Costume -- Great Britain -- History; Great Britain -- History; Great Britain -- History -- Pictorial works
(Fig. 1): A Norseman’s boat found in a peat bog at Nydam,
in South Jutland, in 1863. It is clincher-built of oak, is
large, open and pointed at both ends, and is designed only for
rowing, as there is no trace of a mast and no arrangement for
stepping one. It is 78 ft. between the high points at the stem
and the stern, and 10 ft. 9 in. broad amidships. It was rowed
with fourteen pairs of oars, which are like those still used
in the North, and are 11 ft. 2 in. long. The rudder is narrow,
and was fastened to one side of the boat near the stern end.
During the latter part of the heathen times, boats were drawn
up on land for the winter or when they were not wanted for
some time. This boat has holes at the ends for the ropes by
which it was hauled up on land. (Montelius’ “Civilization
of Sweden.”) (Fig. 2): A Danish vessel reconstructed from
a representation of a Danish ship from the MS. of Caedmon
Bodl. Junius ii., c. A.D. 1000. It is steered, like the one
in Fig. 1, by a rudder fastened near the stern of the ship
on the side still called the starboard or steer-board. (Fig.
3): Noah’s Ark. Another drawing from the same MS. The Ark is
represented in the form of a Danish ship, showing the dragon’s
head at the bows and the stern. It is interesting, also, as it
illustrates the fact that when the old illuminators wanted to
represent any circumstance--Biblical or classical--pictorially,
they made use of the material they saw around them, copying
the buildings, the ships, the persons, and the costumes of
their own time, so that MSS. form very reliable contemporary
evidence of these things. (Fig. 4): A Danish sword found
in the River Withalm, very similar in general design and
construction to the Saxon sword illustrated on Plate 9. (Fig.
5): A Jutish or Danish shield, made of wood with a bronze rim
and a boss or umbo of bronze in the centre, of the period
before A.D. 450, found in Jutland.]
NORMAN CUSTOMS.
The ordinary costumes of people in early Norman times differed little
from that of the Saxons.
At first the Norman warriors were clean-shaven, but after settling in
England the courtiers gave way to a love of finery. They wore long,
embroidered garments with long white sleeves, and they allowed their
hair and beards to grow long so that they incurred the reproach of the
clergy, who called them “filthy goats.”
The Norman ladies also changed from the simplicity of their costume to
a great extravagance of shape and material. The gowns were very ample,
and were sometimes worn with a kind of train.
The general garments of the men were the tunic, the super-tunic, and
the mantle.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account