Serpentine braids or Straight as a Scabbard

Serpentine braids or Straight as a Scabbard: Women's Court Hairdressing in12th Century Europe

Serpentine braids or Straight as a Scabbard: Women's Court
Hairdressing in12th Century Europe

About the class

This is intended to be an informal workshop/demo on hairstyling techniques and

accessories in 12

century Western Europe. There's actually quite a bit in the

handouts that is intended to be goodies to take home.

I'll be demoing both three-strand and “two-strand” or ribbon bound braids,

hopefully on volunteers, otherwise on my faithful wigstand. We'll have a show-and

tell and you can look at my various accessories and false hair pieces, though only

the simplest is included in the handouts.

Handouts:

There are a total of six handouts for this class, including this one. Some are multi-

page. The list of handouts is as

follows:

1. Intro, further reading and sources (this page)

2. hairdressing types overview (frequency of elements, etc) 2p

3. Accessories overview (veils, ribbons, weights, pins, circlets) 1p

4. Braiding Techniques instruction sheets (1p) 3-strand braids, 2-strand + ribbons

“woven” braids

5. Basic Veil Draping (2p)

6. False hair use (2p)

Instructor:

This class is taught by Branwyn M. Townsend, known in the SCA as Lady

Marguerie de Jauncourt. I've been in the SCA for eight years. I have been

studying and re-creating historic clothing for twice that long. My area of special

interest in the SCA time frame is 12th Century clothing, and its evolution from

earlier forms, as you may have guessed. I have been tracking the elusive bliaut

(French court gown) for over seven years, along with its accompanying hairstyles.

Bibliography/Further reading

Web Sites

Doyle, Sarah Clothing of Norman Women in the Late 11th and Early 12th Centuries

(Norman English women)

http://freespace.virgin.net/sarah.doyle/KIT.htm

Folsom, Branwyn The Bliaut Files (instructor's website, detailed information on court and

women's dress)

http://bliautlady.50megs.com

Payne, Grace The Beautiful Bliaut (construction of separate-skirt type women's court

dress in detail)

http://www.chateau-michel.org/belle_bliaut.htm

Virtue, Cynthia The Medieval Clothing Articles

http://www.virtue.to/articles/

Books

Boucher, Francois 20,000 Years of Fashion - the history of costume and personal

adornment Harry N. Abrams, no date

Bradfield, Nancy Historical Costumes of England 1066-1968 Costume and Fashion Press,

1997

Davis, R.H.C. The Normans and their Myth Thames and Hudson, 1976

Dodwell, C.R. The Pictorial Arts of the West 800-1200 Yale University Press, 1993

Egan, Geoff and Pritchard, Frances Medieval Finds from Excavations in London:3 Dress

Accessories 1150-1450 HMSO,1991

Kohler, Carl A History of Costume Dover, 1963

Piponnier, Francoise and Mane, Perrine Dress In The Middle Ages Yale University Press,

1997

Stoddard, Whitney S. Sculptors of the West Portraits of Chartres Cathedral: Their Origins

in Romanesque and Their Role in

Chartrain Sculpture: Including the West portals Norton, 1987

Tate, Georges The Crusaders: Warriors of God Harry N. Abrams, 1996

Serpentine braids or Straight as a Scabbard: Women's Court Hairdressing in12th Century Europe

Hairdressing types overview

In preparing the handouts for this workshop, I charted the frequency of various elements in 12

century hairdressing

(for all classes), as depicted in artworks. To keep the sample from being too far skewed towards religious iconography,

all “enthroned virgins” were deliberately left out and only saints' effigies that looked to have particular care put into

making them appear as human as possible were considered (St. Foy falls into that category because of the degree of

realism in her clothing).

The results were somewhat startling.

Main Points:

•

Court hairstyles seem to fall into a few types: Braids/veil/crown; braids/crown; braids/circlet; veil/crown; on young
women, braids; and for very young girls, loose hair/circlet.

•

Ordinary women don't seem to have left their hair uncovered. All depictions of ordinary women show them veiled,
hair hidden, except perhaps for a bit at the front, indicating that it's parted centrally. Lovely tresses on view seem to

have been the exclusive province of the nobility.

