Cloth and Clothing in Early anglo-Saxon England,

ad 450-700

This book is dedicated to the memory of my friend and mentor

Elisabeth Grace Crowfoot 1914–2005

Cloth and Clothing in Early anglo-Saxon England,

ad 450-700

Penelope Walton Rogers

CBa research report 145

Council for British archaeology 2007

Published in 2007 by the Council for British archaeologySt Mary’s house, 66 Bootham, york, yo30 7BZ

Copyright © 2007 author, English heritage and Council for British archaeology

British library cataloguing in Publication dataa catalogue record for this book is available from the British libraryiSBn 978 1 902771 540

Cover designed by BP design, york

typeset by archetype it ltd, www.archetype-it.com

Printed and bound in the UK by the alden Press

the publisher acknowledges with gratitude a grant from English heritage towards the cost of publication

Cover: the amber beads and replica brooch were provided by Sandra garside-neville and the woad-dyed diamond twill cloth by the author. the paintings on the back cover are by graham Sumner (see Chapter 5)

Contents

List of figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viiList of tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xivAcknowledgements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvSummary xvii

1 Setting the scene 1Previous.studies .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2The.historical.framework. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3A.note.on.chronology.and.colour-coding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

2 Textile production in the villages 9Sheep.and.wool.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Flax.and.hemp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Wool.preparation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Flax.processing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Spinning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21Winding.and.warping .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Weaving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Band-weaving,.braiding.and.cord-making. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Bleaching.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Dyeing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Finishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Laundering .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Cutting.and.stitching. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Textiles.and.the.village.economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

3 The textiles from the cemeteries 49The.database. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Bias.and.preservation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Fibres.and.their.identification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Dyes.and.dye.identification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Weave.structures.and.spin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64The.main.fabric.types .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Patterning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Specialist.textiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Imported.silks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86Borders.and.other.structural.details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86Tablet.weaves .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Braids.and.cords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

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Needlework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Animal.skins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Chronology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104Regional.distribution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

4 Costume accessories 111Dating.Anglo-Saxon.graves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Anglo-Saxon.metalwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Brooches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Sleeve-clasps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Buckles.and.other.belt.fittings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Pins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Beads,.pendants.and.other.necklace.accessories .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 127Bangles,.finger.rings.and.ear-rings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Aglets.and.other.metal.tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Bags,.chatelaines.and.other.suspended.items. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Artefacts.in.men’s.graves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135Knives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

5 Reconstructing clothing from the Anglo-Saxon burial 139The.costume.survey.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Paired.shoulder.brooches.and.the.peplos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Single.brooches.at.the.shoulder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152The.sleeved.inner.gown .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154The.veil.and.other.coverings.for.the.head.and.neck.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Cloaks,.shawls.and.capes.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167The.history.of.cloaks,.mantles,.capes.and.hoods.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173Costume.ensembles.in.the.Migration.period .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 177Graves.without.brooches.or.pins.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180Women.after.the.peplos:.the.Later.Phase .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 180The.women.of.east.Kent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189Fashions.in.bead.strings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193Atypical.graves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196Men’s.tunics.and.trousers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199Men’s.cloaks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206Men’s.headwear.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209Fighting.gear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210The.warrior.jacket. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210Clothing.children .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217Hair.styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218Belts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219Shoes.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221Leg.and.foot.coverings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222Pouches.and.purses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223Soft-furnishings.and.beds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224Textiles.with.weapons,.knives.and.tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227Carrying.the.knife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227Textile.wrappers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

6 Cloth, clothing and Anglo-Saxon society 229The.early.immigrants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229Romano-British.survival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230Regional.variety.in.the.Migration.period. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232The.transfer.of.textile.technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234Status.and.textiles .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235Imported.textiles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236Textiles.in.7th-century.royal.burials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238Between.men.and.women.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240Age.matters.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241Women.and.marriage .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242Changing.costume.in.a.changing.society.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244Interpreting.costume.in.the.burial.ritual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245The.long.view. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247Notes.for.archaeologists .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248Costume.and.textile.crafts.in.a.new.archaeology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Bibliography .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253Index .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275

