I am of the current opinion that hoods are made of wool because their purpose is to keep your head warm.

Lately, I have had several people ask for hoods made of linen. One of these folks is a member of the Red Co., who says he likes a linen hood because he can hide from the sun better in a hood, and that the hood absorbs sweat better.

Hmmmm.....so now I'm wondering- is there any factual evidence to point to hoods being made of non-wool fibres? It *seems* like hoods should be made of wool, but maybe they weren't always. I'm certainly willing to change my position if there is substantiating evidence to the contrary!

Any thoughts or references?

as for the rest, a linen hood will not drape correctly to look like anything in the pictures. Also, check your Hersoiufokskjs dig book . arent all the extant examples wool?

if the purpose is to shield his face from the sun, wear a sun hat. If he wants to soak up sweat, wear a coif under your sun hat. More period, according to my research, not to mention cooler (you dont have fabric covering your shoulders) and less expensive!

just my opinion....
--AM

I've seen a lot of artwork from our time and a little after that depicts men and women wearing sunhats (strawhat), usually laborers in the field. However, I have seen at least one painitng, I believe it is by Antonio Pisano, also known as Pisanello -- DANG! I can't find the book. I am pretty sure it is the Osprey's Men-at-Arms Series:144 Armies of Medieval Burgundy 1364-1477.

The image is of an Italian with maille sleeves (St. George, I think) and a big sun hat. I think Bob posted this image before in regard to maille sleeves.

I always thought the hoods were to keep warm in the fall/winter, but not really meant for summer use.

Sorry I realize it doesn't answer the question, but offers a counter...

I recall it being of a real person & not a saint, so the credibility of the image is a notch higher than allegorical artwork. But maybe it's just the Italian nobles who'd wear such big straw hats?

I'd think the straw hat would be better sun protection than a hood, and generally cooler.

I don't think it would be just Italian nobility that would wear that type of hat. Then again, I could be wrong as I haven't seen any French nobility wearing such a hat, but I have seen plenty of images of French peasants during the spring and summer months wearing that type of hat.

In the 19th c. Southern plantation owners wore them (straw boaters?) in the fields. People still wear them today in warm sunny climates, though the brim is not quite so wide. They give good protection and are pretty well ventilated.

Going back to the painting, I have to say one thing though, that even if it were an allegorical work, the person depicted isn't wearing anything outlandish. If it were a Bosche (spelling), I would be concerned, no one should have to play a musical instrument that way.

A boater is also of straw but of much different design. Smaller brim, no curve, no turned up edges on the brim, etc. (Much less style too, but then I'm kind of born into that opinion...)

Now about my guy (who is lurking, I'm quite sure.... )

He says he can't do coifs because he keep losing them-- maybe I need to get him those mitten keepers with the clips on the ends. You know, the ones your mother used to use on you when you were a kid, that one end clips to the cuff of your snowsuit and the other to the mitten? Maybe I could clip one end to his coif and the other to his ear. Then he couldn't lose it, right? Maybe if I implant a big SNAP in the top of his head, I could just SNAP a coif on, and noone would see it!

I know the painting you're thinking of, with the big straw hat. Not so sure I'm willing to go that route. A straw hat would seem sort of out of place in "England" in April. Besides, if we were at a faire, he'd look like every other geek with a bad hat. Might bring the whole effect down.

Asking him to wear a wool hat is pretty stupid, since the problem is he dies in the heat to begin with (gee, this is starting to sound like 20 quesations/"guess the soldier"). Putting a wool hat on an already overheated head just doesn't make sense to me somehow.

I'm thinking (at least for the moment) that aproperly made/patterned linen hood is less screamingly OOP than any of the other options, so I'll allow him to continue to wear it.

As for asking CoSG, if anyone is still in contact with them, feel free to ask, as I'm no longer in touch with anyone over there.

on the subject of keeping heads cool....

I still feel a linen hood, with attatched mantle will be WAY warmer than a simple coif, especially if the hood is a color other than white (which it should be).

You stay cool when the heat generated by your head can LEAVE. a simple white linen coif does little to impede that, especially when soaked in cold water (ahhhh.....).

The hood with mantle will obscure heat loss from the head, as well as the back of the neck and shoulders, much in the same way as my linen fichu keeps me warm in cold weather.

I have very dark hair, and lots of it. I used to ALWAYS get overheated if there was any sun at all, even when it was only about 70o out. See, my hair would act like a big solar panel as well as insulating so the heat couldnt leave.

I started wearing a piece of white fabric on my head (an attractively arranged white dishtowel to start, then I moved to white linen which was even better)and lo and behold, no more overheating. A colored hood, even linen, will be lots warmer than a white one.

Sew the coif into the sunhat. A big sunhat is harder to lose than a coif. Also, coifs are simple enough that he can make lots of them. No matter how many he loses, eventually the universe will be full of coifs and there will always be one at hand (this theory also works with pens, or so I am attempting to prove at work ) its called saturation....

seriously, I really think a coif/sunhat combo will not only be more appropriate according to the documentation, it will also do a better job of keeping him cool and shaded.

BTW AM, all the hoods at Herjolfsnes were wool, and so was the Bocksten hood. However, there were no linen remains at all (there never are) so lack of evidence is not proof that linen hoods were never worn. I don't believe they were, but I don't claim to know everything, either!

I have made a number of linen hoods for James. My reasons for doing so include: he has a big head (25" crown) so it's really hard to find a hat that fits, he has a receeding hairline and doesn't like sunburn or sunscreen in his hair, we live in the south and it's really hot in the summer, he likes something that protects from the heat, any time we've tried a coif he's felt really self concious because they tend to perch on his head or emphasize the size of his forehead.

When it's hot James tends to wear his hoods upside down in the chaperone form, in this manner they protect his ears and neck as well. He might get more relief from just wearing a simple coif but he likes the hoods. The main issue of drape with the linen hoods that I have is the hem. With wool hoods the bottom edge can be cut into dags that relieves the stresses of the edge, but a rolled hem on a linen edge has a stiffness that is hard to deal with.

I'm not entirely sure that a lack of surviving hoods in linen can be taken as a proof that hoods were only made of wool since the survivabilty of linen is so incredibly low. But I also understand the argument of why would you want a linen hood. My experience is that when it's hot making sure that I am covered head to toe is the best way to keep cool. If I wear a low neck line or short sleeves I get baked, but if I wear a single layer long sleeved linen dress and a light weight veil or mantle I'm much better off. For me it's not the matter of keeping heat in, it's the matter of keeping the sun off.

I'm an SCA person myself but I do actually try to do things right for myself and household. However, a lot of darn people in that group would be better off in LARP!

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Originally posted by hauptfrau:
This is off track, but why do SCA people keep asking me if I make linen hoods?

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I find my wool hosen fairly comfortable due to the openess of the weave. I'm going to try the linen ones this season to see if they're even better, though.

Would fashion in (1360s) Outremer and southward/eastward have offered something more comfortable? Gaston is on his way with King Pierre to reconquer Alexandria, how would that affect his choices in clothing?

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I recall it being of a real person & not a saint, so the credibility of the image is a notch higher than allegorical artwork.

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I could never see the practicality of that cape. I'd think the pauldrons would snag it frequently.