Hello,

Shortly before the forums crashed, I had made a similar topic as this. In it, I asked after specifically Welsh weapons and armour from the 11th century or shortly previous. Replies mainly confirmed what I had already suspected: there is just not much to go on.

So I'm widening my search a little, here. Does anyone know of anything that, in the 11th century (or even the 10th or 12th, if that's what it comes to), would mark the wearer or user as being most likely Welsh? Any particularities in clothing, jewelry, hair styles? Might they prefer penannular brooches to disc brooches? At the risk of genericizing "celtic" culture, perhaps plaid would be appropriate? Perhaps plaid should be avoided, in light of Northumbrian border check? Is there a particular style of turnshoe or even sandal that has only been found in Wales?

I have read that Welshmen around that period were not known to wear trousers, hose, winingas, or indeed shoes. However, this seems likely to be an issue of low class than anything. I have also read somewhere that they kept to wearing rectangular, knee-length cloaks long after others had adopted newer styles, but unless I am mistaken such cloaks would still be normal for Saxons of the 11th century as well.

Barring that, are there any peculiarly Saxon or Viking styles or objects that one should avoid if trying to appear specifically Welsh? I should think that the seax would be one. Perhaps winingas, as well? Hose?

Any help would be most appreciated!

Regards,
Peter Anderson

Here is Gerald of wales description of the welsh. http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfi...;pageno=17 Note the early mention of greaves.

As a mid wales/marshes inhabitant I'd say that apart from keeping it simple the most likely way of telling a welshman is by his language. But of course if you need to be that close it may already be too late....

Might be something of use in Wendy Davies' "Wales in the Early Middle Ages" (Leicester University Press, 1982).

One of the problems is the surviving descriptions are pretty vague. More often than not clothing is described just as that, 'gwisg' - a 'garment'.

There is the 'brychan' or rectangular cloak but Saxon sources have those too.

You may also want to check for Stuart Ivinson's book Anglo Welsh Wars 1050-1300. There are some descriptions of early Welsh warriors, with some black and white photos as well.

It's hard to say when greaves were first used in the middle ages. Oakeshott writes they might have been worn under maille. The King's Mirror has plate being worn under the hauberk, so maybe this was true of greaves? Chretian de Troyes mentions polished greaves in his romances c. 1190's.