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list of figures

1.1 Spinning and weaving depicted on a hallstatt period vessel from Sopron, hungary1.2 the iron-age inheritance: a checked twill from Falkirk, probably mid-3rd century ad1.3 a veteran of the Sixth legion and his family wearing gallic coats in a carved relief

from york, 2nd or 3rd century ad1.4 the two-beam vertical loom in a wall-painting in the hypogeum of the aurelii at

rome

2.1 Sheep in a pen, with women milking and carrying milk from the luttrell Psalter, c 13402.2 Men pulling flax in Flanders in the 20th century2.3 natural fleece colours2.4 naturally dyed wool2.5 Using a roman woolcomb in a wall-painting at Pompeii2.6 a pair of 7th-century woolcombs from Wicken Bonhunt, Essex2.7 a woman combing wool with a pair of two-row, short-toothed woolcombs of the

anglo-Saxon type, Chartres Cathedral, c 12002.8 Processing the flax plant2.9 removing retted flax from a ‘lint hole’ in northern ireland in the early 20th

century2.10 Wooden flax-processing tools2.11 Processing flax: pounding, scutching and heckling2.12 a woman heckling flax with a foot heckle, Chartres Cathedral 2.13 Cross-sections through the flax stem2.14 Flax at different stages of preparation2.15 Spinning with short hand-distaff and suspended spindle2.16 distaffs and spindles2.17 the short hand-distaff and spindle, ivory carving of the Carolingian Court School, early

9th century2.18 the development of spindle whorls from the iron age to the 7th century2.19 yarn-winding equipment from the 9th-century ship burial at oseberg, norway2.20 Preparing the warp on a warping frame2.21 Weaving on the warp-weighted loom2.22 Circular clay loomweights 2.23 two rows of clay loomweights at grimstone End, Pakenham, Suffolk, in 19532.24 loomweights in situ in a timber building at Upton, northamptonshire, and in the

remains of a hut at West Stow2.25 Bone and antler tools used in weaving: double-ended pin-beaters, a single-ended pin-

beater and a toothed weft-beater2.26 iron weaving battens of sword-shaped and spear-shaped form

2.27 a roman funerary sculpture from Baugy, France, showing the weaver, genetiva, holding a single-ended pin-beater

2.28 tablet weaving: a tablet and the band-weaving shuttle from Chalton, hampshire2.29 dyeplants: woad, Isatis tinctoria l., and weld, Reseda luteola l.2.30 a woman doing her laundry by a river with a laundering bat, in the holkham Bible

Picture Book, 1327–352.31 a selection of shears of the 5th to the 7th centuries2.32 needles, needle-cases and cylindrical boxes2.33 Plan of the settlement at West Stow, showing the distribution of textile equipment2.34 Scutching flax in Ponte de lima, Portugal

3.1 the sites from which textile records have been collected3.2 textiles preserved in association with metal garment-fasteners3.3 the preservation of textiles does not follow the preservation of bone: complete

skeletons at Berinsfield; a ‘sand body’, where most of the bone has dissolved, at Snape3.4 Fibres viewed with an optical (transmitted-light) microscope and fibres viewed by

Scanning Electron Microscope3.5 Weave structures of anglo-Saxon textiles3.6 tying in the heddles for plain 2/2 twill, 2/1 twill and 2/2 diamond twill3.7 yarns and cords: spin, ply and cable3.8 a plain ZZ tabby weave from West heslerton3.9 textiles woven in twill3.10 Pattern effects: (a) checked, (b) striped, and (c) warp-weft contrast3.11 the thread-counts of Early anglo-Saxon spin-patterned textiles3.12 Some pattern repeats in Early anglo-Saxon diamond twills3.13 the thread-counts of Early anglo-Saxon 2/2 diamond twills with a 20 × 18 pattern

repeat3.14 (a) rosette twill from Finglesham and (b) the diamond-patterned, possibly composite,

twill from howletts 3.15 anglo-Saxon coverlet weaves3.16 tapestry weave from West heslerton and Coptic tapestry from Cologne Cathedral3.17 Soumak tapestry from taplow, Sutton hoo Mound 1 and Birka, and counted-thread

stem-stitch in an embroidery from llan-gors crannog3.18 (a) a piled textile from Broomfield; (b) the looped-pile weave technique; (c) the

inserted-yarn technique of Banstead down3.19 Borders on anglo-Saxon whole cloths3.20 (a) Plain selvedges on tabby-weave tape; (b) looped border on twill from Southampton

