is girdled by a belt with extra long tongue flaps. To
complete his outfit he wears gloves on his
hands.
The long tunic and the short supertunic were still worn, but these were
not so frequently split up at the side.
High boots reaching to the calf of the leg were in common use.
That part of the hood which fell upon the shoulders was now cut in a
neat pattern round the edge.
Silks, into which gold thread was sewn or woven, made fine clothes, and
cloth cloaks lined with expensive furs, even to the cost of a thousand
pounds of our money, were worn.
The loose trouser was going out altogether, and in its stead the hose
were made to fit more closely to the leg, and were all of gay colours;
they were gartered with gold bands crossed, the ends of which had
tassels, which hung down when the garter was crossed and tied about the
knee.
Court Manteau
Henry, despite his own careless appearance, was nicknamed Court
Manteau, or Short Mantle, on account of a short cloak or mantle he is
supposed to have brought into fashion.
The shirts of the men, which showed at the opening of the tunic, were
buttoned with small gold buttons or studs of gold sewn into the linen.
The initial difference in this reign was the more usual occurrence of
patterns in diaper upon the clothes.
A Yard In Length
The length of a yard was fixed by the length of the King's arm.
With the few exceptions mentioned, the costume is the same as in the
time of Stephen.
St. Thomas à Becket
It is curious to note what scraps of pleasant gossip come to us from
these early times: St. Thomas à Becket dining off a pheasant the day
before his martyrdom; the angry King calling to his knights, 'How a
fellow that hath eaten my bread, a beggar that first came to my Court on
a lame horse, dares to insult his King and the Royal Family, and tread
upon my whole kingdom, and not one of the cowards I nourish at my table,
not one will deliver me of this turbulent priest!' - the veins no doubt
swelling on his bull-like neck, the prominent eyes bloodshot with
temper, the result of that angry speech, to end in the King's
public penance before the martyr's tomb.
Picture the scene at Canterbury on August 23, 1179, when Louis VII,
King of France, dressed in the manner and habit of a pilgrim, came to
the shrine and offered there his cup of gold and a royal precious stone,
and vowed a gift of a hundred hogsheads of wine as a yearly rental to
the convent.
A common sight in London streets at this time was a tin medal of St.
Thomas hung about the necks of the pilgrims.
»
Henry II, The Welsh Bards & King Arthur's Tomb 1172 Glastonbury,
And here I cannot help but give another picture.
Henry II, passing
through Wales on his way to Ireland in 1172, hears the exploits of King
Arthur which are sung to him by the Welsh bards. In this song the bards
mention the place of King Arthur's burial, at Glastonbury Abbey in the
churchyard. When Henry comes back from Ireland he visits the Abbot of
Glastonbury, and repeats to him the story of King Arthur's tomb.
One can picture the search: the King talking eagerly to the Abbot; the
monks or lay-brothers digging in the place indicated by the words of the
song; the knights in armour, their mantles wrapped about them, standing
by.
Then, as the monks search 7 feet below the surface, a spade rings
upon stone. Picture the interest, the excitement of these antiquarians.
It is a broad stone which is uncovered, and upon it is a thin leaden
plate in the form of a corpse, bearing the inscription:
'HIC JACET SEPULTUS INCLYTUS REX ARTURIUS IN INSULA AVALONIA.'
They draw up this great stone, and with greedy eyes read the
inscription. The monks continue to dig. Presently, at the depth of 16
feet, they find the trunk of a tree, and in its hollowed shape lie
Arthur and his Queen - Arthur and Guinevere, two names which to us now are
part of England, part of ourselves, as much as our patron St. George.
Here they lie upon the turf, and all the party gaze on their remains.
The skull of Arthur is covered with wounds; his bones are enormous. The
Queen's body is in a good state of preservation, and her hair is neatly
plaited, and is of the colour of gold. Suddenly she falls to dust.
They bury them again with great care. So lay our national hero since he
died at the Battle of Camlan in Cornwall in the year 542, and after
death was conveyed by sea to Glastonbury, and all traces of his
burial-place lost except in the songs of the people until such day as
Henry found him and his Queen.
THE WOMEN
About this time came the fashion of the chin-band, and again the
glory of the hair was hidden under the wimple.
To dress a lady's hair for this time the hair must be brushed out, and
then divided into two parts: these are to be plaited, and then brought
round the crown of the head and fastened in front above the forehead.
The front pieces of hair are to be neatly pushed back from the forehead,
to show a high brow.
Now a cloth of linen is taken, folded under the
chin, and brought over the top of the head, and there pinned. Then
another thin band of linen is placed round the head and fastened neatly
at the back; and over all a piece of fine linen is draped, and so
arranged that it shall just cover the forehead-band and fall on to the
shoulders. This last piece of linen is fastened to the chin-band and the
forehead-strap by pins.
