Peasants
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Although there were few rich peasants, they would wear their best on Sundays to church. They wore woven fabrics, sometimes colorful, in an attempt to emulate the upper class. However, the majority of lower class clothing was made of flax or wool. It was coarse and worn for an extensive time, often until shabby and useless. For additional comfort, sometimes a linen shirt was worn under the tunic.Because they rarely washed their outergarments, it was said that, “The scent of wood smoke that permeated the clothing seemed to act as a deodorant” (www.lerner.org). |
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Most peasant clothing was gray or another dark color. They kept their materials simple.
Men usually wore a short tunic that went to the knee, a covering for the lower body, and a cloak (Rosener, 87). The tunic was made of wool or linen and was long-sleeved and trousers with a belt. In wintertime, they wore animal furs or wool. A hat was simply a hood connected to the cloak.
Women wore tunics that were longer, almost to the ankle, and held in place by a colorful belt. In addition, they would wear long gowns and wimples to cover their hair.
Both men and women’s tunics were slit along the sides so that they could work in the fields without any hindrances.
The least desired shoes consisted of leather wrapped under the foot and tied at the ankle. Peasants often wore laced-up shoes, leather ‘held together by long thongs running through leather loops attached to the upper side of the shoe’ (Rosner, 87) or wooden shoes. To keep feet dry, they would cover their leather boots with wooden patens. During the winter, they wore long sleeves, sheepskin cloaks, and woolen hats and mittens to keep warm.