St Mary’s3.21 a weaving gore from Snape cremation C673.22 tablet weaves with simple corded effects3.23 tablet-woven warp-patterned tabby weaves3.24 tablet-woven double-faced repp-effect weave3.25 tablet-woven (a) 2/1 twill on 2-hole tablets from West heslerton, and (b) twill-like

ridges from Morning thorpe also on 2-hole tablets3.26 tablet-woven double-faced 3/1 twill3.27 tablet weaves with probable weft-float patterns

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3.28 tablet weaves ornamented with soumak and weft-wrapping in horse hair3.29 a tablet weave from Sutton hoo Mound 14, with soumak ornament, and similar bands

from St Cuthbert’s tomb at durham3.30 gold-brocading, divorced from its ground weave3.31 Braids3.32 needlework3.33 Embroidery3.34 Embroidery representing pendant necklaces and pectoral cross on the tabard-style tunic

of St Bathilde, Chelles3.35 Early anglo-Saxon textiles, grouped by weave and spin3.36 the three main textile types arranged according to date and by relationship to small-

long and annular brooches3.37 regional boundaries derived from two trend surface maps 3.38 the three main textile types divided by region

4.1 the three main categories of saucer-shaped brooches4.2 two typical disc brooches4.3 Kentish disc brooches4.4 the three main categories of annular brooch4.5 Penannular brooch and openwork brooch 4.6 Cruciform brooches4.7 the detached knob from a cruciform brooch from Scorton has been tied in place with

plied cords4.8 a selection of small-long brooches4.9 Square-headed brooches4.10 Supporting-arm brooch and a small equal-armed brooch 4.11 Continental bow brooches from Kent4.12 a selection of small Continental brooches, or Kleinfibeln, from anglo-Saxon cemeteries4.13 Safety-pin brooch4.14 Sleeve-clasps4.15 a range of metal buckles4.16 a selection of strap-ends4.17 (a) Migration period garment pins; (b) shorter pins of the later Phase; (c) linked pins of

the later Phase; (d) an iron ‘cutlery pin’ or ‘knife pin’; and (e) a set of toilet implements including two pin-like objects

4.18 Beads from Early anglo-Saxon graves4.19 (a) a mid-7th-century necklace from harford Farm; (b) a 7th-century gold necklace

from desborough, northamptonshire4:20 Metal pendants, two bucket beads, a beaver-tooth pendant and two slip-ring necklaces4.21 (a) a neck-ring or lunula, (b) a wire bangle, (c) a spiral bangle, (d) a selection of finger

rings4.22 Metal aglets of the later Phase and small metal hooked tags, probably purse fasteners4.23 Men with typical anglo-Saxon weaponry on the carved whalebone lid of the Franks

Casket4.24 Male accessories from norton-on-tees 4.25 Sword from dover Buckland i

5.1 Similar suites of costume accessories in graves with differing preservation of the body5.2 the sites included in the costume survey5.3 garment-fasteners in two women’s graves5.4 graves with paired shoulder brooches, representing peplos fasteners5.5 Methods of clasping the peplos5.6 Knotted ends of a girdle, made from a tubular plait (sinnet) from West heslerton 5.7 germanic women wearing the peplos on the 2nd-century column of Marcus aurelius5.8 the tubular garment from huldremose, denmark, worn as a peplos with the top folded

down5.9 Menimane wearing three garments fastened with brooches 5.10 a hand-made reconstruction of the costume of a woman in an early 11th-century

grave from south-west Finland 5.11 reconstruction of the different ways of wearing the anglo-Saxon peplos, based on

archaeological evidence and Continental sources5.12 the peplos clasped on the left shoulder in mortuary reliefs at (a) Palmyra, Syria, and (b)

