Women’s Clothing

What attributes defined Irish women’s clothing in the 16th century?

A combination of several different attributes appear to have made women’s Irish attire unique in the 16th century. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Large rectangular or half-circle, fringed, woollen mantles, used both as outerwear and as bedding when travelling,
  • Half sleeves that ran from shoulder to wrist,
  • The use of bright, often clashing colours (which contrasted against the deeper colours used by their ‘civil’ neighbours),
  • Saffron (yellow) was a colour that appears to have been connected to Irish nationality,
  • Yellow coloured scarves pinned around the neck and down the front of the bodice (appearing to be an alternative to the European partlett),
  • The use of large quantities of fabric in shirts, and pleated into dresses, skirts and sleeves, regardless of social status,
  • The fashions of 16th century Irish women are strikingly similar to other European fashions of the 14th and 15th century,
  • A silk girdle wound around a high waist, ending in a tassel near the hem and with a pouch attached above the tassel,
  • Elaborate headwear such as the cheese mould hat, the great roll, chin-lengthed veils, and minimalist headwear worn by unmarried maidens.

The turbulent political dynamic of the time appears to have resulted in three streams of clothing choice in middle to upper class Ireland:

  1. English and other popular European fashions worn to appease (or demonstrate loyalty to) the self-imposed English ‘sovereigns’,
  2. The wearing of Irish fashions at home and English/European fashions in public gatherings (possibly to avoid conflict), and
  3. The exclusive wearing of Irish clothing, often to symbolise rebellion (a refusal to submit to English rule).

The occasional acceptance or wearing of English-style clothing was not quite the grand gesture of allegiance to England, though, as the contemporary description by Luke Gernon from his Discourse publication states (Flavin, 2014):

“Because they are so commanded at publicke assemblyes to come in English habit, they have a tricke agaynst those times, to take off the fringe, and to putt on a cape, and after the assembly past, they resume it agayne. If you aske an Irishman for his cloke, he will tell you it is in his pocket and show you his cape.”

Clothing could send a powerful message through the colours, quantity and type of materials, and the style in which they were made. For example:

  • Queen Elizabeth I was known to send gifts of her old gowns to Irish nobility with acceptance indicating an acceptance of English rule (Flavin, 2014).
  • Clothing indicated your station (be it a servant, a civil Irish woman, a noble Irish woman) and it was frowned upon to dress above the means of your station (Flavin, 2014).