Saxon Clothing

Saxon Clothing
http://www.rosieandglenn.co.uk/TheLibrary/Costume/SpecificCostumes/SpecificCostumesmenu.htm#ES

Late Saxon - 850 to 1066 AD

- Anglo-Saxon Nobleman - 10th/11th Century

A rich and luxurious costume, decorated with embroidery and dyed exotically.

White linen, knee length long sleeved (U) with

Under-tunic
round slit neck and ties; slit at sides.

Red linen, calf length (T) with over long sleeves

wrinkling at wrist; round neck with slit. Green linen
Tunic
bands at neck cuff & hem; neck & cuffs
embroidered in wool.

Square (C) orange wool lined with brown wool,

Cloak fastened on right shoulder with brooch; ankle
length.

Blue linen (T) with straight legs and drawstring

Trousers
fastening

Leg- Cream wool strips of fabric wound tightly round the

bindings leg from ankle to knee.

Flat-soled leather (B); ankle high with toggle

Boots
fastening.

Hair Short cropped hair.

Orange wool 'smurf' (H), with brown wool band

Hat
embroidered in orange wool thread.

Bone cross. Seax (knife) in decorated leather Glenn Wilkin - Anglo-Saxon

Accessories Thegn costume © 2000
sheath hung on leather belt. Bronze disc brooch.

Under-tunic
Glenn's undertunic was made for him by his mum. It is fine linen and the shape is based on a
simple 'T'. The body of the tunic is knee-length, with slits at the sides. The sleeves are wrist
length and fairly tight and the neck is round with a slit at the front which is fastened by fabric ties.

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 Saxon Clothing

Tunic
This tunic is also based on the 'T' shape, but has 'gores' or
extra triangles of fabric sewn into the skirt to make it flare. It is
slightly longer than knee-length and the sleeves are also slightly
longer than wrist-length and pushed back to wrinkle up the arm.
The neckline is similar to the under-tunic, but has a decorative
brooch to fasten the slit.
The tunic is made of red linen and is decorated with bands of
contrastingly coloured fabric of pale green linen. These bands
are embroidered at neck and cuff, with stylised plant forms and
a favourite symbol of the Anglo-Saxons - the Christian cross.
The embroidery is executed in yellow, green, mauve and red
wool threads. (Glenn did the embroidery on this himself.)

embroidered at neck

Cloak
Glenn's cloak is a simple square/rectangle of fabric. Well, it's two layers of fabric - one of brown
(wool obtained from the sheep and spun, then woven with no colouring) and orange, which could
have been made by double dyeing with yellow, then red. There is no evidence for double layer
cloaks until the medieval period - but they are certainly warm. There is evidence of single layer
cloaks that were very large being folded double when worn. The edges of the cloak are blanket
stitched in brown wool.

Trousers

They are made of a pale blue soft linen in a

style very similar to modern pyjama trousers.
They have a straight, slightly tapered leg and a
drawstring waist. I have used a piece of matte
piping cord for the drawstring.

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 Saxon Clothing

Leg-bindings
These are simple strips of fabric wound round the lower leg. Glenn's are of undyed wool, with
and hem turned under along both edges. One end has been shaped into two prongs, so that
they can be tied around the leg.

These were strips of fabric were wound round the legs (over the trousers in
the case of men) from ankle to knee by all classes and there are several
reasons why this should be done:

 to keep them warm

 to stop the legs getting scratched while working
 to protect the bottoms of the trousers
 also as a sign of wealth or position

Leg-bindings could have been fastened with 'dress-hooks' which are

sometimes found behind the knees of skeletons or a simpler method of
fastening could have been used. Fig 1. Superbia, from
London, BL MS
It is thought that women may have worn the same type of leg-bindings,
Additional 24199, fol. 12.
beneath their skirts as the men wore around their legs. Indeed there is a
picture of a personified vice riding a horse who has the lower part of her leg
exposed, which appears to be covered by a wrinkled looking stocking (Fig
1.).

