Hi ya’ll! I hope you are warm and well. Here in the mountains today it is snowing and brrrrr cold. Feels like 9 degrees. But it will be over in a couple of days when temps rise again. That’s the good thing about winter in the South.
So all this cold weather has made me wonder I’ve been wondering how my characters would have fared in all this cold weather. Specifically, how many layers? And what was the layer next to the skin? This led to a rabbit hole of hate speech against the female breast. Gotta love the good old days...
How do you like them apples?
*A special thanks to Elizabeth Huego of the WFWA write-in group for suggesting this sassy title
So, here’s an interesting question: Did medieval people wear underwear? The answer is definitely “yes” – for men. It wasn’t so different from now, just baggier and without elastic to hold it up. We have illustrations of male underwear in illuminated manuscripts.


A reproduction of men’s underwear from the Middle Ages. An under-tunic is tucked into braies. Hose are rolled down around his ankles. Courtesy ArmStrong Costumes.
But what about women? What underwear did they use? The answer is... nobody knows! There are no reliable historical sources on the matter, and it is a common conclusion that women didn’t wear briefs of any variety. If they did, we can assume that they were similar to those of men, resembling small shorts. We don’t have much evidence in either the archaeological record or in illustrations for 14th century undergarments. There is some indication from the written record (mostly grumpy clergymen espousing modesty) that in the 14th century women wore something to hold their breasts close and eliminate bouncing. There are some mentions of a “breast girdle” or “breast band” which may have been the precursor of a modern bra.
Some historians think medieval women went commando – no bra, no panties. Personally I have a problem with that school of thought particularly regarding necessities for monthly hygiene needs, but I’ll address it later.
Breast Binding and Bras
The medieval ideal of beauty consisted of “small breasts . . . hard as apples.” In addition to medical solutions to ‘shrink’ the bosom, women could use cloth bands, sacks/bags for the breast or “breast-bags” as a means of achieving this ideal. If her breasts were too heavy, she could “take a coverchief or cloth to bind them against her chest and wrap it right around her ribs, securing it with needle and thread or by a knot; this allows her to be active at her play”. If that didn’t work, she could always try this cosmetic remedy:
“You should take pigeon dung and you should mix it with vinegar like a sweetmeat, and that's what the maiden is supposed to put on her breast, that's what makes them firm.”
Henri de Mondeville (1260-1320), surgeon to Phillip the Fair, described how some women decreased their breast size:
“Some women unable or unwilling to resort to a surgeon, or not wanting to reveal their indecency, insert two bags in their chemises, adjusted to the breasts, fitting tight, and they put them [the breasts] into them [the bags] every morning and compress them as much as possible with a matching band. Others, like the women of Montpellier, compress them with tight tunics and laces...”
The linen “chemise” was the most common undergarment for women for well over 500 years, from the early medieval period through to the Renaissance. A chemise provided an extra layer of warmth and protected expensive outerwear from sweat at a time when everything was washed by hand. It also shielded sensitive skin from itchy woolen outer clothes (definitely required in my case – I’m allergic to wool). The chemise might have long sleeves, short sleeves, or shoulder straps.

What Would Meg Wear?
Meg of St. Michael’s Mead lives in the 14th century (the series runs from 1306 to 1349) at a time when women’s clothing consisted of a loose chemise, a very loose tunic or floor-length garment, and a surcote (like an overcoat) which was also voluminous. She would also wear woolen hose. She grew up in a poor village and wore ragged hand-me-downs until she moved to London with her mentor William, a wealthy surgeon and doctor of physick. Her clothing is updated but is still modest –a dark-colored wool tunic, hose, veil, and surcote.
Wealthier women would have worn silk and a finer wool with spectacular embroideries and perhaps threads of gold. Meg, however, would never subject those expensive clothes to the everyday work of caring for her patients. As to her breasts? We’ll guess and say she wore a breastband.
The Lengberg Finds: The World’s Most Famous Bra
In July 2008 archaeological investigations of Lengberg Castle in Austria revealed a vault filled with waste on the 2nd floor. The fill consisted of dry material in different layers, among them organic material such as twigs and straw, worked wood, leather - mainly shoes - and 2700 textile fragments. Radiocarbon dating put the finds in the 15th century.
Due to dry conditions in the vault the organic waste was well preserved. Among the textiles were four linen fragments resembling modern bras.

Following the finds of the Lengberg bras, some very clever people copied the fabric, the sewing and the style to see how the bras work in the real world. Many report that the reproduction bras are comfortable. Some think the bra was attached to a skirt. See the tailor at work below for how they might have looked.
Below is a depiction of a tailor by Konrad van Ammenhausen, in 1467. He is making what appear to be undergarments, with inset cups. Perhaps best for “little apples”?

The point here, besides the obvious fact that even in the Middle Ages men were dictating how a woman should present herself as a modest virginal female with breasts appropriately smushed and out of sight, is that the two-cup bra may have been a real advance in female fashion. Chances are it came too late for our Meg who probably wore a breastband after she moved to London. Prior to the two cups, the breasts silhouette would have been a “monoboob.” But as fashions evolved and tailoring made advances, the two cups developed. As you might expect, the clergy had a fit. I’ll show you some “advances” which outraged them in future blogs.
Help! Which one should I choose?
Medieval fashion is causing me some problems right now. First, I’ll stick to modern bras, thank you very much, since my little apples turned into grapefruits many years ago. Second, I’m on the lookout for a medieval costume to wear to book signings and Ren Faires. The loose fitting 14th century tunic with the bag of herbs (see below) is certainly appropriate to my character Meg’s costume as a doctor of physick. Accessories would include a chemise visible at the top, a leather girdle (belt), and a veil.
But I really REALLY love the 15th century blue dress with the wide sleeves (see below). Do you think anybody will notice that this dress is 100 years too late???
Sigh... which one do you vote for?



Bits and Bobs: Just for Fun
Blancmange
The dish called Blancmange – literally white food – was a simple stew of poultry and rice poached in almond milk and was practically medieval England’s national dish. It could be flavored with spices such as saffron, ginger, cinnamon and galangal, seasoned with verjuice, sugar and salt. Because rice and almonds (and the spices) were imported from the Middle East, the dish was very expensive. No commoner could afford this meal which means Meg of St. Michael’s Mead never tasted it until she became friends with Queen Philippa in Book Two.
Recipe
Take faire almondes, and blanche hem, and grynde hem with sugour water into faire mylke; and take ryse and seeth.
1 pound chicken
4 cups cooked white rice (about 1½ cups precooking)
½ cup almond milk
1 cup water
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon white pepper
Boil rice until cooked.
Boil chicken until very tender and allow cooling. Tease meat apart with forks until well shredded.
Put meat into a large pot with remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat until thick. Serve hot.
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think. Did you like it? What do you think about putting the ginger in it? And send me a photo!
I'll leave you with a Medieval Dad Joke...
Why does a dog turn around three times before he lies down? Because he doesn’t know his bed’s head from the foot thereof.
Haha, just as bad 700 years ago as they are today!
Have a great week everyone. Stay warm and well. And thank you for supporting writers. It means so much...
Lorraine

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