•

Braid cases: Inconclusive. No clear visual evidence for braid casings beyond 2 examples: a late German
illumination that depicts what looks as though the girl's hair is stuffed through 2 tubes of bamboo; and an early

mss. Illumination which could possibly also show a clumsily drawn ribbon-bound braid. There were also two which

were too ambiguous to say for certain that they were not simply wrapped braids. Textual sources could just as

easily mean braids weighted to be straight as scabbards, for which there is visual evidence.

•

No Toques. At all. Crowns, yes, Circlets, yes. Fillets, yes. No toques until the 13

century. Most of the “toques” in

earlier costume history books were misunderstood crowns.

•

Equally notable is the low number of possible circular veils in the sample. I only found 3. This is both good and bad
news, as circular veils are very pretty, but are difficult to keep in place.

Row 2

2.5

7.5

12.5

17.5

22.5

27.5

32.5

37.5

42.5

47.5

Overall Frequency of 12th century hairdressing elements in a sample of 90 artworks

Veil
Circular
Wrapped
Long Veil
Knotted Veil
Hair Ornaments
Circlet
Ties
Ribbons
Weights
Braid Cases
Hair Hidden
Center part
Loose
Waist Length
Hip Length
Knee Length
Braids
3-strand
2-strand
Straight Braids
Wavy Braids
Wrapped braids
Crown
Mantle

elements (some artworks exhibited several elements)

ber

cur

ces

Serpentine braids or Straight as a Scabbard: Women's Court Hairdressing in12th Century Europe

Six Main Categories of Court Hairstyles:

Braids/veil/crown

braids/crown

veil/crown

braids/circlet

loose hair/circlet

braids

Four Types of Braids:

Straight ribbon bound

Straight 3-strand

Wavy 3-strand

Wavy ribbon bound

Serpentine braids or Straight as a Scabbard: Women's Court Hairdressing in12th Century Europe

Hair Accessories Overview

“You see women burdened rather than adorned with ornaments of gold, silver, and precious stones, and all the

raiment of a court.”
“For head-dress they have a kerchief of fine linen which they drape about their neck and shoulders, allowing one

corner to fall over the left arm. This is the wimple, ordinarily fastened to their brows by a chaplet, a fillet or a circle of
wrought gold." - Bernard of Clairveaux, letters

Categories of accessories:

•

Veils, usually oblong and draped artistically. Sometimes (rarely) circular.

•

Crowns, circlets, or fillets.

•

Braid pendant weights and ties with weighted tassels.

•

Ribbons

•

Pins – used to secure veils

Head of Old Testament

queen from LeMans.

She wears a crown

over a wrapped veil

that has been

elaborately and

fashionably draped.

Head of Old

Testament queen from

Chartres. She wears a

fillet or circlet over

ribbon-bound braids

without weights.

Head of Salome from

“Herod and Salome”

capital. She wears a

simple fillet or circlet

atop loose, combed

hair, indicating that

she is a young girl.

Braid pendant

weight,

approximately life

size. Most seem to

have some sort of

granular decoration.

Three different

pendant weights,

from three different

jamb statues. They

are tied on at differing

distances from the

end of the braid.

Head of “Queen of

Sheba” (Louvre). She

wears a circular veil,

crown, and hair

ribbons.

Head of Old

Testament queen from

Chartres. She wears

a crown atop weighted

braids.

Silk-covered wire

circlet with knot

decoration in

contrasting silk-

covered wires. After a

later example.

Example

of beaded

or knotted

tassels

used to tie

braids.

(unidentified Spanish

mss illo)

Weights showing

granulation effect.

Head of Old Testament

queen from Chartres.

She wears a crown

atop her mantle, which

she has pulled up to

veil her hair.

Head of donor(?) from

Chartres. She wears a

crown or fillet (angle is

odd for a crown) atop

braids weighted with

beaded tassels.

Thread-wrapped wire

circlet with spiraled

decoration.

Bead

-weighted

tassels

on the

hair ties

of the

donor

lady from

Chartres.

Bead-

weighted

tassels

were also

used - these

can be seen

manuscript

illustrations

as little

tassels at

the ends of

braids.

Serpentine braids or Straight as a Scabbard: Women's Court Hairdressing in12th Century Europe

Braiding Techniques

“Two strand” braiding or ribbon binding is covered here in some verbal detail – it is assumed that you know how to do a

basic three strand braid for the purpose of the short note on braiding in a tie cord, weighted or not.

