dress

In the fifth century both men and women wore a léine or tunic. This was made of linen woven from the fibres of the flax plant. Mostly the tunic would be a creamy, unbleached white, but sometimes it was dyed saffron-yellow for chieftains or rich people.

Over the léine a man or woman would wear a brat, or cloak made from wool. This was usually woven in strips of wools dyed in different colours so that the effect was rather like that of the Scottish plaid. It always had a hood, which could cover the head in the case of bad weather. Married women also wore linen on their heads in order to cover their hair.

Read &Write:

1. Page 30

What was Rory, the goldsmith, wearing?

2. Page 83

In what way did Nessa look different to Ita?

3. Page 97

What does Ita plan to wear when she visits Mara’s house.

4. Page 124

What is Bran wearing?

5. What was the léine or tunic made from?

6. What was the brat, or cloak made from?

Draw…!

Draw a picture of a brooch to fasten a cloak. (Both men and women wore these brooches.) Make sure you colour in the jewels that would have studded it.

Explore…!

Use a piece of card with six or eight notches in it to set up a little weaving loom. Tie six or eight pieces of wool to make the cross threads and then thread a large needle with a different colour of wool and stitch it in and out, going over and under each strand of wool alternately until you have a firm piece of material.