Anglo-Saxon dress

Anglo-Saxon dress refers to the clothing and accessories worn by the Anglo-Saxons from the middle of the second century to the eleventh century. Archaeological finds in Anglo-Saxon cemeteries have provided the best source of information on Anglo-Saxon costume. 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 have both supported and contradicted the characteristic Anglo-Saxon costume as illustrated and described by these contemporary sources.

The collective evidence of cemetery grave-goods indicates that men's and women's costume were different. Women's dress changed frequently from century to century, while men's dress changed very little. Women typically wore jewellery, men wore little or no jewellery. The beginning of the seventh century marked the conversion of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms to Christianity. Religious art, symbols and writings from the conversion years greatly influenced costumes from this period onward, especially women's dress and jewellery. Historical research has shown that Anglo-Saxon children wore smaller versions of adult garments.

Clothing worn by the military, the elite class and religious orders was initially similar to the daily garments of the common man and woman. 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.

During the Anglo-Saxon era, textiles were created from natural materials: wool from sheep, linen from flax, and imported silk. In the fifth and sixth centuries, women were the manufacturers of clothing, weaving textiles on looms in their individual dwellings. 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. Specialized workshops on large landholdings were responsible for the manufacture of textiles and clothing for the estate community. 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.