MALE COSTUMES.
The effigies of King Henry IV. and his Queen at Canterbury are some of the most splendid of our royal effigies, uniting richness, grandeur, and simplicity. The King’s crown is particularly remarkable for its magnificence (Fig. 1.) Since there had been very great extravagance in costume during the reign of Richard II., when he came to the throne Henry revived the sumptuary laws of his predecessors regulating the quality of the clothing to be worn by the various classes of his subjects.
Four years after that, all slashing and cutting of garments into various devices was forbidden; but the people were very fond of display, and perfect disregard was shown by all classes of the community to any of these laws. A notable decoration that appeared in this reign was the collar of SS. Various accounts of its origin have been given, but the most probable one is that S is the initial letter of Henry’s motto, “Souveraine,” which he had borne while Earl of Derby.
The houppelande of Richard’s reign, with its high collar, huge sleeves, and full skirt, was still worn, and is always depicted scarlet in MSS. The “bag sleeves” came into fashion during this reign. They were of great size and fulness, but gathered at the wrist and at the shoulders.
In the reign of Henry V. little change was made in costume, for the minds of men were occupied with more serious matters in the war with France.
Long and short gowns with large sleeves, either sweeping and indented at the edge or of the “bag sleeve” variety, were the common upper garments of all classes.
In some instances small bells were worn, fastened to a baldric or belt passing diagonally like a sash across the body from the shoulder to the waist.
Beards were not worn much during this reign, and moustaches were only partially worn, for the fashion was to be clean shaven, and the hair was cut close above the ears.
At the commencement of Henry V.’s reign the colour of the surcoat was again changed to white.
Henry VI. was invariably plain in his dress, and we are told that he refused to wear the long-pointed shoes worn by the gentry. It is an interesting reflection on the unsettled condition of the country in the unfortunate reign of this King that the costumes were numerous and diverse, being “a curious mixture of the costumes of preceding reigns.”
The most remarkable feature of the fifteenth century was the more common use of caps and hats of fantastic shapes and the change of form of the capuchon or hood into a regularly formed crown, with a thick roll, having a long tippet attached to it and trailing on the ground or tucked into the girdle. (Fig. 2a.)
A single feather is sometimes worn in the cap. (Fig. 5.) Long, tight hose and short boots or buskins, and shoes with high fronts and backs that turned over each way, were worn, all with long toes.
The gown or jacket begins to be cut even around the shoulders, instead of being made high up the neck.
The face was still closely shaven.
The state mantles of the King and nobles were made of velvet and lined with white damask or satin.
Legal and other official habits consisted of long, full gowns, girdled round the waist and trimmed and lined with fur, according to the rank of the wearer.
During the reigns of Edward IV., Edward V., and Richard III., a very characteristic style of costume begins to come into vogue. The store from which we draw our knowledge—the brasses, effigies, and illuminated MSS.—is a very extensive one, and owing to the invention of printing and the use of the wood block for illustration, we have still another source of information.
A very important feature of the costumes of this time was the excellent fit of the garments. As Mrs. Ashdown says, in her British Costume, “Broadly speaking, it had been perfectly possible for a dressmaker to cut out and complete any garment worn by men up to that period; after the reign of Edward IV. the era of the tailor began.”
In Edward’s reign the jackets and doublets were cut shorter than ever, the sleeves slit so as to show the large, loose white shirts, and the shoulders were padded with moss or flock.
Men wore the hair long, and had hats of cloth a quarter of an ell or more in height, and all wore most sumptuous chains of gold. Shoes with long, pointed toes, some as much as two feet long, called poulaines, were also worn.
Sumptuary laws were again enacted in this reign against people who dressed beyond their social position, and both the wearers and the tailors and shoemakers were subject to fines for transgressing them.
In the reign of Richard III., gentlemen began to wear the long gowns and more sober costumes that distinguished the reign of Henry VII. The costumes of the nobility generally consisted of hose or long stockings tied by points or laces to the doublet, which was open in front, about half-way down the breast, showing a stomacher or vest, over which it was laced like a peasant’s bodice.
Over the doublet was worn a long or a short gown, according to fancy and circumstances, the former hanging loose, the latter full of pleats before and behind, plain at the sides and girdled tightly about the waist.
Small caps or “bonets” of various shapes were worn. Boots reaching to the middle of the thigh are frequently seen in the illuminations of the period.
The hair was worn very bushy behind and at the sides. (Fig. 9.)
Very rich materials were used for the garments of nobles and others.
The costumes of the lower classes during this period followed the more sober costumes of this and preceding periods, the materials being coarse and the cut simple.
The costumes of the retainers of the nobility imitated those of their masters, and were very often made of rich materials and in the extreme fashion.
PLATE 37.
(Fig. 1) The Crown of Henry IV., from his effigy in Canterbury Cathedral, 1422. It is of beautiful proportion and workmanship. (Fig. 2): Brass of Ralph Segrym, M.P., Mayor, 1449, St. John’s Church, Maddermarket, Norwich. This is a good example of civilian costume of the time, the baggy sleeves being very typical. The cloak is fur-lined, and has a fur collar, fastening with three buttons on the right shoulder. (Fig. 2a): Head-dress of the period, composed of a thick roll of stuff encircling the head like a turban, having a quantity of cloth attached to its inner edge which covers one side, while on the other side a broad band or becca of the same material hangs down to the ground. (Harl. MS., 2,278.) (Fig. 3): Male costume of Henry IV.’s reign. (Harl. MS., 2,332.) The sleeves of the gown are very wide, and are gathered tight around the wrist. The gown or tunic reaches only to the knee, where it is scalloped in the form of leaves. Tight hose and boots reaching above the ankle complete the costume. The hair is parted in the front and is curled at the sides. (Fig. 4): An Exquisite of the reign of Edward IV., wearing a characteristic peaked cap of the time, called a bycocket, with a black crown and a white brim. His short, green jacket has wide sleeves edged with ermine, and his chausses are red. (Fig. 5): A hat of the time of Henry VI., from Gough’s Sepulchral Monuments. (Fig. 5a): Head of Duke of Bedford, from a portrait of the time of Henry VI., showing the peculiar way in which the hair was worn in this and the preceding reign. (Fig. 6): Figure of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, afterward Richard III. (From the Royal MS., 15 E. 4.) He is attired in the most fashionable dress of the day. His red hat has a gold band and jewelled buttons to secure the feathers. His crimson jacket is furred with deep red, is very short, and is gathered in close folds behind, the sleeves being extremely long. He wears the Garter around his left leg; his hose are blue, and he has the fashionable long-pointed shoe and the clog or patten over it. (Fig. 7): Another form of the bycocket hat. (Fig. 8): Hat of black cloth with the long pendant twisted around the neck. (Harl. MS., 4,379.) (Fig. 9): Costume of the time of Edward IV. (Royal MS., 15 E. ii.)