This costume history information consists of Pages
62 to 66 of the chapter on early 13th century dress in the era of JOHN
- 1199-1216 and 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 17 year reign of King John - 1199-1216. The images and details
are a good resource for how-to costume designs for Shakespeare's stage
plays.
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.
JOHN
Reigned seventeen years: 1199-1216.
Born 1167. Married, in 1189, to Hadwisa, of Gloucester, whom he
divorced;
married, in 1200, to Isabella of Angoulême.
There was a garment in this reign which was the keynote of costume at
the time, and this was the surcoat. It had been worn over the armour for
some time, but in this reign it began to be an initial part of dress.
Take a piece of stuff about 9 or 10 yards in length and about 22 inches
wide; cut a hole in the centre of this wide enough to admit of a man's
head passing through, and you have a surcoat.
Under this garment the men wore a flowing gown, the sleeves of which
were so wide that they reached at the base from the shoulder to the
waist, and narrowed off to a tight band at the wrist.
These two garments were held together by a leather belt buckled about
the middle, with the tongue of the belt hanging down.
Broad borders of design edged the gowns at the foot and at the neck, and
heraldic devices were sewn upon the surcoats.
King John himself, the quick, social, humorous man, dressed very finely.
He loved the company of ladies and their love, but in spite of his love
for them, he starved and tortured them, starved and beat children, was
insolent, selfish, and wholly indifferent to the truth. He laughed aloud
during the Mass, but for all that was superstitious to the degree of
hanging relics about his neck; and he was buried in a monk's cowl, which
was strapped under his chin.
Silk
Silk was becoming more common in England, and the cultivation of the
silkworm was in some measure gaining hold. In 1213 the Abbot of
Cirencester, Alexander of Neckham, wrote upon the habits of the
silkworm.
Irish cloth of red colour was largely in favour, presumably for cloaks
and hoods.
The general costume of this reign was very much the same as that of
Henry II. and Richard I
- the long loose gown, the heavy cloak, the long
hair cut at the neck, the fashion of beards, the shoes, belts, hoods,
and heavy fur cloaks, all much the same as before, the only real
difference being in the general use of the surcoat and the very
convenient looseness of the sleeves under the arms.
There is an inclination in writing of a costume one can visualize
mentally to leave out much that might be useful to the student who knows
little or nothing of the period of dress in which one is writing; so
perhaps it will be better to now dress a man completely.
First, long hair and a neatly-trimmed beard; over this a hood and cape
or a circular cap, with a slight projection on the top of it.
Second, a shirt of white, like a modern soft shirt.
Third, tights of cloth or wool.
Fourth, shoes strapped over the instep or tied with thongs, or
fitting at the ankle like a slipper, or boots of soft leather turned
over a little at the top, at the base of the calf of the leg.
Fifth, a gown, loosely fitting, buckled at the neck, with sleeves
wide at the top and tight at the wrist, or quite loose and coming to
just below the elbow, or a tunic reaching only to the knees, both gown
and tunic fastened with a belt.
Sixth, a surcoat sometimes, at others a cloak held together by a brooch,
or made for travelling with a hood.
As may be seen from the plate, no change in costume took place.
The hair plaited and bound round the head or allowed to flow loose upon
the shoulders.
Over the hair a gorget binding up the neck and chin. Over all a wimple
pinned to the gorget.
A long loose gown with brooch at the neck. Sleeves tight at the
wrist. The whole gown held in at the waist by a belt, with one long end
hanging down.
Shoes made to fit the shape of the foot, and very elaborately
embroidered and sewn.
A long cloak with buckle or lace fastening.
In this reign there were thirty English towns which had carried on a
trade in dyed cloths for fifty years.
Left - Notice the glimpse of purse beneath the cloak front, where it hangs from the
belt. A fine diaper-patterned material has been used for the cloth of
the cloak.
»
KING JOHN
Reigned seventeen years: 1199-1216.
Born 1167. Married, in 1189, to Hadwisa, of Gloucester, whom he
divorced; married, in 1200, to Isabella of Angoulême.
This
King John costume history information consists of Pages
62 to 66 of the chapter on 13th century dress in the era of JOHN
- 1199-1216 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 surcoat and female dress history of
over 700 years spanning the era 1066-1830. This page is about dress in
the 17 year reign of King John - 1199-1216. The images and details
are a good resource for how-to costume designs for Shakespearean stage
plays.
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.
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.jpg)
This costume history information consists of Pages
62 to 66 of the chapter on early 13th century dress in the era of JOHN
- 1199-1216 and taken from English Costume by Dion Clayton Calthrop.
The general costume of this reign was very much the same as that of
Henry II. and 
.jpg)