* Leg-bindings are a typical feature of the Saxon man's costume. *

The Leg-bindings

Puttee/Wininga no. 1 Puttee/Wininga no. 2

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 Saxon Clothing

There are many ways of wearing the leg-bindings:

1. wound in a spiral from the ankle up to the knee,

starting on the ankle bone, tucking in/tieing at the top
2. wound in a spiral from the knee to the ankle and back
up to the knee, leaving the ends free to be tied round
the leg at the top
3. either of the above starting under the foot
4. placing the middle of the leg-binding under the foot
and winding up to the knee in a criss-cross pattern,
tying the two ends at the top
5. any of the above fixing with pins or 'dress-hooks'. A version of the 'tied at the top' leg-
binding.

A selection of leg-binding ends - the only archaeological

evidence we have are a few 'garter' hooks found behind the
knees of skeletons.

Top - split end, one taken behind,

one in front and the two tied
together

Middle - a cord stitched to the end

and again these could be tied
An example of a puttee/wininga
Bottom - a simple metal hook with a fixed string for tying. The
which catches in the fabric to hold string is hemp garden twine with
fast a simple wooden bead knotted on
the end.
My leg-bindings are 4 metres/13 feet/4½ yards long and 8
centimetres/3 inches wide. Archaeological evidence gives no clue as to
length but points to a width of 3-4 inches. This is the most comfortable
width - any wider and they won't wrap nicely, any narrower and they just
hurt! Mine are long enough to go from ankle over the widest part of my
calf and up to where my knee creases at the back. This way, the bulge
of your leg stops them falling down.
From practical experience they should always be hemmed and I find Fig 2. The Blacksmith, from
wool is the best material as it is slightly stretchy and conforms to the London, BL MS Cotton
shape of the leg better. Julius A vi, fol. 8.

Some of the wealthier men's leg-bindings are shown decorated at the

tops with embroidery, and some show fancy tag ends.
They were fastened either by tucking the end in or by tassels with
strap ends tied round the top or the 'dress-hooks'.
Fig 3. King Cnut, from
London, BL MS Stowe 944,
fol. 6

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 Saxon Clothing

Literary Evidence
The common name for leg-bindings seems to have been wining, plural winingas.

Boots

These boots are made from stiff leather. They

are flat-soled, round toed and are slightly higher
than ankle-height. Glenn made them himself, with
leather purchased from a handbag factory shop
and real leather soles from a local shoe shop.
They fasten with a simple wooden toggle. The
sole has been given extra grip by the addition of
some strips of leather sewn across. (He found
that he was always slipping over while fighting in
them.)

Hair
Glenn has the most amazing hair! It doesn't lend itself to an Anglo-Saxon style very well, which
should be short, but I refuse to let him cut it.

Hat
The hat is an unusual style, called a Phrygian hat. I call it a 'smurf' hat because it looks very
similar to such. Glenn's is made of the same wool as his cloak - the main part in the orange and
the band in the brown. He has also embroidered this with stitching in the orange.

The 'Phrygian' Hat

The 'Phrygian' hat was named so because of the point at the
top similar to the hats of the ancient 'Phrygian' race. This hat
was rounded at the base with the back curving in a convex arc
and the front (after allowing room for the head) curving
concavely to meet in a point over the forehead. This extra
fabric could then be flattened out over the front of the head
rather like a Smurf's hat.
The pattern for the 'Phrygian' hat should look something like
this. The measurement along the bottom should be half your Fig. 1. Prudentius from a 10th/11th
Century manuscript.
head circumference, and the depth should be about 3 inches.

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 Saxon Clothing

Accessories
Bone cross - the Anglo-Saxons as mentioned were by this
time mostly Christian and would have worn a symbol of such.
This one is very simple, being carved from bone and
undecorated.
Leather belt - the belt is undecorated, but has a metal buckle
and decorated bone tag end.

