In Anglo-Saxon England, clothing and accessories were used to establish identity of gender, age, ethnicity, regionality, occupation and status. The Anglo-Saxon era can be divided into three different time periods: an early Anglo-Saxon period, which spans the mid-fifth to the beginning of the seventh century the middle Anglo-Saxon period, which covers the seventh to the ninth centuries and the late Anglo-Saxon period, with the tenth and eleventh centuries, up to the Norman Conquest of 1066, though change in costume after that was slow. The middle of the fifth century marked the beginning of the Anglo-Saxon era in England. By the mid-fifth century, an influx of Germanic peoples arrived in England, many leaving overcrowded native lands in Northwestern Europe and others fleeing rising sea levels on the North Sea coast. The end of Roman rule in Britain led to the withdrawal of the Roman armies in the late fourth and early fifth centuries.
In the tenth and eleventh centuries, the growth of urban centre space throughout England expanded the variety and quantity of textiles, clothing, and accessories that were made available to the public and also changed the way in which clothing and accessories were manufactured. Specialized workshops on large landholdings were responsible for the manufacture of textiles and clothing for the estate community. In the seventh to ninth centuries, Anglo-Saxon communities changed slowly from primarily small settlements to a mix of small and large settlements, and large estates. In the fifth and sixth centuries, women were the manufacturers of clothing, weaving textiles on looms in their individual dwellings. Over time, and with the influence of European culture, the spread of Christianity and the increasing prosperity of Anglo-Saxon England, garments and accessories specific to each group became the standard by which they were identified.ĭuring the Anglo-Saxon era, textiles were created from natural materials: wool from sheep, linen from flax, and imported silk. Historical research has shown that Anglo-Saxon children wore smaller versions of adult garments.Ĭlothing worn by the military, the elite class and religious orders was initially similar to the daily garments of the common man and woman. Religious art, symbols and writings from the conversion years greatly influenced costumes from this period onward, especially women's dress and jewellery. The beginning of the seventh century marked the conversion of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to Christianity. Women typically wore jewellery, men wore little or no jewellery.
Womens' dress changed frequently from century to century, while mens' dress changed very little. The collective evidence of cemetery grave-goods indicates that men's and women's costume were different. Archaeological finds have both supported and contradicted the characteristic Anglo-Saxon costume as illustrated and described by these contemporary sources. It is possible to reconstruct Anglo-Saxon dress using archaeological evidence combined with Anglo-Saxon and European art, writing and literature of the period. Archaeological finds in Anglo-Saxon cemeteries have provided the best source of information on Anglo-Saxon costume. He is shown wearing a tunic, cloak, and hose.Īnglo-Saxon dress refers to the clothing and accessories worn by the Anglo-Saxons from the middle of the fifth century to the eleventh century. Harold Godwinson, last Anglo-Saxon king of England, as depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry.
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