Mainz, germany5.13 a probable girdled mantle-dress in an early 6th-century mosaic in the basilica of Sant’

apollinare nuovo, ravenna5.14 reconstruction of the garments worn with single and non-matching shoulder

brooches5.15 tablet-woven cuff and sleeve-clasps from Mildenhall5.16 a woman from roman Pannonia in a long-sleeved dress, and peplos with the hem

hitched up, from a tombstone in Klagenfurt Museum, austria5.17 remains of a head-veil on a woman’s skull from West heslerton5.18 a hip-length veil picked out in gold thread, in the burial of a man, woman and child,

Mill hill 5.19 textiles on an annular brooch from Cleatham, viewed from the front5.20 tight pleats running down an iron key at the left waist in harford Farm 5.21 Pairs of metal rings and staples from either side of the head in women’s burials5.22 the position of the pin in women’s graves5.23 Short veils from other periods5.24 Pleated women’s garments in an ivory panel from a book cover, from St Martin’s,

genoels-Elderen, Belgium5.25 headbands across the forehead5.26 a reconstruction of the cuffie, coif, binde, headband, and rift, veil, based on surviving

Viking-age caps and headbands, and the traditional nun’s habit5.27 Byzantine veils and coifs5.28 the ‘velamen’ of St harlindis, in early documents referred to as a palliolum5.29 reconstruction of short Migration period veils5.30 reconstruction of the long later Phase veils5.31 graves with a single large cloak-fastener5.32 graves with paired downward-pointing cloak-fasteners5.33 reconstruction of anglo-Saxon women of the Migration period wearing cloaks, capes,

shawls and head-veils5.34 germanic cloaks and capes

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5.35 the Empress theodora and women of her court in a mosaic of 546–48 in the basilica at San Vitale, ravenna

5.36 Women wearing mantles over the head and cloaks in images from the Stuttgart Psalter, c 800

5.37 reconstruction of the female costume at Scorton 5.38 reconstruction of the female costume at alton 5.39 reconstruction of the female costume at Snape 5.40 two graves with cloak-fasteners but no peplos brooches5.41 a reconstruction of the textile evidence from Sutton hoo Mound 145.42 the arnegunde burial in the Cathedral at Saint-denis, near Paris5.43 Women’s graves and unsexed graves with female accessories dated to the 7th century5.44 reconstruction of the four-brooch dress5.45 the position of brooches in Kentish dress Style iV in the dover Buckland ii cemetery5.46 textiles on the back of some of the brooches from Fig 5.45, showing the vertical tablet-

woven borders of the front-opening garments5.47 reconstruction of the fastening of a front-opening garment in grave 105 at Waging am

See, lkr traunstein, oberbayern, germany5.48 a 7th-century impressed gold foil from helgö, Ekerö, Uppland, Sweden5.49 Fashions in bead strings in Early anglo-Saxon graves5.50 the garment accessories on an elderly woman at holywell row 5.51 a man with female garment accessories at andover Portway 5.52 Men’s graves have fewer garment accessories than women’s5.53 Men’s tunics and trousers5.54 (a) the thigh-length tunic from thorsberg, dated no later than the 3rd century; (b) the

knee-length tunic from Bernuthsfeld, germany, dated to the later 7th century5.55 the trousers with belt loops from thorsberg and a bare-chested germanic warrior in

trousers with a rolled-over waistband on the 2nd-century column of Marcus aurelius5.56 anglo-Saxon men’s clothing reconstructed5.57 (a) Maltese Vandals wear capes of piled weave or animal skin over V-neck tunics and

footless trousers in a 5th-century ivory diptych; (b) John the Baptist wears a piled cloak with broad collar in a mid-6th-century carving from ravenna; (c) men on the early 8th-century Franks Casket wear a variety of cloaks

