DOI issue:
April 21, 1860
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16865#0173
April 21, I860.]
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
165
]
PUNCH’S BOOK OF BRITISH COSTUMES.
CHAPTER XII.—MORE ABOUT THE EARLY NORMANS, AND
ESPECIALLY THE LADIES.
adies who take pleasure in
reflecting on the circum-
stance that their family is
said to have “come over
with the Conqueror” (a
reflection they at times are
likely to make audibly, if
they find out that their
husbands cannot equally
indulge in it), may feel
naturally an interest in
inquiring what the fashions
of the Norman ladies were,
at the interesting period
when their male friends
came and conquered us.
Except in name, however,
their dress but slightly
differed from that which
was then worn by the
Anglo-Saxon women ; the
chief differences being, that
they called their gown a
“robe,” and their head-
cloth they called “couvre-
chef,” whence, doubtless,
our word kerchief. We
are not surprised to learn
, that they sometimes wore
i long robes and sometimes they wore short ones, for the tastes of
lovely woman are continually varying, and the Norwoman no doubt
was no exception to her sex. About the close of the eleventh
century and the beginning of the twelfth, the short robe went
however completely out of fashion: and the passion for the long
one was carried to such lengths that the wearers very often found
; it difficult to walk in them. Women of strong minds, who like
the free use of their limbs, may very likely laugh at such absurdities
i of dress, and may wonder that their foremothers were such fools as to
be plagued with them. The same surprise, however, must be felt at
| modern follies as well as at these ancient ones: for notwithstanding
.Punch, and other mental tonics, debilitated intellects are still unhappily
existent, and though gallantry forbids us to call a lady names, candour
forces us to own that people who wear petticoats preposterously wide
i are little wiser than the wearers of preposterously long ones.
The gown, instead of being loose, as in the Anglo-Saxon period, was
worn laced up the front, so as to fit the figure closely. It is therefore
s at, this period we must note the introduction of the practice of tight-
lacing, which so foully has disfigured so many a fair form. In a
curious illumination of the close of the eleventh century, the Prince of
| Darkness is portrayed in feminine apparel, wearing a robe laced in the
A BISHOP AND A LADY AND GENTLEMAN, CLOSE OF THE ELEVENTH CENTURY, CAREFULLY
COPIED FROM THE SCULPTURE ON 1 HE WINCHESTER FONT IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE.
fashion of the time. This quaint design no doubt was intended to
point out that it was from the invention of the father of all evil, that
tiie evils of tight-lacing were paternally deduced: and the drawing
may be held to illustrate the proverb that “Heavensent us Woman,
and the Devil stays.”
But the chief peculiarity in the Norman ladies’ dress was the funnily
fantastic way in which they shaped their sleeves. These were worn tight
to the arm so far as to the wrist; and Ihen, widening abruptly, fell
pendent from the hand to the distance of some feet. A modern writer
speaks of them as hanging “like canoes,” and this description is borne
out by one of the old balladiats, we presently shall quote, who in like-
wise noticing their likeness to canoes, clearly may be said to have
rowed in the same boat. In the reign of William Kurus and that of
Hal the First, these cuffs were made so long that actually the ladies
had to tie them up in knots, so as to prevent themselves from treading
on their sleeves. Cuff's like these we think must have almost have
been found as fettering as handcuff's ; and one might fancy that on this
account any one of any sense would be deterred from wearing them.
But ladies have at all times been the slaves of fashion; and since the
days of Eve have never enjoyed anything like freedom in their dress.
Whether the Norman women were the first wearers of these sleeves,
is a point which to reflective minds appears a little doubtful; for are
we not informed that—
“ In Arthur’s days the Court began
To wear long hanging sleeves : ”
and what proof is there that these sleeves were not shaped just like
the Norman ones ? *
The veil or kerchief of this period was worn long like the sleeve, and
was similarly tied up to prevent its being trodden on. The same
delight in length too may be noticed in the hair, which was plaited in
long tails, after the manner of the Goths. In some cases we find the
plaits were cased in silk, or else bound round with riband, ending in a
bow. Whether this bow proved attractive to the beaux, is a point on
which we cannot fairly venture an opinion; but we can fancy if the
Norman ladies ever danced the deux temps, their back hair must have
been a rather formidable weapon, and when whirled round must have
served to keep men at a distance. Lovely as our Judy's hair is in our
sight, we should no more like a plait of it flung into our eyes, than we
should a plate of jugged hare to be similarly projected.
