During medieval times, life was hard and people thought little of clothes. Medieval clothes were usually made at home and were often rough and shapeless.
People wore trousers, tunics and shawls to keep warm. The shawls were made of wool or fur. Shoes were made of leather, which was wrapped around the foot.
The colours were plain with shades of grey, brown, dark blue and red. Holy orders wore cloaks with hoods and habits. On their clothes was a rope belt with wooden beads for counting prayers.
Lords wore felt hats with stirrups and brown jackets. The Peasants dress was simple with straw hats and linen shirts that they made themselves. They also wore hoses (trousers), and pewter badges or good luck charms.
Although times were hard and there was still poverty and disease, some people were having better times. Rich noble people made up 5% - 10% of the population, another 5% were wealthy professional, lawyers and merchants. The rest of the population however were very poor and many were beggars.
The Lords built castles and large houses whilst the poor lived in hovels and slums.
The main work of the time was farming. The Lords had many of the Peasants as workers. Some such as, Turlough O'Carolan (the blind harpist), had a talent for music and so worked mainly at this.
As part of this project, we tried to get outfits together that would represent both the Lords and the Peasants. We hope to have the photos of these uploaded very soon!