The disc brooch was typical of the Late Saxon period,

Bone cross

Seax - this typical Anglo-Saxon knife has a bone handle and is kept in a decorated leather
sheath.

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 Saxon Clothing

Anglo-Saxon Noblewoman - c1000 AD

Fig 1. Anglo-Saxon Noblewoman costume © Rosie Monument 2001

Under-dress Undyed linen ground length long sleeved (U) with round neck.

Pale green wool, ankle length (D) with wide flared sleeves and round
Dress neck; slightly tailored at waist. Cuffs embroidered with 'Lindisfarne
Dogs', appliquéd red linen band down front.

Cloak Yellow wool semi-circular (C) lined with brown linen with hole for head.

Blue wool strips of cloth wound tightly round the legs from ankle to
Leg-bindings
knee.

Shoes Flat-soled leather shoes, with central seam and thong fastening.

Hair Possibly braided or bunned and pinned up.

Rectangular cream wool (W). Edge placed on left shoulder, taken

Head-covering &
across the top of the head, under the chin, around the back of the neck
Band
and over the right shoulder. Held in place with tablet-woven wool band.

Accessories Amber bead necklace. Circular leather drawstring pouch.

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 Saxon Clothing

Under-dress
The under-dress I wear with this
costume has undergone several
changes over it's lifetime. Again, I
made it too short and wore it like this
for several years, until finally deciding
to lengthen it at bottom and cuffs to fit
properly. It is made in the classical T-
shape, with seperate arms, under-arm
gussets and godets in the sides for
extra movement. The neck is round
and the edges are rolled and overcast
in plain crochet cotton. (Inside seams
are machined as they are stronger and
quicker and don't show.)

It is made of coarse cream linen, with

the extra bits of 'mixed' fibres in light-
brown.

I have had to repair it several times

too, as seams have ripped and
children have tried to force it over their
heads, etc. It has lasted quite well,
really.
Repairs

Dress
This dress is one of the few items that has remained pretty much in it's original form. It came
out the right length, with the right size neckhole and the sleeves were long enough.
The colour of the wool in the dress could be gained by dyeing first with yellow dye (very cheap)
and then with woad. (Woad is a very famous dye, which is yellow as a liquid, but turns blue when
the fabric hits the air )

Update 6/3/03 - I have put on a bit of weight since I made this dress (contentment) and have
let it out a bit. The new panels are in purple wool.

Cloak

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 Saxon Clothing

The 'sleeveless overgarment, with and without

hood', as it is referred to in Gale R. Owen-
Crocker's book 'Dress in Anglo-Saxon England'.
A marvelouos piece of clothing, double thickness,
ground length, beautifully warm, but hard on the
shoulders. As it is such a large garment having
lots of fabric in it, it would probably only have
been worn by those with money.
Mine is semi-circular in shape with a hole for
the head, though they could be oval, rectangular
or square and has no hood. I have made mine of
yellow wool, which would have been a cheap
The edges fabric and colour, but lined it with brown linen,
which is not so cheap. The edges are
decoratively blanket stitched with cream wool.

Update 12/9/01 - I had begun to embroider

some decoration along the bottom edge

embroidery decoration

Leg-bindings
These are about the easiest item of clothing to make.
Simply take a strip of fabric and hem it, then wind it
around your legs from ankle to knee. I have short legs
so mine are about 141 inches long and average 2
inches wide. I wear socks underneath my leg-
bindings, which helps keep them up and my feet
warm (and who's going to know in those shoes!).

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 Saxon Clothing

Shoes
My shoes, I had made by Tony Sayer,
the 'chieftain' of 'The Vikings' society.
Very reasonable at £40 a pair and they
have lasted me three years, with only a
few studs lost. Believe it or not they are
waterproof, though you do have to soak
them in oil and dubbin to give them a
nice, dark waxy coating (and lots of
elbow grease).

