Jennifer Colpo

During Robin Hood's time, a merry maid’s clothing encompassed a wide variety of items. A maid's primary garment was an ankle-length, loose fitting, loose-sleeved gown worn over a tight fitting under tunic. The elbow length sleeves of gowns were often adorned with tippets or pendant streamers. The gown's decoration consisted of embroidered bands at the waist, wrists, and hem. Embroidery patterns of this time included flowers and animals detailed with silver thread and pearls.

A maid's accessories included girdles, barbettes, veils, and head-dresses. Girdles were worn over gowns and around the waist, crossed at the back and tied loosely below the hips. Girdles were often adorned with tasseled or jeweled ends that hung almost to the hem of the gown. Materials used in making girdles included metal, leather, fabric, and cord. A woman also wore barbettes, strips of white linen worn under the chin and drawn up along each side to be fastened on top of the head. Perhaps the most common accessory of the time was a veil. Originally veils were made of linen, silk, or even wool; however semi-transparent materials were adopted as they became available. Veils usually accompanied head-dresses made of metal, velvet, or silk. The veils were draped over or around the head-dress and often flowed down the back. Veils were also accompanied by wimples, pieces of silk or linen. The wimple was fastened to the hair near the crown or on each side of the head then draped around the chin covering the neck and throat. Often the lower edge was inserted into the neckline of the gown.

A maiden also wore hose which consisted of two stockings that covered the leg to just above the knee. Shoe styles varied but they were most often closed and reached over the ankle. Shoe ornamentation included bands of embroidery, small rings of gold or silver, and gold mesh with gems or beads sewn on.

Brooke, Iris. English Costume of the Early Middle Ages. New York: Barnes and Noble, 1936.

Craze, Andrew. Gwalhafad’s Costume Guide. http://www.cf.ac.uk/uwcc/archi/howshall/arthurm/costume/costume.html. (3 January 1999).