Page 19 - British Museum: SYTYGIB Medieval Castle

Lords and ladies displayed their wealth on themselves and on their children. They’d be dripping with jewellery, silver buckles and fabulous belt decorations. It was all about showing off – much like today when that rich kid comes to school wearing solid gold shoes and a diamond-encrusted belt.
Has anyone seen Mary?
Help!
FANCY THAT!
Poorer castle folk would usually make their own clothes. They would spin wool or weave material or buy linen if they could. Do you reckon you would make your own trainers and hoody? We mean ones you could wear without people gathering round you in a circle to point and take photos because you look so RiDoNkUlOuS!
Speaking of trainers, there’s nothing worse than getting them all muddy, is there? In medieval times, if it was wet outside, you could slip shoes called pattens over your ordinary leather footwear. They had high wooden soles, which would help keep your feet clean and dry. You could make yourself a pair out of some soup tins glued to a pair of old flip-flops. Or you could just buy wellies.
FANCY THAT!
People washed their clothes in tubs or streams. It was said that they sometimes even added stale wee or wood ash to the water to help clean their linen better. If you catch your mum or dad doing this, gently point them in the direction of fabric detergent.
In the later Middle Ages, men’s shoes with very long curly toes were all the rage. Sometimes they were so long they had to be filled with moss or whalebone and the ends had to be tied to the man’s leggings so he wouldn’t trip up. If you’re looking for a present for your dad’s birthday that will make you laugh, you’ve just found it.
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Clothes and hairstyles