The only item of underwear we can be fairly certain of for Anglo-Saxon women is the underdress as this is the only one we have clear archaeological evidence of. 

We do not know how Anglo-Saxon women kept their legs warm, they may have simply added extra layers of gowns and petticoats, or they could have used some other method.   They could have made use of short linen or woolen trousers (brec) which are known from continental bog finds and have been ascribed as women's garments. #1

Frankish women seem to have worn some kind of woollen (or perhaps fine linen) hose or stockings, and these garments may have also been worn by their English counterparts.   They could be held up by 'garters' of textile or perhaps leather at the knee, or they could pin to the short trousers nentioned above.   They would presumably have been cut in a similar way to the lower sections of the trousers from Thorsberg.

The North German and Danish bogs have turned up a number of examples of leg wrappings which are no more than simple rectangles of cloth wrapped around the lower leg and tied in place. #2  Women could also have worn puttee type leg bindings (hose-bendas, winingas) as were worn by the men, either over the 'stockings' mentioned above, or directly over the leg. 

It is also possible that trousers like the footed examples from Thorsberg could have been worn by women too. 

1   There is no definite evedence as to which gender these garments were inteded to be and they may well have been unisex garments.   They could also be the forerunners to medieval braies.   back

2   This type of leg wrapping is known in Denmark from as far back as the bronze age and is a simple solution to keeping the legs warm.  back

Having problems with this webpage contact: questions@costumegallery.com