Clothing - Page 1 of 2

Relatively little clothing of the Tudor period has survived, and that which has tends to be sumptuous and ornate, not the clothing of the common man. The clothing found on the Mary Rose provides a range of garments worn by the sailors, soldiers and officers aboard.

The type of clothing that survived depended on the individual materials susceptibility to the action of the micro-biological organisms in the Solent silt. Leather items survived well, although the thread used for their manufacture has usually disintegrated. Twelve almost complete leather jerkins have been identified, with no two exactly the same. These are sleeveless garments for the upper body, which fastened either at the centre on the front, down one side or with a crossover front. While the majority were fastened with aiglet tipped laces, at least one jerkin had buttonholes, but the buttons did not survive.

A few jerkins are slashed and pinked in a decorative manner and some have stitch marks from an appliqued cross, but most are plain. Leather fragments, covered with patches of iron or concretion, suggest some thicker jerkins may have been worn under armour.

The mid-sixteenth century marked a turning point in shoe construction, with the traditional 'turnshoe' giving way to the 'welted' method still used today. Square, round or ear-toe shoes demonstrate the variety of styles worn, with some slashed in a decorative manner similar to that used on the jerkins. Though generally of the slip-on type, some are fastened with a buckle and strap or aiglet tipped laces. Boots were worn either to the ankle or above the knee. It is not known if all men on board wore shoes, some were possibly barefoot.

Two leather mittens, both for the left hand, were stored inside the same chest. These are the only examples of handwear recovered from the Mary Rose and their exact purpose is unclear. Wool garments have generally survived in a fragmentary state.

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