Linings

Only six garments in this study show any evidence of lining. These can be split up in three groups.

The first group consists of the arming cotes which are quilted and therefore by necessity lined. The coat ascribed ot Charles VI is lined with a white fabric; the Black Prince's coat with satin (I don't know which colour).

The second group is made up of the upper-class garments of expensive fabrics, the pourpoint of Charles de Blois and the Margrethe gown. The pourpoint, like the arming cotes, is padded and quilted. The Margrethe gown is lined with three different types of fabric, a coarse natural linen and two slightly different blue linens. It appears to have originally been interlined with a blue linen through the bodice and at least as far down as where the skirt widens. On top of that, the coarser natural coloured linen was used as a reinforcement in the bodice, and then finally another blue facing was added at the neckline. It seems a prosaic lining for such a spectacular garment, and Nockert speculates that a finer lining still was once attached, possibly a fine fur such as miniver, which has been removed and reused.

The third and last group of lined garments is more problematic. All the Herjolfsnes garments were found without lining. However from literary evidence we know that garments were frequently lined with fur. In lined garments, we would expect the raw edges to simply be turned over, with no particular care for edge treatment. Poul Norlund speculates based on irs edge treatment that Herjolfsnes 43 was lined, possibly with seal fur.