PhD ThesisThe thesis consists of five parts: Introduction;
Archaeological Evidence; Representations in Art; Literary
and Linguistic Evidence; Conclusions.
The archaeological evidence firstly considers costume
in the. pagan period through an examination of finds from
Anglo-Saxon cemeteries; the dress is reconstructed from
the positions in which fasteners and ornaments have been
found in relation to skeletal remains. The evidence is
arranged according to county of origin, thirty counties
being considered alphabetically, anti is followed by a
discussion. Secondly, the smaller corpus of fasteners and
clothing adjuncts from the Christian Saxon period is considered.
Thirdly, the materials from which the dress was
made are discussed with reference to a list of leather and
textile fragments surviving from Anglo-Saxon clothing.
Points considered include techniques of manufacture, origins
of unusual fabrics and the functions of different materials. The discussion of art examines representations of
figures in what may have been contemporary costume.
Information is derived from illuminated manuscripts, the
Bayeux Tapestry, stone sculptures,. ivories and metalwork.
Evidence of costume from Old English, Latin, Welsh
and Old Icelandic texts is followed by consideration of
Old English garment names and other Old English words
related to clothing. The terms are arranged according to
the pröbable function of the articles they represented: *
materials, outer garments, body garments, loin and leg
coverings, footwear, headgear, accessories, general terms
and clasps. A discussion follows.
The conclusions include descriptions of the probable
appearance of'men and women during the successive centuries
of the Anglo-Saxon era; with suggestions as to the cultural
influences which may have contributed to the changes in
dress which took place during this time
