Synopsis of ancient costume, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, British, Anglo-Saxon, Norman, and English / by T.D. Fosbroke. Extracted from the Encyclopaedia of antiquities.

  • Thomas Dudley Fosbroke
Date:
1825
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Synopsis of ancient costume, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, British, Anglo-Saxon, Norman, and English / by T.D. Fosbroke. Extracted from the Encyclopaedia of antiquities. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    41/66 page 29
    “ Boors—The Anglo-Saxon horseman only appears in shoes and spurs ; and their leather-hose, Strutt thinks, may mean spatterdashes, which the Trapule of Atlfric, the Tybrucus, &c. of the Middle Age, and the French Gamoche, all seem to imply ; indeed the boot of Henry VI. en- graved in Whitaker's Craven, 2d ed. p. 114, buttons up the side. The Normans used boots, short, richly embroidered, but seldom higher than the calf; sometimes close, sometimes loose and open. In the reign of Rufus peaked-pointed boots were in vogue; afterwards various fashions, sometimes close, sometimes wide and full of folds; sometimes high above the knees, the tops generally turned down upon the boots, and of different colours. ‘Tops ornamented with ruffles and fringes occur in the seventeenth century. Lawn boot-tops, says Strutt, were deemed foppish ; and Howell says, ‘ Bishops’ lawn sleeves are worn for’ boot- tops ;” and adds, that boots and shoes were long snouted. We find in Elizabeth’s reign a booted speaker in a pageant, to show that he was Vates Cothurnatus, not a loose or low creeping poet. Breecues—Drawers to fit the thigh, usually above, sometimes below the knee and trowsers, occur among the Anglo-Saxons as early as the ninth century. In the fourteenth they were larger and looser, and worn either a little below the knee, or in connection with the hose. In this, and the following century, they were generally made of linen, fastened round the waist, and descended nearly half way the length of the thighs. It was customary to sleep in them. In the reign of Rich. II. they were general, and as early as Henry IV. made under the name of hose, to an- swer the double purpose of breeches and stockings (like modern panta- loons ',) fastened by tags or points to the doublet, and sitting close to the limbs. In the sixteenth century, came up French hose, 1st common, containing length, breadth, and fullness; 2d. not above a quarter of a yard on the side; the Gallie hosen, very large and wide, reached only ‘ From the Standard-bearer in the Venetian army wearing tight hose, this dress came to be called Pantaloon ; a corruption of pianta leone, i.e. plant the Lion, the Standard of the Republick being the Lion of St. Mark, Meyrick’s Armour, i. 115.
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3