As a little luxury, to go in my shoes I

made some 'insoles'. Basically, I cut out 2
foot shapes, taken from an existing
insole, stitched them together leaving a little hole and then stuffed it with fleece and stitched the
gap up (do 1 for each foot obviously). Lovely and comfy on your feet. (You could of course use
Kapok or interfacing which would work just as well, and as it won't show is perfectly acceptable).
These shoes have studs on them, which is not authentic (see Footwear guide), but essential if
you don't want to break your neck wandering around on grassy battlefields. Everything else
about these shoes is correct.

Hair
It is most likely that the Anglo-Saxons had
long hair and that this was entirely covered by
the veil/wimple/head-covering. My hair is just
tied up at the back to keep it in some order.

Head-covering and Band

The head-covering is a rectangle of loose

weave natural wool, with the edges folded
once and blanket-stitched in red wool. The
band is tablet-woven wool in a mix of colours

the edges

Accessories

The amber bead necklace is awaiting repair, as

the wire it was on broke. The pouch is just a circle
of leather with holes cut for a thong, threaded
round twice so it tightens up. Incidentally, this is
the very first piece of 'kit' I made and is still going.

Update 6/3/03 - I have now made a belt for this

costume of purple wool decorated with green and
yellow embroidery. It fastens with a little hook.

pouch

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 Saxon Clothing

Wimples
General

Contrary to popular belief, your wimpel need not be uncomfortable. Because of the lack of
textile evidence, we have to use other sources, such as related finds, manuscript pictures and
literary evidence to give us a picture of what people wore. This makes it so much easier to
decide on something that is comfortable and yet looks right.
Unfortunately, once married, all good Christian women (and most were Christian by this time)
had to cover their heads. There are three possible reasons for this:

 Practical - covering the hair would keep it out of the smoke that inevitably filled the
houses, and kept it cleaner.
 Safety - confining long hair (which all women had) in a wimple would reduce the risk of it
catching alight while working over the fire.
 Religious - the common belief was that the Holy Spirit of God entered the Virgin Mary
through her ear and so it was important to keep the ears covered to guard against
unwanted pregnancy!

The wimples shown in the art of the time are all voluminous looking
things, covering the forehead, neck and coming down over the
shoulders. They all have many folds in them where they pass over the
head, which some interpreters have suggested, may be produced by
the hair bundled on top of the head, to which the wimple could be
pinned. As they are all fairly loose looking things (though in all cases
except the vices no hair is visible), some form of fixing would be
necessary, and this is indicated by a few literary references to 'haer-
naedls' and 'feax-preons'. Literary references are also made to caps,
'cæppe' and 'hæt', the cap which could be worn under the wimple and
have the wimple pinned to it. None of these names give us any clue to
the shape of the garment in question, so we can use our own
Fig 1. Etheldreda, from discretion, providing the result covers fore-head, ears, neck and part of
London, BL MS Additional the shoulder.
49598, fol . 90v. From the manuscript evidence the wimple would appear to be made
of the same fabric as the under-dress (as they are similarly coloured),
which is linen. However, this needn't be the natural colour of the linen,
but could be any colour available to that person's class.

Most wimples are plain, although one illustration of a

group of nuns from Barking shows the wimples with
embroidered decoration over the forehead of lines, dots
and circles. The nuns of Barking were reprimanded for the
frivolity of their clothes, as those that had given their lives
to God were supposed to shun luxury and live simple
lives.
Fig 2. Heads of figures from London,
Lambeth Palace Library MS 200, fol. 68v.

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 Saxon Clothing

The head-band or 'fillet' was also worn by married

women, either under the wimple, so the wimple could be
pinned to it, or over the wimple (Fig 3), holding it in place.
So far, there are three types of wimple worn by re-
enactors:

 the simple wrap around

 the hood-type
 the circle with hole

Fig 3. Woman with fillet, from London, BL

MS Cotton Claudius B iv, fol. 76.

