ITEMS OF CLOTHING

UNDERWEAR

THE CHEMISE

BREASTCOVERINGS

UNDERPANTS

HOSE & GARTERS

Underpants
A question of underpants, trewes, clouts or braes

It seems to be generally accepted that medieval women did not wear drawers. To women of childbaring ages, this would certainly not be an appealing thought, especially when considering certain times of the month.

Underpants for medieval women aren't recorded or written about greatly, although Ian Mortimer's book, "A Time Traveler's Guide to the 14th Century" mentions aristocratic women's "clouts" as a form of linen braes for women to wear when nature forces her to do so. In household rolls and in warderobe records they are not listed specifically, except in one instance which is within the ordinances issued to tailors concerning the value of the clothing which could be charged for a particular garment.

In the book "Fashion in the Age of the Black Prince", Stella Mary Newton asserts that this 1350 ordinance mentions the cost of a chemise as no more than 8 deniers and for the robbes-linges (which were presumably linen underpants) the price was to be the usual one for masculine ones of the same style. This certainly seems to indicate that women may have worn underpants of a similar style to men.

Perhaps there is not mention of women's underwear in household accounts because most of the records and rolls were written by male stewards who did not bother with such trifling and unimportant items. Perhaps the items were of very little value and were not recorded for this reeason. Perhaps it was not an area any man wished to enquire about. It was then, as it was during the following centuries, private and "unmentionable".

It is also possible that ladies' underpants do not rate a mention because they were actually not worn at all and that in images like the 1475 painting by Boccaccio, at left, and that underwear was painted in for modesty's sake.

It does not seem that extra modesty was required in the fresco "The Fountain of Youth" painted from 1411 to 1416 by di Manta where the woman in question was already covered by a fine chemise. A closer examination shows a whitening where her underpants seem to be although no corresponding whiteness at her breasts. In a time period when sunbaking and tan lines were not known, it seems unlikely that the whitening at her groin is merely her white bottom. Detail shown at right.

As a woman, I find this insistence at the lack of underpants to be a little perplexing. What of the menses? It is certain that women menstruated and it follows that some method of dealing with the same was employed. Many times I have been asked, usually in hushed tones and in a private place, about underwear at this time of the month. Although I have repeatedly read that women wore nothing, I believe that in this day and age, if women feel the necessity to speak privately on this matter, they would probably have been less inclined to discuss it with any kind of record-keeper in the middle ages. Some kind of underpants must have been worn, at least during some times of the month.

It is also known that many women rode horses. Some women, like Margaret Paston regularly rode in her travels and according to Frances and Joseph Gies book, "Women of the Middle Ages" they write that she probably rode astride as women had always done rather than sidesaddle which was just coming into vogue in the early 15th century. It appears that this was not considered unusual or shocking.

As any horsewoman would be well-aware, to ride astride vigorously with no underwear for protection of any kind would be unlikely for all but the shortest periods. It is possible that for short journeys where the rider does little more than walk, protection other than the voluminous folds of gown were sufficient for a woman's delicate nether regions. The image at left is from the "Manesse Codex", a German manuscript, and shows a woman who appears by the position of her singular knee, to be riding astride.

In "Mistress, Maids and Men" by Margaret Labarge, we learn that the Countess of Leicester seemed to have an undergarment of fine leather. The skins were delivered to her tailor, Hique, who also purchased 3 ells of canvas for the same purpose. The Latin word used in the original household roll is "cruralia" which suggests some kind of shin coverings. It is known that the Countess rode astride often and it is suggested by Margaret that these items were used to make some kind of riding-breeches to protect her legs and underneath.

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