Setting a tiecord in a 3-strand braid:

•

Section the hair into thirds first. If your hair is the
same length or longer than your tie cord, braid at

least on third of the length up before setting the cord

in.

•

Set the center of your tie cord behind the braid.

•

Pull each side of the tie cord along with the respective
section of hair as you continue to braid (see drawing

for clarification).

•

Keep the tie cord strands with their sections of hair
until you have finished braiding, then use the loose

ends of the cord to tie off the braid securely by

wrapping the cords around the braid several times

and tying half knots.

•

For more help, look up “hair wraps” on Google for
finishing techniques.

Ribbon – bound or 2-strand braids:

•

This works best if only one ribbon is used for both
braids. It should pass behind the head just below the

curve of the cranium (if you set it too high, it will slip

and loosen).

•

Smooth ribbons will slip – I like wool or non-shiny silk
tapes.

•

The dark stripe that crosses both strands (and any
other stripe that does so) is called an “over”

•

The short stripes that cross only one strand indicate
that the ribbon is being woven between the strands.

These are called “weaves”

•

I find that the most secure weaving pattern for me is :
over; weave; over; weave; weave; over; weave; over;

weave; weave; over; etc.

•

Another weaving pattern used in artwork is: Over;
weave; over; weave; over; weave; over; weave; etc.

•

when you reach the end of your braid, sew the ribbon
in place over the end of the hair. You may include a

weight inside the ribbon or sewn on outside when you

have had some practice (the first few times it will

likely slip).

Serpentine braids or Straight as a Scabbard: Women's Court Hairdressing in12th Century Europe

Basic Veil Draping

A guide to the wrapped, draped veil style seen on some jamb statues and similar to the one decried by Bernard of

Clairvaux. We will go over this in class, but it may be helpful to have a step-by-step guide for practicing at home.

Watch Points:

•

This style requires a narrow oblong (rectangular) veil of fine, soft cloth. These were very likely decorated at least at
the ends and some women may have worn striped and spotted ones.

•

If your veil is too short, this basic draped style won't work. It should be about 5 feet long and no wider than 22
inches.

•

Likewise, if your veil is too long, it will be too bulky in this style, unless it is made of very fine, soft, drapy cloth. 8
feet is too long for a veil made of cotton voile, for example (too much body).

•

This style can be used to cover use of extensions, as it both hides and reveals the hair.

•

To secure this style, you must either have a secure fillet or circlet or bear a heavy crown upon your head. This style
seems to have only been worn by women who had to wear crowns.

Step one:

Drape one end attractively to the left of your face. This will take practice, and

is easier to do for someone other than oneself. You may want to secure the

arrange ends with a metal clip while you drape the veil.

Bring the rest of the veil around in front of your braids. Adjust it into a smooth

cowl-like loop a few inches (2-4) below the point of your chin (higher if you are

cold or you prefer to cover up).

Step two:

As you arrange the loop around your face, bring it a little over the draped end

piece to help hold it in place.

Bring the other end around to the other side of your face and arrange prettily.

Pin if necessary.

Step Three:

Top with securely fitting or heavy circlet, fillet or crown.

If you will be wearing this with a lightweight fillet or circlet, you should probably

use veil bands. They will prevent slippage. See Cynthia Virtue's website at

http://www.virtue.to

for good, clear directions on using them.

Serpentine braids or Straight as a Scabbard: Women's Court Hairdressing in12th Century Europe

Faking it: False hair use

False hair was apparently quite popular in the 12

Century. Plenty of people got razzed about it in satirical songs and

poems, in any case. Horsehair was used fairly often!

This is a multipurpose item, which will bear the weight of the hair (so your own hair does not have to), secure your veil,

and also hold your own hair out of the way (if it needs it). This project presupposes that you have acquired 2-3 packets

of loose false hair in a good match to your color and texture (I like the “yaky” silky straight as it's light for the amount

of body I get).

To make a Combination Hair Piece and Veil Band:

Step one:

Measure the circumference of your head where you will

be wearing it (see the three different styles, left), and add

3 inches for overlap. “Two bands” assumes that you will

be wearing two bands, as in Cynthia Virtue's tutorial.

“Single band A” assumes that you will probably be

wearing it without the chin band. “Single band B” assumes

that you probably have short hair or bangs you want to

keep back under your veil, and should be lined with

velveteen to make it sit securely.

