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When the handkerchief appears in literature again, it is referred to by many names. In the beginning of the fourteenth century, the French called the handkerchief a pleuvoir, from the word pleur, to rain, tear or cry. By mid-century, it is also called a mouchoir. By the late fourteenth century, the handkerchief is also seen in England and Italy. The English, being supplied of these items directly from France, commonly called it a mokador, mokedore, muckender, or muckiter. In addition, it was called a hand cover and hand coverchief, which during the sixteenth century became handkerchief. Frequently, the handkerchief was also referred to as a napkyn, the words, as well as the uses, being interchangeable. The Italians called the handkerchief sudaroli, from the Roman word; fazzoletti, from faccia meaning face; and paneti (Braun-Ronsdorf). Armed with these words, the handkerchief becomes even more evident.
French literature is the first to mention the handkerchief again. In 1301 and again in 1328, handkerchiefs are seen in two inventories of Margrite de Pieronne. Around the same time, Michelant indicated in his writing about the trades, Livre de metiers, that it was among the seamstresses' duties to sew handkerchiefs. The French Queen, Isabeau of Bavaria, in 1386, purchased thirty two ells of toile de Reims, linen cloth from Reims, to be made into eight shirts, eight biggins caps, and the rest into handkerchiefs.
In 1319 the first placing of a plume on a helmet is re-corded
Prince Edward and Joan of Kent had a love of expensive clothes. Much of England benefited from the wars in France as the spoils of war were brought home. It was said that there was no woman of any status who did not benefit from the spoils of Calais when it was captured.
In 1342 the Archbishop of Canterbury complained that the Clergy were dressing as lay people with checkerboard squares of red and green, short coats, notably scant, with excessively wide sleeves to show linings of fur or silk, hoods, and tippets of great length., pointed and slashed shoes, jeweled girdles, upon which hung gilt purses, the Clergy ignored the tonsure and wore beards and hair to their shoulders.
Around 1348 and the successes in France, fashions began to change. Shoes which had been square, became pointed and padded and curved upwards. Dresses were high waisted, clinging to the figure, men's tabards became shorter doublets, and they wore hip belts. Also the costume worn became much more colourful and extreme.
The commons complained how people were dressing themselves above their station and passed laws to restrict them. Carters, ploughmen, oxherds, cowherds, shepherds, swineherds, dairywomen and other keepers of beasts, threshers of corn and all manner of men engaged in husbandry, and all others who do not own goods and chattels to the value of 40s, shall wear no cloth except blanket and linen according to their condition.
In 1351 the Mayor of London warned the 'common lewd women in the city of London' not to dress above their station and that they should not wear any cloth trimmed with miniver (fur from a squirrel that was arrayed in blue-grey and white panels), badger fur, popelle or stranlyng (fur from squirrels taken in the spring and autumn), rabbit or hare, and clothing should not be lined with sendal, buckram or silk.
In 1363 a law passed in England a merchant worth £1000 could have the same dress as a knight worth £500 and a merchant worth £200 the same as a knight worth £100.
SUMPTUARY LAWS, 1363
From time to time England enacted laws to regulate expenditure in the matter of clothes. At this date we find "Furs of ermine and lettice and embellishment of pearls, excepting for a headdress, strictly forbidden to any one not of the Royal family or a noble having upwards of 1,000 pounds per annum." Cloths of gold and silver, habits embroidered with jewelry, lined with pure minniver and other expensive furs, were permitted to knights and ladies whose incomes exceeded four hundred marks yearly. Knights whose incomes exceeded two hundred marks, or squires possessing two hundred pounds in lands or tenements, were permitted to wear cloth of silver, with ribands, girdles, etc., reasonably embellished with silver and woolen cloth of the value of six marks the whole piece; but all persons under the rank of knighthood or of less property than the last mentioned were confined to the use of cloth not exceeding four marks the whole piece, and prohibited from wearing silks and embroidered garments of any sort, or embellishing their apparel with any kind of ornaments of gold, silver or jewelry. "Rings, buckles, ouches (pins), girdles and ribands all forbidden decorations to them"; the penalty annexed to the infringement of this statute was "the forfeiture of the dress or ornament so made or worn."
1367 Priests were censured for wearing short tight doublets, embroided purses, knives resembling swords, coloured boots with slashed and curling pointed toes.
Henry Knighton wrote that "it was scarce possible to tell poor from the rich, the servant from the master, or priest from other men".
In December 1375 Edward III gave Isabella a scarlet hooded robe in the style of the Order of the Garter, with fur on the hood and sleeves and turned up with ermine.Isabella was given another for St Georges day as well as her daughter Philippa. At the end of December 1375 Edward III gave his daughter a set of chapel furnishings and a red velvet saddle embroided with gold violets, and a second ornamented with suns of gold and copper.
In the 1380's women first rode side saddle, previously they had ridden side saddle as men.
By an order of 1382 women of bad repute were obliged to wear hoods of ray only (striped Flanders cloth), and no budge (fur trimming), perreie (jewelry) or revers (facings).
Later Chaucer's character the Parson commented on the fashions and how the clothes worn became shorter and extravagant.
Chaucers character of the friar describes his houppeland: "Of double worsted was his semi-cope. That round was, as a belle, out of the presse"
John Ball protested at the waste and extravagences of the rich: "They are clothed in velvets and rich stuffs, ornamented with ermine and other rich furs, while we are forced to wear poor cloth."
In France in the 14th Century laws were laid down as to what clothes people could wear, Lord and Ladies whose lands produced 6000 livres or more per year could have 4 costumes per year, knights and banneret's with 3000 livres or more per year could have 3 costumes per year, those with less than 2000 livres per year could only have 1 costume per year.
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