by  KAY ROUSE

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Tarts, Baubles & Bare heads:
I’m going to start by being pompous: What matters for me is that Iknow why I am wearing every single item on my considerable frame when Iam in re-enactment kit – for me that is the key. It just doesn’t seem goodenough to shove it on because I saw it in a picture of appropriate dateor simply because I like it! This also makes those accommodations I domake - machine construction, machine woven cloth, synthetically dyed –more bearable.

 Perhaps also social custom is the key – people do things, as thoseare the things that are done! E.g. our more libertarian beaches providefor both naturists and those who wish to go topless, our social customdoes not usually encompass wearing a top but going bottomless…
 Late medieval social custom on women’s’ heads seems to have gonea bit like this:
Women did not cut their hair - only life threatening fever would persuadeone to do so ‘voluntarily’. Girls of marriageable age do sometimes go withtheir heads uncovered (Phyllis & C Willett Cunnington ‘English MedievalCostume’) - as a sort of advert, I suppose – but both above and below thisage hair was covered for the sake of both modesty or keeping it clean whileworking. To remove a woman’s headcovering was a rubbishing of her wholebeing and could be done ritually and in public as an accusation of adulteryor worse (treatment of Eleanor De Cobham/nasty illus. in British LibraryHarley Ms 4425 /lecture by Dr Margaret Scott). Women accused of a dreadfulcrime – or even on the way to execution – would walk in their shift (orsometimes allowed a plain kirtle if posh) barefoot, bareheaded and oftenwith their hair cropped viz. Jane Shore paraded through London after thedeath of Edward 1V.
 While a broader overview is important I wonder if incidents ofthe personal style of an individual aristocratic trophy bride, the fashionor custom of a particular place and time or religious iconography has asmuch relevance as we would like for us? Most of us mostly stand in an Englishfield portraying fairly average English men and women. I think it’s reallyvital that even when looking at 15th C illustrations we understand whatit is we are seeing.
Women in smart head-dresses are generally rich middle class or better– viz. the Rogier van der Weyden works in the National Gallery: the YoungWoman of c1460 is probably a member of the Burgundian court and sportsa fetching veiled hennin that reveals her ears. Next to her hangs the Exhumationof St Hubert of a little earlier – look in the background and you willsee plenty of more middle/lower class women in heavier linen veils thatare much more concealing. Elsewhere in the same room are other contemporarypictures of prosperous mercantile women in far from fancy or revealingheadwear. Entirely bareheaded women may either be Our Lady, virgin saintsor martyrs or have other symbolism – Italian pictures often have classicalallusions or styles absent from northern work until much later. Differenthorses for different courses. Then there are the great indoors versus outdoorand seasonal debates…
I have illustrations from mid/late 15th C Tournai tapestries at Reimsof aristocratically dressed women wearing earrings - but what I don’t haveis the subtext of what is being said by this. It could be ‘ooh, princessvery beautiful, husband fabulously wealthy, fashion icon’ or conversely‘look, unique and exotic foreigners’ or even ‘beware, consort of Beelzebub- run!’
 The men with earrings in paintings at Cologne could be makinga fashion statement by aping exotic Balthazar and his retinue in cult portraitsthere of the Three Kings – or an entirely different judgement could beintended. One ordinary little Caucasian chap in a coif and earring in aStefan Lochner ‘Judgement’ is being hustled down into Hell (perhaps forbeing a vain and poncey earring wearer, I don’t know)
 As to prostitutes: The general social need seems to have beenfor the identification of them for the benefit of decent society and theprotection of good women (and so their customers could find them?) In Southwarkprostitutes were forbidden to wear aprons while outdoors, doubtless therewere other local signs (‘Pleasures & Pastimes in Medieval England’Compton Reeves) Even if there is proven detail that some prostitute womenwent bareheaded somewhere – this doesn’t necessarily work for tarts everywhere– most of the evidence I have seen is to the contrary:
 The ‘rayed’ or striped hoods are mentioned at Bristol (P&Pabove), Spanish prostitutes wore distinctive peaked hoods which also hidtheir painted faces while on the way to work (Pipponier & Mane ‘Dressin the Middle Ages’). There are several illustrations of bathhouse courtesans(and their less costly bathmaids) scantily clad or naked yet still sportingfashionable headwear. There’s a famous one – name escapes me but it’s inthe year 2000 Past Times Medieval Woman calendar – of a row of naked prostitutesentertaining clients at a meal while in the tubs, yet still with smartlycovered heads. Even pictures of newlywed – or adulterous - couples in bedshow women (and men) with covered heads! (Tacuinum Sanitatis, Paris ‘Coitus’and Bodleian Ms Douce 195 f118)
Also, those are professional women - part-timers often/usually soughtto disguise their intention in seeming respectability until an obviouspunter arose…(notes from ‘100 obscene pilgrim & visitor tokens fromHolland’ and examples of Parisian ‘secret’ tokens) Prostitution wasn’t/isn’ta bit of fun – prostitute women then suffered all the viciousness and exclusionthey do now with the added punishment of being denied a Christian burialif their occupation were known (P&P above)
Those are my brief thoughts which bring me round full circle to theimportance of knowing what we are doing and why. It doesn’t seem sensibleto wear the jewellery or style of a duchess while otherwise dressed asa working/middle class woman.
It’s a shame to go bare headed on the feeble (misunderstood) excuseof being a prostitute because it is easier for us on a warm day – especiallyif a modern short hairstyle is part of the equation. On the other handit could be a great deal of fun to develop real re-enactment prostitute/campfollower persona and dress based on some more specific and locally pertinentdetail…

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