This fashion gave rise in later times to a linen cap; the
forehead-strap was increased in height and stiffened so that it rose
slightly above the crown of the head, and the wimple, instead of hanging
over it, was sewn down inside it, and fell over the top of the cap.
Later the cap was sewn in pleats.
The gown of this time was quite loose, with a deep band round the neck
and round the hem of the skirts, which were very full. So far as one can
tell, it was put on over the head, having no other opening but at the
neck, and was held at the waist by an ornamental girdle.
The chemise showed above the neck of the gown, which was fastened by the
usual round brooch.
Although discreet its possible to just about see the chin band the
12th century woman wears in this costume plate. The chin-band passes under the wimple
and the band is
pinned to hold it around the head.
The sleeves were well fitting, rather loose at the elbow, and fell
shaped over the wrist, where there was a deep border of embroidery.
It is quite possible that the cuffs and hem may have been made of fur.
The shoes were, as usual to the last two reigns, rather blunt at the
toe, and generally fitting without buckle, button, or strap round the
ankle, where they were rolled back.
Above the waist the tied girdle was still worn, but this was being
supplanted by a broad belt of silk or ornamented leather, which fastened
by means of a buckle. The tongue of the belt was made very long, and
when buckled hung down below the knee.
The cloaks, from the light way in which they are held, appear to have
been made of silk or some such fine material as fine cloth. They are
held on to the shoulders by a running band of stuff or a silk cord, the
ends of which pass through two fasteners sewn on to the cloak, and these
are knotted or have some projecting ornament which prevents the cord
from slipping out of the fastener.
In this way one sees the cloak hanging from the shoulders behind, and
the cord stretched tight across the breast, or the cord knotted in a
second place, and so bringing the cloak more over the shoulders.
The effigy of the Queen at Fontevraud shows her dress covered with
diagonal bars of gold, in the triangles of which there are gold
crescents placed from point to point, and no doubt other ladies of her
time had their emblems or badges embroidered into their gowns.
HENRY THE SECOND
Reigned thirty-five years: 1154-1189.
Born 1133. Married, 1152, to Eleanor of Guienne.
This costume history information consists of Pages
46 to 54 of the chapter on late 12th century dress in the era of Henry The
Second 1154-1189 and
is taken from English Costume by Dion Clayton Calthrop.
The 36 page section consists of a text copy of the book ENGLISH
COSTUME PAINTED & DESCRIBED BY DION CLAYTON CALTHROP. Visuals,
drawings and painted fashion plates in the book have a charm of their own and are
shown amid the text. The book covers both male and female dress history of
over 700 years spanning the era 1066-1830. This page is about dress in
the 35 year reign of King Henry The Second 1154-1189.
For the Introduction to this book see this
introduction written by Dion Clayton Calthrop. I have adjusted
the images so they are mostly 400 pixels high and can be used for colouring
worksheets where pupils add some costume/society facts. My comments are in italics.
Fashion-Era.com looks at women's costume and fashion history and analyses the mood of an era. Changes in technology, leisure, work, cultural and moral values. Homelife and politics also
contribute to lifestyle trends, which in turn influence the clothes we wear. These are the changes that make any era of society special in relation to the study of the costume of a period.
Fashion-Era.com can take no responsibility for any information on the site which may cause you error, loss or costs incurred from use of the information and links either directly or
indirectly. This site is owned, designed, written and developed by author: Pauline Thomas and Guy Thomas. This site is designed to be viewed in 1024 X 768 or higher.
Before you write to me for costume/fashion help or information please, please consult the extensive sitemap which lists all our pages. If you still cannot find the answer after searching the site, then before you email me, please consider if you are prepared to make a donation to the website.
Donations Reader's donations help this site flourish, in particular donations encourage me to write more articles on fashion history as well as current trends. PayPal
allows anyone with a credit card to donate easily and securely. You may donate any sum you feel appropriate.
If you have any comments, or if you see any broken links, then please email with details of the page url or problem.
This costume history information consists of Pages
46 to 54 of the chapter on late 12th century dress in the era of Henry The
Second 1154-1189 and
is taken from English Costume by Dion Clayton Calthrop.
The monks continue to dig. Presently, at the depth of 16
feet, they find the trunk of a tree, and in its hollowed shape lie
Arthur and his Queen - Arthur and Guinevere, two names which to us now are
part of England, part of ourselves, as much as our patron St. George.
This costume history information consists of Pages
46 to 54 of the chapter on late 12th century dress in the era of Henry The
Second 1154-1189 and
is taken from English Costume by Dion Clayton Calthrop.
