Norman Male Clothing

Most clothing of the period would have predominantly been made of linen, wool, leather and fur.

Other available materials would have been:

• Nettlecloth. woven from the fibrous stems of the plant. Modern nettlecloth can sometimes be found as "ramie" (often masquerading as linen), imported from China.
• Fustian. A linen-wool mix giving a fairly rough fabric (this later came to refer to a fabric with a cotton weft and a linen warp). No commercial source for the earlier mixture has been found.
• Silk. Silk was available, but only to the very rich. An early 12th Century German manuscript "On Divers Arts" (De Diversis Artibus) provides instructions for dying silk with saffron. Use would probably have been restricted to trims and other ornementation. Many references to silk in period are to "Samite" - a heavy silk cloth often woven with gold or silver thread. This can be approximated by modern silk gaberdine - the more common silk noil ("nubbly silk") does not match period fabrics.
• Cotton in very small amounts may have been creeping in with those returning from the Crusades, and later from Spain (in the early 1200's). The Crusader states are recorded as purchasing amost the entire Egyptian cotton crop in the early 13th Century. However, even by the 16th Century, cotton was still a luxury fabric in most of northern Europe.

For information on colours, see the section on Female Clothing.

Braies.

Loose fitting baggy linen drawers. The Maciejowski Bible (1250) provides numerous pictures - worn by farm workers,on hanged men, and King Saul even has them. The picture shows that braies are voluminous trousers that reached to below the knee. They are always depicted as white (the Bible's use of colour is consistent, if limited). The braies appear to hang in folds as if they were made of well worn linen, the waist band has a great deal of cloth bunched up in it. While they look wierd to modern eyes, they are very practical.
Andy Goddard's excellent Circa 1265 site provides instructions and a suitable pattern - and yes, they do need to be the (apparently excessive) size stated! One experience with this pattern - the seam at point H-K can be vulnerable to ripping out, especially if you try and wear them with the legs pulled too tight. Make them out of good quality linen, we accept cotton as a subsitute (as they at not normally visible) - do not use cheaper materials such a calico - you will regret it!

Hose

Made of wool or linen (or possibly silk if you're a rich knight). A separate hose for each leg, attached to the belt/waistband of the braies by straps or ties, or to the braies themselves with broaches. Two styles:

• Without feet - reaching from the ankle to the mid or upper thigh, may have a strap under your foot to hold them down.Easy to make, but remember that you need to ensure you can get your heel through the ankle opening.
• Footed hose - same basic idea, but with an inbuilt foot. A little more difficult to make (can be done with only two pieces per hose), but a lot more comfortable. Remember, there are no socks in this period.

Shirt or Undertunic

Loose fitting "T-shaped" garment of lighter weight linen. The hem would be just below the knees, allowing it to be visible under the tunic. The skirt may be slit at the front or sides, or have gores (triangular inserts) for mobility. The sleeves would be loose at the top, tapering to become quite tight at the wrist. Period illustrations appear to show wrinkled fabric covering the wrist to the base of the thumb, so the sleeves should be relatively long.

Tunic

The basic T-tunic style of clothing for men showed little variation across the period we depict, except in neck line, hem line, and trim. The tunic would be made of wool, or possibly heavy linen. A knee length garment is applicable across the whole period, though it might not always have been the height of fashion (length and fullness increased during the 12th century), it should be slightly shorter than the undertunic, allowing it to show underneath. The Normans favoured a split at the front and rear of the tunic for mobility, though gores (triangular inserts) could also be inserted at the side seams.

The basic neckline is keyhole shaped - a fairly tight circular neck hole, with a slit at the front to allow the garment to be put on. The slit would be fastened with a pin or broach. The garment is not fitted to the body, the waist being shaped by the use of a belt. Decoration would conist of embrodiery, tablet weave, or applique bands of contrasting colour, at the wrists, hem, and neckline.

Belt

Belts would generally be thin (15-20mm) in a natural colour (no black leather). Fastening could be via a tie (one end is split, the other has two holes to received the ends), or a buckle, which would generally be D-shaped. The more afluent would also have decorative strap ends and mounts on the belt.

Shoes

Shoes are probably the bane of every medieval renactors life. Correct shoes for our period are "turn shoes" (so called because they are made inside out, then "turned", putting all the stitching on the inside where it is well protected). Normally this would result in just one layer of leather between your feet and the ground. "Clump" soles could be added once the shoe is turned, but this would normally involve sewing throught the sole of the shoe, losing some waterproofing. Alternatively, add a layer of sheepskin (or hay!).
Marc Carlsons's site has lots of medieval shoemaking goodies. Shoes and boots would generally only be around ankle height for this period. There are two ways of getting good period shoes - pay large amounts of money, or learn to make them yourself.

The above use a simplified pattern, which works fine. I've made two pairs, each pair taking about 4 hours hand sewing saddle stitch. Sizing is the only tricky part. I initially cut mine with the two tongues that join behind the heel long, allowing best fit once part assembled. They are made of 3mm leather, which is perhaps a little thin, especially on the soles - a sheepskin inner sole makes them more comfortable to walk in. The leather thongs simply tie at the front of the foot, I've never had any problems with them coming loose, they are actually quite comfortable. We have not been able to verify the original provenance (Damendorf, Germany about 500AD ?) of this particular pattern, hoever the Museum of London has an example of a similar shoe (with heal seam) dated at late Anglo-Saxon or Early Norman.

Cloak

An optional but very useful item. Generally heavy wool, semi-cicular or rectangular, of between ankle and knee length. The cloak may be lined, if not all the edges must be seamed. Can have an integral hood, but most period illustrations show the hood as a separate item (see below). The cloak is fasten with a pin (annular or penannular), or a broach. The Maciejowski Bible mostly shows rectangular cloaks lined with a contrasting colour, fastened over the left shoulder. Cloaks also seem to double up a blankets (unless the blankets are lined as well!)

Surcotte/Surcoate

The surcotte were also popular throughout our time period. Generally the surcotte was worn by knights on the field, over armor, but also from the end of the 12th Century as an over garment to the T-tunic or gown. Sometimes with no sleeves and larger armholes, sometimes with loose sleeves and sometimes with sleeves just as fitting as the sleeves of the tunic. The sleeveless version worn by women was denounced by the clergy, but women continued to wear this garment, especially in summer, over an underdress. The women's surcotte went through much the same variations as did the mens garment of the same type. Popularity continued into the 13th Century, being worn by women when men considered it as something only to be worn over armour.

Hood/mantle

A woollen hood, with a shoulder width mantle. The back of the hood amy come to a pronounced point. At the end of our period the "liripipe" devleoped, a long trailing point at the back of the hood, became started to become popular.

Coif

A simple linen head covering similar to the military arming cap, but unpadded.