Its finished width will be about 1.5 – 2 inches, so the band

needs to be (head+3”)x 5”.

Turn and press ½ inch on each long edge to the inside,

then fold the strip in half along its length and press until

creased to mark the center. Fold the band up and pin it in

place as if you were wearing it, with the crease upwards.

The overlap and pin should be at the back of your head.

Finally, measure the width of your forehead where the

band crosses it. Mark with pencil or tailor's chalk.

Step two:

Divide your false hair in half as evenly as you can

manage, and spread it out flat to fill most of the space

(NOT all – you want to have the overlap mostly clear)

around your forehead marks. Try to make the crease be

roughly in the middle of the length of hair.

For the first 2 views the hair should be roughly
perpendicular to the band, but for view B, it should be at

a gentle angle (so the hair is pointing toward the floor
when worn).

Machine two rows of close stitches on each section of

hair. Make sure you sew past the hair on both passes.

Now for the tricky part. VERY gently, pull at both of the

ends of each section of hair to “taper” it and make it

appear more natural (blunt-cut ends aren't period). Take

your time. Go slowly, and when you are fairly happy with

it, then you can go on.

Sometimes it helps to drape the hairpiece over a piece of

furniture, or even tack it to the wall. And discourage cat

help on this project.

Serpentine braids or Straight as a Scabbard: Women's Court Hairdressing in12th Century Europe

Step three:

Very gently and carefully, fold over each section of hair

and sew down with 2 more rows of close machine

stitching. This is pretty straightforward for view a and the
two band style, but for view B, that gentle angle will

make this harder. Fold over the hair in sections of a half
inch or so at a time.

Bobby pins can help secure the folded over hair before

you sew it down.

Check the hair is secure – if it moves to easily when you

pull on it, add another row or two of stitches.

Step four:

Fold the band closed and sew shut (by hand will be

neatest). For security, line it with a strip of cotton

velveteen or velour. The nap will help keep it from slipping

on your hair.

Done:

Pin it in place, just as if it was a plain veil band.

You will have fabulous knee or hip length hair (depending

on how much you tapered it). Braid the hair with ribbons

or with your own hair (this works even when your own hair

is only shoulder length), or both.

After styling, pin any style of veil on top and you are done.

Illustration to the left is the author wearing her first veil

band/hair piece combination. The real hair? Shoulder

length. The circular veil is pinned to the band (band was

black to hide better under a sheer veil).

Resources:
“Yaky” type long loose hair for doing extensions can usually be bought inexpensively (expect about 5 dollars a packet) in ethnic hair salons and
beauty supply shops. If they do not stock your color, they may be willing to order it for you if will buy enough. If you do not have an ethnic salon or
public-access beauty supply shop near you, try the internet.

I have had good luck ordering from

http://www.hisandher.com

His and Her Hair, in Los Angeles. If you aren't sure of a color, however, do yourself a

favor and just buy one packet and check – you can always give it away, but hair products cannot legally be returned.
I don't work for them, but I've been pretty happy with their service.

Sheet1

Page 1

Key:
1 = data matches this category
- = no data where there should be data (partially destroyed)
? = inconclusive depiction (see notes column)

Source Image

Notes

3 33 15

5 20

5 13

1 29 47 13 17 20

5 39 20 12 14 20

2 27 34

Angers 1 (from Goddard – no further information)

1 1

Angers 2 (from Goddard – no further information)

1 1

Angers 3 (from Goddard – no further information)

1 1

Bib. S. Gen MS 10 f78r lady 1(Goddard)

1 1 1

Bib. S. Gen MS 10 f78r lady 2 (Goddard)

1 1 1

Bib. S. Gen MS 8 f178v lady 1(Goddard)

1 1

Bib. S. Gen MS 8 f178v lady 2 (Goddard)

1 1

Bone “Adoration of the Magi”

1 1 1

1 1

Chartres CPL3

1 1

Chartres CPL5

1 1

Chartres CPR3

1 1

Chartres LPL 1

1 1

Chartres LPL2 Pediment

1 1

Chartres RP Lintels (generalized from several female figures)

1 1

Chartres RPR3

1 1

Code1 Lat 2599 f101v lady 1 (Munich)