I have tried wearing all of these styles of wimple and they all work to a greater or lesser degree
and they all look something like the manuscript pictures.

* Remember that the more fabric in your headgear and the deeper the colour, the richer you are

The Simple Wrap Around Wimple

This could be any shape including rectangular, oval, trapezoid,
parallelogram, semi-circular and triangular. It should be wide enough to
cover from your forehead to the nape of your neck, at least, and there
are varying lengths depending on the way it is worn. All of these styles
could be worn with an under cap and a fillet (either under or over the
wimple).

 Long enough to go from left shoulder, over the head to the right
shoulder, under the chin, back over the left shoulder and around
the back of the neck to hang down in front of the right shoulder
(Fig 4).
Wearing this type of wimple requires at least two pins (Fig 5).
The first one to hold the edge of the fabric that starts on the left Fig 4. Picture of me
shoulder to the part that goes under the chin and around to the wearing a simple wrap-
back; the other to hold the edge of the wimple that drapes down around wimple taken in
1996. © Rosie Monument
over the right shoulder into the body. 2001

Fig 5. Bone pin

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 Saxon Clothing

 Long enough to go from the top of one ear, under the chin, over the head, back under the
chin to the top of the other ear.
This type of wimple needs a fillet to tuck the corners of the wimple into at the tops of the
ears. I have found this style works best with a triangular wimple, as there is less fabric to
go under the chin. The point of the triangle needs to be long enough so that it covers from
your forehead, down your back a-way.

 Long enough to be laid over the head and have each end passed under the chin to the
back and hang down far enough to be tucked in the belt at the back, or to be crossed over
at the back and come back round to the front.
This type of wimple needs to be very long in order to hang down the back, and so would
be a reasonably rich garment.

All of these wimples can be made of either linen or wool (wool is obviously warmer, but a bit
scratchy next to your face!) and they should all have hand sewn hems.

The Hood-type Wimple

Based on the hood pattern in the Basic Guide

without the pointy end. I have found this to be the
most comfortable wimple to wear, as it does not
involve any additional pinning or a cap or fillet.
However, I like to wear a cap and fillet under
mine as it looks more like the manuscript pictures
that way and the cap keeps all my hair in.
I favour making mine of linen and then if it is
Fig 6. Queen Emma really cold I can put my proper woolen hood on Fig 7. Picture of me wearing
from The Encomium of over the top and it does not look too silly. The a hood-type wimple, taken at
Queen Emma - 11th a West Flegg Primary
century (London, BL MS
internal seams can be machine sewn, but the School's 'Meet the Anglo-
Stowe 944, fol. 6.) hems should be hand-stitched. Saxons' day. © Rosie
Monument 2001

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 Saxon Clothing

The 'Circle-with-Hole' Wimple

This is by far the most difficult wimple to wear, but also one of
the most similar to the manuscript pictures. It is a circle of fabric
with a hole cut non-centrally for the head. The hole needs to be
just big enough to take the face and the back measurement
should be from where the cloth sits against your forehead to the
nape of your neck plus some. The hems should be hand stitched
and it could be any colour within the character's range. This
wimple works best in linen with either an undercap or fillet to
which to pin it, but as it is a high class garment it could possibly
be made of silk.
How to put it on:

1. put your face in the hole so that the greatest amount of

fabric lies over your head and there is fabric covering your Fig 8. Philosophia, from
Cambridge, Trinity College MS
forehead 0.3.7, fol. I.
2. tie a piece of string around your head to keep the wimple
in place. (This will be removed later.)
3. flatten the fabric at your forehead so that it lies neatly on
your forehead and arrange into folds.
4. take hold of the bottom edge of the wimple where it hangs
down either side of your chin and pull these corners back
and underneath the rest of the fabric, to the back of your
neck and pin them. You could also pull the fabric from the
back to the front and let it hang decoratively.