5.58 the Pannonian cap5.59 an iron boar’s-crest helmet from the male burial at Wollaston5.60 the warrior jacket5.61 a sketch of the taplow grave made during the excavation of 18825.62 garments with a front opening worn by men of the Sasanian empire5.63 reconstruction of the male costume at Morning thorpe 5.64 how the man buried at taplow might have dressed5.65 hair styles5.66 reconstructed belts from dover Buckland i5.67 Shoes made from a single piece and tentatively reconstructed turnshoes5.68 reconstructed bags and purses5.69 the construction of a pillow from a 10th-century prince’s burial at Mammen

(Bjerringhøj), denmark5.70 graves with the knife parallel to the forearm

6.1 the distribution of 2/1 twills, tubular selvedges and soft-finished textiles in Migration period graves

6.2 regional map of Early anglo-Saxon England and the regions of the textile and costume study

6.3 the distribution of fine spin-patterned tabby and the wics6.4 the madder plant, Rubia tinctorum l.6.5 the tablet-woven bands attaching this seal to a 12th/13th-century document have been

made in the same patterning technique as seen in dover Buckland ii in the 6th century6.6 detail from the 11th-century Bayeux ‘tapestry’, really an embroidery, worked in dyed

wool on linen

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list of tables

2.1 Fleece types of the roman and Early anglo-Saxon period3.1 list of sites from which textile records have been collected3.2 the preservation of wool and linen with iron and copper-alloy artefacts3.3 net-like wool tabby weaves (‘veil weaves’) from anglo-Saxon graves3.4 Colour-patterning in wool textiles of the 5th to 7th/8th centuries5.1 the sites included in the costume survey5.2 garment accessories and age in women’s graves of the Migration period, region 3

acknowledgements

Funding for this research was provided by English heritage and the author would like to thank Chris Scull and the staff at the archaeology Commissions office, English heritage, for their support throughout the project. She is also indebted

to the publishers, the Council for British archaeology, and especially to Frances Mee for her patience and diligence during the editing of the manuscript and to Jane thorniley-Walker who oversaw the early stages.

Bryan alvey, Cultural heritage information Consultants, is to be thanked for the skill with which he recast the author’s private database into a format suitable for use by others, and Bruce lamden and tom Srahan also gave assistance in it. Clerical and administrative support was provided by staff at the anglo-Saxon laboratory, namely, lynda Barraclough, Elizabeth Cox, gillian Fox, deborah gurden and nicola Walton.

the text has benefited greatly from the contribution of the major illustrators, anthony Barton, rob oldfield and graham Sumner, and from additional material provided by glenys Boyles and tom Srahan. the images taken from other publications are acknowledged in the text, but i am especially grateful to the following for help in tracking down sources and copyright permission: Professor lise Bender Jørgensen, norwegian University of Science and technology (trondheim), dr dominique Cardon, Centre national de la recherche Scientifique, dr regina hofmann, University of applied arts (Vienna), dr Michael Klein, Mainz landesmuseum, Patricia Mclean, Ulster Museum Picture library, dr gale owen-Crocker, University of Manchester, Jaana riikonen, nordic graduate School in archaeology (Finland), Sue ross, Shire Books, and Else Østergård, national Museum of denmark (Copenhagen).

the following have kindly read sections of the text and provided feedback: Professor lise Bender Jørgensen, dr Carole Biggam, University of glasgow, dr Birte Brugmann, University of oxford, dr tania dickinson, University of york, dr allan r hall, University of york, Professor John hines, University of Cardiff, Frances Pritchard, the Whitworth art gallery, and dr John Peter Wild, University of Manchester. any errors that remain are undoubtedly my own. others generously gave access to unpublished work: dr Birte Brugmann, the late Elisabeth Crowfoot, dr tania dickinson, the late glynis Edwards, Christine haughton, Susan hirst, Kenneth Penn, dominic Powlesland, ian riddler and Chris Scull. the text has also benefited from conversations with angela Evans, dr Kevin leahy, dr Sonja Marzinzik, ian riddler and Chris Scull, and a special thank-you goes to dr Peter addyman for access to his private library.