This way of dressing hair we have said was a la Goth, but more
clearly to describe it, we might call it a la Grecque ; for the Gothic mode,
we find, was adopted by the Greeks, and it is by their name that it is
best known to us. In other respects also the early Norman fashions
were of quite a Grecian character ; and we are therefore not surprised
to find that the old balladist, to whom we have referred, by poetic
licence calls his lady-love a “maid of Athens,” although he owns that
her pomatum pot was the only thing about her which connected her
with Greece. As the ballad throws some light upon the costume of
the period, we copy the last stanza as it is written in our MS. :—
“ Bge ti)g robe bffjtd) unconfmrbbc
IBraggktlj in gt tnrte bdgnbbr:
33ge ttjge ruffs sbapcb Igke canors,
©f negtfgr ornamentte nor use:
Hoc tijg fyatre its fierge gloixrc,
I£re 31 ’ll toebbe to Hath E ’ll gor ! ”
if we may note the customs as well as the costumes ot this period (and
we really do not see who there is to hinder us), in addition to our
remarks about the early Norman oelies, we may observe that it was
during the reign of our first William, that the sounding of the
Curfew first was introduced. This bell was always tolled at eight,
o’clock at night, and its tolling told the people to “ quench their flaming
ministers,” a command which bore no reference to the Lord Pams of
the period, but simply was equivalent to saying “ dowse your glims ! ”
Everybody knows that the word curfew is derived from the French
word couvrefeu-, but everybody possibly is not so well aware that the
curfew at some period served the purpose of the muffin-bell, an instru-
ment, which, everj body knows, is still in use. At what period this was
so we cannot charge ourselves to state; but the fact is made quite
manifest by the well-known ancient passage which a modern poet has
both plagiarised and altered. The lines, as we have seen them, run,
or hobble, thus :—
“ Efje curfein tolls tlje knell of parting bag,
3nb la! inijen Ijeatb, tlje muffin bog toe srr,
ffiBHjo, hrljile tlje p’Ucemau plobs ijis brerg toag,
Entitles tlje toorlb to toasting attb to tea.”
It will not be forgotten (by those who have good memories) that it,
was during the reign of the Conquering Hero, Will, that England
was first blessed with those valuable law officers, called with pleasant
irony “Justices” of the peace. Whether these.distinguished digni-
taries wore for purpose »f distinction some distinctive legal robe, is
more than the old chronicles enable us to state. But if we cannot
fancy how they dressed themselves, we can imagine what a dressing
they gave unhappy poachers who happened to be brought before them;
and we doubt not that the justice which these justices administered
was as remote from real justice as that which in such cases is now-
adays dealt out.
* We may note here that these sleeves, whoever first adopted them, furnished
the design tor the old heraldic “maunoh,” which, we learn, was first borne by the
family of De Hastings. Any baby knows that the word “ maunch ” means a
sleeve, and its being used for arms is therefore quite appropriate.
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
165
]
PUNCH’S BOOK OF BRITISH COSTUMES.
CHAPTER XII.—MORE ABOUT THE EARLY NORMANS, AND
ESPECIALLY THE LADIES.
adies who take pleasure in
reflecting on the circum-
stance that their family is
said to have “come over
with the Conqueror” (a
reflection they at times are
likely to make audibly, if
they find out that their
husbands cannot equally
indulge in it), may feel
naturally an interest in
inquiring what the fashions
of the Norman ladies were,
at the interesting period
when their male friends
came and conquered us.
Except in name, however,
their dress but slightly
differed from that which
was then worn by the
Anglo-Saxon women ; the
chief differences being, that
they called their gown a
“robe,” and their head-
cloth they called “couvre-
chef,” whence, doubtless,
our word kerchief. We
are not surprised to learn
, that they sometimes wore
i long robes and sometimes they wore short ones, for the tastes of
lovely woman are continually varying, and the Norwoman no doubt
was no exception to her sex. About the close of the eleventh
century and the beginning of the twelfth, the short robe went
however completely out of fashion: and the passion for the long
one was carried to such lengths that the wearers very often found
; it difficult to walk in them. Women of strong minds, who like
the free use of their limbs, may very likely laugh at such absurdities
i of dress, and may wonder that their foremothers were such fools as to
be plagued with them. The same surprise, however, must be felt at
| modern follies as well as at these ancient ones: for notwithstanding
.Punch, and other mental tonics, debilitated intellects are still unhappily
existent, and though gallantry forbids us to call a lady names, candour
forces us to own that people who wear petticoats preposterously wide
i are little wiser than the wearers of preposterously long ones.
The gown, instead of being loose, as in the Anglo-Saxon period, was
worn laced up the front, so as to fit the figure closely. It is therefore
s at, this period we must note the introduction of the practice of tight-
lacing, which so foully has disfigured so many a fair form. In a
curious illumination of the close of the eleventh century, the Prince of
| Darkness is portrayed in feminine apparel, wearing a robe laced in the
A BISHOP AND A LADY AND GENTLEMAN, CLOSE OF THE ELEVENTH CENTURY, CAREFULLY
COPIED FROM THE SCULPTURE ON 1 HE WINCHESTER FONT IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE.
fashion of the time. This quaint design no doubt was intended to
point out that it was from the invention of the father of all evil, that
tiie evils of tight-lacing were paternally deduced: and the drawing
may be held to illustrate the proverb that “Heavensent us Woman,
and the Devil stays.”