This is a difficult wimple to work in as the fabric tends to blow around annoyingly. This seems
to suggest that it was worn by the upper-classes, supported by the fact that manuscripts
generally depict this class of society and this is the wimple most of them wear.

The Fillet
Fig 9. Various fillets. Left to
right: tablet-woven, fabric
and leather thong.
The fillet or headband seems to have been a characteristic of
married, non religious women at this time and some were sufficiently
valuable to be bequeathed in wills (see Literary Evidence). They began
as simple, long lengths that tied round the head and developed into
stiffer continuous bands .
They were commonly a strip of fabric, which could be embroidered,
the richest ones being embroidered in silk and gold threads. Tablet-
weave bands could be used, but remember that the Vikings favoured
tablet-weave and our Society prefers you not to use it if you are a
Saxon. For the very poor or slaves a simple leather thong or piece of
cord would suffice.
The easiest way to make a fabric headband is to take a strip long
enough to go round your head with enough spare to tie at the back and
twice the width you want it. Fold it in half, and iron the edges under,
then simply running stitch along the edges. I have found the most
comfortable width to be about 1 inch. If you make it too narrow it will dig
into your head and leave you with a strange mark and a headache.

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 Saxon Clothing

Literary Evidence

There are many words describing head-dress and related items, wimpel 'a head-dress', being
the most common. Other words are heafod-gewæde 'a head-dress, probably a veil worn by
women' and scyfel 'a woman's hat or hood, probably with a projection which shaded the face'.
In the will of a woman named Wynflæd, several items of head-dress are referred to; cuffian
and bindan 'head-dress and head-band' and to another woman, named Coelthryth, who was
attached to a convent hyre betseth haliryft and hyre betstan bindan 'her best holy veil and her
best fillet'.
There is a document called the Indicia Monasterialia, which is a record of signs used for
communicating in a monastery where the inhabitants had taken vows of silence, and this tells us
that married non-religious women wore a fillet.
'The sign for any unconsecrated woman is that you [indicate] with your forefingers
your forehead from one ear to the other in the sign of a binde'

There are words relating to other items which could be used about the head also. Hær-nædl,
feax-preon and thrawing spinel meaning 'hair-pin', and cæppe or cappa meaning 'a cap'

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 Saxon Clothing

Anglo-Saxon Warrior - c1000 AD

A simple practical costume, in natural colours.
Undyed linen, thigh length
(U) with orange linen gores,
Under-tunic
long sleeves and round
neck.

Brick red linen, thigh length

(T) with cream linen gores,
Tunic long sleeves and round slit
neck fastened with a
brooch.

Square (C) orange wool

lined with brown wool,
Cloak
fastened on right shoulder
with brooch; ankle length.

Cream wool strips of fabric

Leg-
wound tightly round the leg
bindings
from ankle to knee.

Brown linen loose fitting

Trousers
trousers with drawstring top.

Flat-soled leather (S); ankle

Boots
high with thong fastening.

Hair Short cropped hair.

Iron conical (H) with nose

Helmet guard and leather thong
strap.

Round wooden shield with

rawhide edge and iron
Shield
handle under a central iron
boss.

Knife in decorated leather

Scramaseax
sheath hung on leather belt. Glenn Wilkin - Anglo-Saxon Warrior costume © 2000

Sword with bone handle in

Langseax leather scabbard hung on
belt.

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 Saxon Clothing

Under-tunic
This under-tunic was made for Glenn by his Mum.

Tunic
This tunic is also based on the 'T' shape, but has 'gores' or extra triangles of fabric sewn into
the skirt to make it flare. It is slightly shorter than knee-length and the sleeves are wrist-length.
The neckline is similar to the under-tunic, but has a central slit which fastens with a decorative
brooch.
The tunic is made of brick-red linen with four added panels of undyed linen in the skirt.