Finally, i should like to thank all those clients who put up with delays in schedules while i was writing the book, and last, but not least, tom Srahan, for always being

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there to flap a towel in my corner, and gill Fox, Bruce lamden, Ken Pickering, Sara Stancliffe, Caroline thompson and alan Wilkinson, for their constant good humour and late-night friendship during the long haul.

Summary

this volume reviews the archaeological evidence for clothing and its manu-facture in the early anglo-Saxon period. it draws on material excavated from settlements and cemeteries, and places it within the context of current studies

concerning women, immigration, economy and the meaning of costume within anglo-Saxon society.

Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the study and a review of the historical back-ground. Chapter 2 describes the processes of production, from raw material to finished cloth. Cloth making was made up of a series of crafts, mostly organised by the women of the community and managed alongside other agricultural and domestic duties. the work began outside in the summer and moved indoors into the pit-huts or ‘sunken-featured buildings’ in the winter and spring. Chapter 3 surveys the main cloth types, based on 3,800 records from 162 sites, collected in a database, accessible via the adS website. they are mostly standard forms of twill and tabby, in wool and linen, although the ratios of one type to another change with time. tablet weaves and needlework, including embroideries, are described, as well a small number of specialist weaves.

Chapter 4 reviews costume accessories, including brooches, pins, buckles and necklaces, most of which come from women’s graves. Chapter 5 presents a detailed study of costume styles, based on the evidence from the cemeteries. the findings from the graves are compared with the representation of germanic men and women in roman art and with later historical evidence. accessories such as belts, bags and shoes are described, along with bedding and other soft furnishings.

Chapter 6 considers the evidence under thematic headings. the anglo-Saxon textile culture arrived in two or more waves from the Continent, but the survival of native British skills can be seen in certain regional pockets. Costumes show regional and chronological variation, and age and social status also play a part: markers for age and marriage have been tentatively identified. Specialist textiles follow affluent or high-status people, and in the 7th century these shift from mostly female to exclusively male graves. the role of textiles in the funerary ritual is considered and notes are provided on ways in which the archaeologist can improve the study of costume in the future.

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résumé

Ce volume fait un compte-rendu des indices archéologiques concernant les vêtements et leur fabrication au début de la période anglo-saxonne. il utilise le matériel découvert lors des fouilles de peuplements et de cimetières, et il situe

ce matériel dans le contexte des études courantes concernant les femmes, l’immigration, l’économie, et la signification du costume au sein de la société anglo-saxonne.

le chapitre 1 introduit cette étude et fournit aussi un compte-rendu du contexte historique. le chapitre 2 décrit les procédés de production, des matières premières au tissu fini. la fabrication du tissu était le produit d’une série d’artisanats, organisés pour la plupart par les femmes de la communauté, et gérée côte à côte avec d’autres activités agricoles et ménagères. le travail commençait à l’extérieur en été et continuait à l’intérieur, dans les cabanes mi-souterraines ou les ‘bâtiments à structures enfouies’ en hiver et au printemps. le chapitre 3 examine les principaux types de tissu, sur la base de 3 800 notations tirées de 162 sites, réunies dans une base de données, laquelle est accessible par le biais du site internet adS. Ces tissus sont pour la plupart des formes normales de sergé et de armure toile, en laine et en lin, bien que les proportions entre un type de tissu et un autre changent dans le temps. les armures aux cartons et les travaux d’aiguille, y compris les broderies, y sont décrits, ainsi qu’un petit nombre de tissus spécialisés.

le chapitre 4 examine les accessoires du costume, y compris les broches, les épingles, les boucles, et les colliers, dont la plupart proviennent de sépultures de femmes. le chapitre 5 présente une étude détaillée des styles de costumes, sur la base des indices retrouvés dans les cimetières. les découvertes extraites des sépultures sont comparées avec la manière dont sont représentés les hommes et les femmes germaniques dans l’art romain et avec les indices historiques ultérieurs. les accessoires comme les ceintures, les sacs et les chaussures sont décrits, ainsi que la literie et autres tissus de maison.

