Hey all, I've been trying to research women's knives in period for a project I have in mind. I've found a couple of illustrations of women with knives hanging from belts in the traditional utilitarian fashion, but I was wondering if anyone has ever seen a reference to knives worn on their person. These days we'd probably call them bodice knives, but really I'm looking for any blade that was designed to be worn concealed by a woman for use and defense.

Anyone seen anything of that sort of thing in their travels?

Which period are you interested in?

The down-the-bosom style always seemed like excessive Victoriana to me; most historic womens' fashions in Europe tended to keep that general area covered during everyday wear. 'Cleavage' is a semi-modern phenomenon ('semi' meaning 'a few hundred years or so').

That said, I'm sure that such a... ahem... convenient place to conceal items quite likely got used for weapons on occasion. Any small, easily concealable knife or dagger would've been used. I doubt there were any weapons specifically intended to be placed there.

Regarding other places of stashing weapons about the body, I doubt women bothered for the most part. If they had to for some reason (say smuggling a knife in to a male comrade in captivity) then tying it about the leg under a full skirt would have been one option. Some fashions would have permitted putting weapons elsewhere.

As for knives and such that were daily used, I would expect them to be pretty much the same as men would carry-- honestly I don't think there was that much 'gendering', so to speak. A knife was just a knife. A women's knife might be slightly smaller (to fit smaller hands) and perhaps a little fancier, but this was the age where men could wear pink satin and look mighty fine in it-- you got what you could afford, same as any other time.

As suggested above, women's clothing in the medieval period was quite modest--even the head usually covered. It would have been a simple matter to conceal a knife under clothing, but she might not have been able to get to it quickly (compared to the ubiquitous knife at her waist). Anyone looking for another hide should note that medieval English women did not typically wear underwear, and that hose came up only to just above the knee, where they were secured with garters. Could she hide a small knife in her head cover? Hmmmmm...

I recommend this book for related information: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Travelers-Guide-Medieval-England/dp/1439112908

See, also, the women in the Company of Saint George: http://www.companie-of-st-george.ch/cms/?q=en/Gallery_Camp

I know that the whole low cut bodice thing, and thus "bodice daggers" aren't period at all. I merely use the term bodice dagger to describe that small, concealed blade since I couldn't come up with a better descriptor...

If what I'm looking for doesn't exist then it doesn't exist, but I thought maybe I had been missing something.

Matthew Bunker wrote:

Which period are you interested in?

Later period/Renaissance for this project. Say early 15th century on into the 16th.

I think its Tod whose website has a line on it saying "Please, please dont EVER ask me for a bodice knife"

Which is pretty much the best summary of that nonsense I could think of.

When is rather dependant - however, for later renaissance, the long corded sheaths on the belt arent unheard of (as in, it becomes a fashionable item for it to be suspended from the belt, rather than simply utility), and there's a number of examples (Solingen, the Musee invalides, V&A, etc) of women's knives with particular two-piece opening lidded sheathes which are highly decorated with embroidery and pearl/beadwork.

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There is no way I can comment on this without saying something that might offend someone. My wife has found a perfect solution, though. When we go to Ren-Fest, she always has a sharp, non-peace-tied sgian dubh under one of her....uh....boobies. She says that the person checking her for weapons will get in trouble before she does. I guess she has kind of a legitimate point there. :lol: .....................McM