Tunics varied in length from reasonably short (covering the bum/thighs) to very long (ground-
length). The longer tunics appear in the later period and seem to be worn by men of rank -
possibly a ceremonial costume. I have given instructions here for a knee-length tunic, which is
about average (For a longer tunic - make as the dress).
The sleeves of the tunic are at least wrist length. Some tunics show a series of lines at the
wrist which has been suggested could be pleating. The common view (in re-enactment circles) is
that the sleeves were made over-long and then pushed back up to wrinkle around the wrist.
Practical experience shows that these types of sleeve are warmer than wider versions. All
sleeves shown seem to be close-fitting.
The neckline of the tunic can be either round (wide enough for the head to go through), or
round with a slit (wide enough for the neck - the slit allowing the head to go through).
The skirts of tunics also seem to be fairly wide as evidenced by the wrinkles in them. This
could be acheived by cutting the skirt in one with the side edges angled out - or more practically
(given the loom sizes mentioned previously) adding gussets

Cloak
Glenn's cloak is a simple square/rectangle of fabric. Well, it's two layers of fabric - one of brown
(wool obtained from the sheep and spun, then woven with no colouring) and orange, which could
have been made by double dyeing with yellow, then red. There is no evidence for double layer
cloaks until the medieval period - but they are certainly warm. There is evidence of single layer
cloaks that were very large being folded double when worn. The edges of the cloak are blanket
stitched in brown wool.

Trousers

They are made of a brown linen in a style very similar to modern pyjama trousers. They have a
straight, slightly tapered leg and a drawstring waist. I have used a piece of matte piping cord for
the drawstring.

There's a big debate over trousers in the re-enactment world. This is because no actual
examples of the period have been found and the pictoral evidence is ambiguous. Examples have
been found in earlier contexts. I get confused because if you consider the medieval period - a
kind of stocking was worn called hose. Hose started off as two separate legs attached to the belt
and then developed into joined trousers similar to modern ones. So if 'proper' trousers are known
from earlier periods, but 'suspended legs' from the medieval period - what happened to trousers
in the intervening years?
Certain Anglo-Saxon illustrations seem to show a hem-line around the ankle and there is one
picture of a monk en-deshabille with trouser-y wrinkles around his ankles!
There are also quite a number of Anglo-Saxon/Old English words which refer to coverings for
the legs - so make your own mind up. Myself and other re-enactors like to think that trousers
were worn (unless you're scottish and like the feel of fresh air

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 Saxon Clothing

Leg-bindings

These are simple strips of fabric wound round the lower leg. Glenn's are of undyed wool, with
and hem turned under along both edges. One end has been shaped into two prongs, so that
they can be tied around the leg.

Boots

These boots are made from stiff

leather. They are flat-soled, round toed
and are slightly higher than ankle-
height. Glenn made them himself, with
leather purchased from a handbag
factory shop and real leather soles from
a local shoe shop. They fasten with a
simple wooden toggle. The sole has
been given extra grip by the addition of
some strips of leather sewn across. (He
found that he was always slipping over
while fighting in them.)

Hair
Glenn has the most amazing hair! It doesn't lend itself to an Anglo-Saxon style very well, which
should be short, but I refuse to let him cut it.

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 Saxon Clothing

Helmet - (Glenn's comments)

Most Anglo-Saxon warriors probably didn't have one

of these (or swords or shields either come to that! A
spear was a good cheap effective killing thing and was
useful for hunting into the bargain.) Anyway this
conical helm is made of four steel plates riveted to four
vertical steel bands, the front most one extends down
to protect the nose. Another band runs around the
base.
Conical helms give reasonable protection and
superb visibility. Earlier helms like the Sutton Hoo one
give excellent protection at the cost of vision
immediately in front of you. Vision is undoubtedly more
important, there is little point protecting your eyes if
you can't see the spear tip about to arrive in your
chest.
This typical 10/11th century helm is sat on top of an
arming cap which provides comfort to the head and
stops the sweat running in your eyes. It is kept on the
head by a leather thong tied under the chin.
Sutton Hoo Helmet

typical 10/11th century helm

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 Saxon Clothing

Shield - (Glenn's comments)