le chapitre 6 examine les indices sous des rubriques thématiques. la culture textile anglo-saxonne arriva du continent européen en deux vagues ou plus, mais la survie des techniques autochtones britanniques peut se voir dans certaines petites zones région-ales. les costumes témoignent des variations régionales et chronologiques, et l’âge et le standing social ont également un rôle à jouer: des marqueurs pour l’âge et le mariage ont été provisoirement identifiés. les textiles spécialisés accompagnent les personnes riches ou de grand standing social et, au 7ème siècle, ils passent de sépultures princi-palement féminines à des sépultures exclusivement masculines. le rôle des textiles dans les rites funéraires est pris en considération et des notes sont fournies sur les manières dont les archéologues pourront améliorer l’étude du costume à l’avenir.

Übersicht

dieser Band präsentiert eine Übersicht über archäologische Funde von gewändern und deren herstellung in der frühen angelsächsischen Zeit von ad 450–700. Für diese Studie wird ausgrabungsmaterial aus Siedlungen und

Friedhöfen hinzugezogen und anschließend mit Studien integriert, die sich mit der rolle von Frauen, immigration, Wirtschaftsstruktur und der Bedeutung von trachten in der angelsächsischen gesellschaft beschäftigen.

das 1. Kapitel besteht aus einer Einleitung und vermittelt eine Übersicht über den historischen hintergrund. Kapitel 2 beschreibt den herstellungsprozess, vom rohmaterial bis zum gefertigten Stoff. die Stoffherstellung bestand aus einer reihe von handwerklichen Vorgängen, die hauptsächlich von Frauen durchgeführt wurden und mit anderen arbeiten in der landwirtschaft und im haus verbunden wurden. die arbeit begann im Sommer im Freien und wurde im Winter und Frühling in grubenhäusern weitergeführt. Kapitel 3 enthält eine inventur der wichtigsten Stoffarten, dessen Kenntnis auf 3800 aufzeichnungen aus 162 ausgrabungsstätten beruht. diese information ist in einer datenbank zusammengetragen die über die Webseite des adS zugänglich ist. Sie am meisten verbreitetsten Stoffarten bestehen aus Köper und tuchbindungen aus Wolle und leinen, welche arten vorherrschen ist zeitlichen änderungen unterworfen. Brettchenwebereien und nadelarbeiten, wie zum Beispiel Stickereien werden beschrieben, sowie eine kleine anwahl von außergewöhn-lichen Webearbeiten.

das 4. Kapitel beschäftigt sich mit trachtenschmuck, wie zum Beispiel Broschen, nadeln, Schnallen und halsschmuck, die meist aus Frauengräbern stammen. im 5. Kapitel wird eine detaillierte Studie von gewändern beschrieben, die aus grabfunden bestehen. die grabfunde werden mit den darstellungen von germanen aus römischer Kunst und späteren historischen Quellen verglichen. accessoires wie gürtel, taschen und Schuhe werden beschrieben, sowie auch Bettzeug und andere textilaustattungen.

im 8. Kapitel werden die Befunde unter verschiedenen thematischen Kategorien diskutiert. die angelsächsische textilkultur kam durch zwei Einwanderungswellen vom Europäischen Festland, in bestimmten gebieten überlebten vereinzelt auch einhei-mische handarbeiten. trachten unterliegen regionalen und zeitlichen abweichungen und das alter und die soziale Stellung der träger spielen auch eine rolle: bestimmte Kennzeichen, die hinweise auf alter oder heiraten geben, wurden provisorisch iden-tifiziert. Spezielle textilien geben hinweise auf Wohlstand und hohen Status und ab dem 7. Jahrhundert werden solche textilien ausschließlich in gräbern von Männern gefunden. die rolle von textilien bei Begräbnisritualen wird diskutiert und es werden Vorschläge gemacht, wie die Methoden der textilarchäologie für zukünftige Studien verbessert werden können.

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there are three slender things that best support the world:the slender stream of milk from the cow’s teat into the pail;the slender blade of green corn upon the ground;and the slender thread across the hand of a skilled woman. The Triads of Ireland (9th century)