Fourteenth Century AD

Worksheet 6

‘A Life for a Life’

Dress in the 14th century

Fact File

Irish men wore a léine or tunic made from linen. Sometimes this was full-length, but mostly no longer than knee-length. They wore hose, or breeches, quite tight-fitting, tied around the waist with a cord and ending in a strap which kept them secured around the foot. They usually wore a short leather jacket over this.

The Norman/English style for men was more elaborate with silk used for the tunic and sometimes padded velvet for the jacket or doublet.

Irish women also wore the léine, but all but the very poor wore a gown over this. This was either close-fitting at the waist and at the sleeves, or else was a loose over-tunic pouched out over a belt.

Read &Write:

1 Chapter 1 Describe Fidelma's hairstyle.

 

2 Chapter 6 What is the name of hair net?

 

3 Chapter 6 What is Hugh wearing when he is captured?

 

4 Chapter 11 What was the latest fashion of headgear, according to Maud?

 

5 Chapter 11 What is a kirtle?

 

6 Chapter 11 What is a girdle?

 

Draw…!

A Norman knight in chain mail armour, (usually a sleeveless tunic would be worn over the armour).

Or

A girl in 14th century dress

Explore…!

See if you can get some garden wire – grey, if possible. Cut it into pieces of about five centimetres long. Bend the first piece into a circle, twist the ends and then thread another piece through it and do the same thing. You should end up with a strip of medieval chain mail.

Imagine…!

That you are going to a dinner at King John’s Castle, describe your clothes and what you ate.

That you are going to be knighted in a week’s time, describe the visit to the armourer’s shop for your first suit of armour.