About 26" diameter, made of 3/8" plywood. 'Real' ones were made of planks but this in truth
doesn't last very well! A 6" hole in the centre lets your hand into the boss while it grips the iron
handle which runs the width of the shield to reinforce it. The boss on this shield is a handbeaten,
but more commonly re enactment ones are steel spinnings which can be bought from re
enactment fairs. Rawhide (dog chews!) runs around the edge to prevent it being cut and it is
covered with hessian to cushion blows somewhat, leather is an authentic alternative.
This shield is flat, some are illustrated as convex, this could in theory help deflect blows but I
haven't found it to be much of an advantage. I find this to be a good size shield, other people
have preferences for larger or smaller versions, in a shield wall bigger is generally better, but in a
melee the reduced weight is useful. A shield is a damn good weapon itself, punched into another
shield - or better, your opponent if you have them on the back foot, it can be quite capable of
incapacitation. People do claim that a shield will not stop a long axe, I don't agree. I have had full
force blows from blunt long axes received many times on the shield and there is no problem,
even sharp I think the axe would take a couple of blows to start breaking through. In contrast, a
blunt spear can be thrust through an average weakened shield quite easily.

Scramaseax - (Glenn's comments)

A short 10" blade with a broken back,

these are often seen carried horizontally at
the waist of Anglo-Saxon warriors and
nobles. The blades are often rolled steel
when cross sectioned, implying a good
standard of metal working. The same
technique, in principle was used by the
seaxes Japanese sword makers in later centuries
to produce the legendary sharp blade of
the Katana single edged sword. It imparts strength with flexibility by combining carbon into the
iron when repeatedly flattened and folded on an oak 'anvil'.
This re-enactment weapon is made from a large old metal working file, they are superbly hard
steel but brittle so it has been annealed in a fire before working! The handle is bone with a knot-
work design cut into it. Such seaxes seem to have been reserve weapons and status symbols
combined and were worn throughout the Anglo-Saxon period.
The leather sheath is tooled with a bird design.

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 Saxon Clothing

Langseax - (Glenn's comments)

Essentially a longer version of the seax

carried at the waist. The blade is
approximately 25" long by 2" wide. It is a
single edged blade made from hard carbon
steel (EN45) and is hardened then
tempered to reduce burring and the
likelihood of breaking. Real blades were
made of iron with some carbon content
Langseax introduced using the above method by
chance or deliberately. There is a huge
debate at the moment as to the level of
knowledge the Amglo-Saxon people had in
metallurgy. I think it was very high. I am not
personally aware of any pattern welded
langsaexes.
The broken back style of blade gives a
forward weight which means a blow from
the end half of the blade can be more
effective than from a conventional
broadsword shape. Most langseaxes found
had fittings like contemporary swords, but
these are absent on this re-enactment
weapon to reduce it's weight and therefore
increase its speed and ease of use, i.e. it is
The hilt easier to hit people with it! I have found no
disadvantage in this design, no broken
fingers etc. The fuller along the length of the blade reduces weight still further and stiffens it even
more. Less obviously - the metal also tapers in cross-section from about 5/16" down to 1/8",
contributing to a final weight of about 2 lbs.

The hilt is bone and provides a secure grip with natural roughness. It is held between two steel
plates riveted to the tang, with two leather plates providing a shock absorbent effect to avoid it
becoming loosened.
Langsaexes seem to have been a distinctly Anglo-Saxon weapon which gradually fell out of
use as the period progressed in favour of the sword. I personally prefer the lighter langsaex.
The scabbard is wooden, covered with leather and a simple loop on the back attaches to the
belt. There is a large amount of evidence to suggest that scabbards were in fact hung from
'baldrics' to give a better position against the body.

Sources:
Sutton Hoo Helmet picture - 'The Sutton Hoo Ship Burial' by Angela Care Evans

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