A Coyfe on her head

Several days ago, I had a chat about making various items that an English woman would wear and off the cuff I remarked on doing something with plaited braid stitch (or brushing up on it, or some such thing) and was told that I should not do that if it were for someone of a middling class as they would never be able to wear it. Regardless of not being overly serious about the notion, the topic did lead me to insane curiousness, enough to spend very long nights reading and finding all I could find with what was presently available to me. The question being, what would a middling class woman of the mid to late 16th century wear? also... What would an early 17th century woman wear, and what were the similarities if very early 17th century was close enough in resemblance to that of the late 16th? (it seems the fashion only really changed much later in the first decade.

Of course, first I figured if it would be possible to find any evidence of there being any embroidered coifs at all.

The majority of that falls with the most wealthy, notably with items listed as gifts to Queen Elizabeth herself

Wonderfully, this is all available on web-pages for: New Year's Gifts for Queen Elizabeth: 1561-1600

(I included the first entry as it also mentions a forehead cloth, often associated with coifs)

On looking a bit below the upper crust of society, I found a few mentions but nothing significant. Once such mention was in 1580 where one was stolen and referred as a head ornament called a coyfe, though it was valued at 8d which seems to be a somewhat low value compared to similar items. In 1591, 2 embroidered coifs were listed as found, I am guessing these were items likely stolen and recovered at that date. Also, though post 1600, a widow was accused of stealing a "black wrought coyfe" and a man said to buy a woman, carrying a bastard child, a drawn worked coif. I believe I had more noted, but will admit right now that my note keeping is far from the tidiest. One thing I did make note of, was different types of needlework found on sundry items that were recorded, such as: network, drawn-work and things black wrought (including that of night caps), (windows wrought?, describing a stomacher), and items in eyelet-hole of red silk or white silk. Some things were simply said to be wrought with silk, also including a cap.

One of the larger problems, however, with using such records to track down coif ownership is that records coming from the upper-crust of society seem to lack mention of such domestic appear al, while such mentions among middling and lower classes tend to lack any mention of such an item being decorated. This is not to conclude that higher class people didn't have them because we know they exist (see links below) and they do appear in some recordings (such as above). This is also not to say that someone of a middling or lower rung of society would not have one, though the probability might make for a strong case against it.

There are many examples of varying quality in collections dated before, and somewhat after, 1600.

a quick search brought up these:

V&A- 1600-1625

Various images from 16th century though the 17th century

coif said to be late 16th century (image on someone's blog with some decent description of the object)

a rather confusing looking mounted coif with sewn on forehead cloth

Small image of a mid 17th century embroidered cap and coif

A very leafy coif, said to me 16th century

early 17th century coif (pink and gold, Christies)

another early 17th century coif (white-work, Christies)

a neat coif displayed at Shakespear's house

another from Christies, c. 1600

forehead cloth (from Christies)

unfinished coif (Christies)

a polychrome embroidered coif (Christies)

"Frowne in good earnest, or be sicke in iest,

The coife and crosse-cloth will become you best"

("A Lottery, 1601")

As you can see, there are plenty to be found with minimal searching.

Finding any evidence of an actual person wearing them, at least any that were embroidered, is a bit more difficult. So far this is about the best I can find that is before 1600, or very close.

These are all English apart from the first portrait, which I recall as being French, where the most convincing one I found was this:

Of course, with pictures so small, it is hard to tell what the artist is trying to portray. From this, I might actually be able to conclude that wealthier people may just indeed wear embroidered coifs in public though the more fashionable, it would seem, would either cover it with a veil or have more hair than head-covering showing. Indeed, it is even quite difficult to find anyone of the upper-crust, who would seem more likely to own one of these, to be wearing any coif at all in public (or at least one that is visible).

Next, I shall look at various close head-coverings with, and without, hats and the like.

Part 2 (Close head-dress, not embroidered, on upper, middle and lower classes in Elizabethan England)