Code1 Lat 2599 f101v lady 2 (Munich)

1 1

Code1 Lat 2599 f101v lady 3 (Munich)

Wrapped
appearance,
possible braid
cases

Bible of San Pedro de Cardena f12v lower register
Birth of St Peter Salzburg Antiphonary lady 1
Birth of St Peter Salzburg Antiphonary lady 2
Birth of St Peter Salzburg Antiphonary lady 3
Birth of St Peter Salzburg Antiphonary lady 4

Chelles reliquary lady in garden

Vei

Cir

cular

apped

Long Veil Knot

ted Vei

Hair

namen

Cir

clet

Ties R

ibbo

Weigh

Braid Cas

Hair

idden

ter

Loos

Wais

t Leng

Hip Length K

nee Len

Braids 3-s

trand

2-s

trand

ght

Wavy

Braids

apped bra

own

Man

tle

Sheet1

Page 2

Code1 Lat 2599 f102r (Munich)

1 1

Code1 Lat 2599 f102v (Munich)

1 1

Code1 Lat 2599 f103r (Munich)

Code1 Lat 2599 f103v (Munich)

Code1 Lat 2599 f104r (Munich)

1 ?

Code1 Lat 2599 f104v (Munich)

1 1 1

Code1 Lat 2599 f106r (Munich)

Code1 Lat 2599 f106v (Munich)

1 1

Crusader and wife carving

1 1

Enamel of Synagogue

English Queen statue (no further information)

1 1

- - -

1 1

1 1 1
1 1 1
1 1
1 1

1 1

1 1
1

Braids
inconclusive,
might be
bound loose
tresses
Equally
possible
tresses or
braids

Corbeil Queen (louvre)

Etampes L2

Head
destroyed

Fecamp Bleeding lady 1
Fecamp Bleeding lady 2
Fecamp Libra Rondel
Fecamp Virgo Rondel
Floreffe Bible f3v bottom panel lady 1
Floreffe Bible f3v bottom panel lady 2
Girl Beating a Demon (Mss Illo)
Lambeth Bib Ruth Harvesting
LeMans L3
LeMans R3
Liber Testamentorum of Oviedo f26v Queen teresa
Liber Testamentorum of Oviedo f26v Waiting woman
MS Guelph 105 novis. F171v lady 1
MS Guelph 105 novis. F171v lady 2
MS Guelph 105 novis. F171v lady 3
MS Guelph 105 novis. F171v lady 4
MS Guelph 105 novis. F171v lady 5
MS Lansdowne 381 f8 lady 1

Sheet1

Page 3

1 1

1 1 1

1 1

Portable Altar top c. 1160 (generalized from all female figures)

1 1
1 1

1 1

St Denis CPL1

1 1

St Etienne Capital (Salome)

1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1

1 1

Women @ the tomb ivory reliquary plaque (Spanish) lady 1

Women @ the tomb ivory reliquary plaque (Spanish) lady 2

1 1

Women @ the tomb ivory reliquary plaque (Spanish) lady 3

1 1

MS Lansdowne 381 f8 lady 2
Navarre Virgin and Child
Noli Me Tangere ivory reliquary plaque (Spanish)
Notre Dame de Paris St Anne Portal Queen 1(Montfaucon
drawing)
Notre Dame de Paris St Anne Portal Queen 2 (Montfaucon
drawing)
Oviedo Testament F49v lady 1
Oviedo Testament F49v lady 2
Provins L3

Quedlinberg Tapestry Iticia
Quedlinberg Tapestry Philologia
Quedlinberg Tapestry Philologia's Mother
Rmsqe. Capital (at Fitzwilliam Museum)
Senlis Archivolt lady
Spanis Mss illo (? source)
St Begnine (Plancher drawing)
St Denis(Montfaucon sketch of CPL 2)
St Denis (Montfaucon sketch of CPL4)
St Denis (stoddard plV fig4) 1

St Denis CPR (head & Montfaucon sketch)

St Loup De Naud L2
St Nicholas Crozier lady 1 (v&a)
St Nicholas Crozier lady 2 (v&a)
St Peter Antiphonary Job's Wife
St Thibault Queen
Stammheim Missal Virgin & Unicorn
Vezelay Capital (?)
Vezelay Capital (Potiphar's Wife)
Vezelay capital (wisewomen)

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