But the chief peculiarity in the Norman ladies’ dress was the funnily
fantastic way in which they shaped their sleeves. These were worn tight
to the arm so far as to the wrist; and Ihen, widening abruptly, fell
pendent from the hand to the distance of some feet. A modern writer
speaks of them as hanging “like canoes,” and this description is borne
out by one of the old balladiats, we presently shall quote, who in like-
wise noticing their likeness to canoes, clearly may be said to have
rowed in the same boat. In the reign of William Kurus and that of
Hal the First, these cuffs were made so long that actually the ladies
had to tie them up in knots, so as to prevent themselves from treading
on their sleeves. Cuff's like these we think must have almost have
been found as fettering as handcuff's ; and one might fancy that on this
account any one of any sense would be deterred from wearing them.
But ladies have at all times been the slaves of fashion; and since the
days of Eve have never enjoyed anything like freedom in their dress.
Whether the Norman women were the first wearers of these sleeves,
is a point which to reflective minds appears a little doubtful; for are
we not informed that—
“ In Arthur’s days the Court began
To wear long hanging sleeves : ”
and what proof is there that these sleeves were not shaped just like
the Norman ones ? *
The veil or kerchief of this period was worn long like the sleeve, and
was similarly tied up to prevent its being trodden on. The same
delight in length too may be noticed in the hair, which was plaited in
long tails, after the manner of the Goths. In some cases we find the
plaits were cased in silk, or else bound round with riband, ending in a
bow. Whether this bow proved attractive to the beaux, is a point on
which we cannot fairly venture an opinion; but we can fancy if the
Norman ladies ever danced the deux temps, their back hair must have
been a rather formidable weapon, and when whirled round must have
served to keep men at a distance. Lovely as our Judy's hair is in our
sight, we should no more like a plait of it flung into our eyes, than we
should a plate of jugged hare to be similarly projected.
This way of dressing hair we have said was a la Goth, but more
clearly to describe it, we might call it a la Grecque ; for the Gothic mode,
we find, was adopted by the Greeks, and it is by their name that it is
best known to us. In other respects also the early Norman fashions
were of quite a Grecian character ; and we are therefore not surprised
to find that the old balladist, to whom we have referred, by poetic
licence calls his lady-love a “maid of Athens,” although he owns that
her pomatum pot was the only thing about her which connected her
with Greece. As the ballad throws some light upon the costume of
the period, we copy the last stanza as it is written in our MS. :—
“ Bge ti)g robe bffjtd) unconfmrbbc
IBraggktlj in gt tnrte bdgnbbr:
33ge ttjge ruffs sbapcb Igke canors,
©f negtfgr ornamentte nor use:
Hoc tijg fyatre its fierge gloixrc,
I£re 31 ’ll toebbe to Hath E ’ll gor ! ”
if we may note the customs as well as the costumes ot this period (and
we really do not see who there is to hinder us), in addition to our
remarks about the early Norman oelies, we may observe that it was
during the reign of our first William, that the sounding of the
Curfew first was introduced. This bell was always tolled at eight,
o’clock at night, and its tolling told the people to “ quench their flaming
ministers,” a command which bore no reference to the Lord Pams of
the period, but simply was equivalent to saying “ dowse your glims ! ”
Everybody knows that the word curfew is derived from the French
word couvrefeu-, but everybody possibly is not so well aware that the
curfew at some period served the purpose of the muffin-bell, an instru-
ment, which, everj body knows, is still in use. At what period this was
so we cannot charge ourselves to state; but the fact is made quite
manifest by the well-known ancient passage which a modern poet has
both plagiarised and altered. The lines, as we have seen them, run,
or hobble, thus :—
“ Efje curfein tolls tlje knell of parting bag,
3nb la! inijen Ijeatb, tlje muffin bog toe srr,
ffiBHjo, hrljile tlje p’Ucemau plobs ijis brerg toag,
Entitles tlje toorlb to toasting attb to tea.”
It will not be forgotten (by those who have good memories) that it,
was during the reign of the Conquering Hero, Will, that England
was first blessed with those valuable law officers, called with pleasant
irony “Justices” of the peace. Whether these.distinguished digni-
taries wore for purpose »f distinction some distinctive legal robe, is
more than the old chronicles enable us to state. But if we cannot
fancy how they dressed themselves, we can imagine what a dressing
they gave unhappy poachers who happened to be brought before them;
and we doubt not that the justice which these justices administered
was as remote from real justice as that which in such cases is now-
adays dealt out.
* We may note here that these sleeves, whoever first adopted them, furnished
the design tor the old heraldic “maunoh,” which, we learn, was first borne by the
family of De Hastings. Any baby knows that the word “ maunch ” means a
sleeve, and its being used for arms is therefore quite appropriate.