Detail of Edward VI as a child by Holbein, 1538. He wears a linen coif under a cloth-of-gold coif and a feathered hat.

A coif is a close fitting cap that covers the top, back, and sides of the head, worn by all classes in England and Scotland from the Middle Ages to the early seventeenth century (and later as an old-fashioned cap for countrywomen and young children). Image File history File links Coiffe_(Bundhaube). ... Image File history File links EdwardVI_child_holbein_detail. ... Image File history File links EdwardVI_child_holbein_detail. ... Edward VI (12 October 1537 – 6 July 1553) became King of England and Ireland on 28 January 1547, at just nine years of age. ... Portrait of Sir Thomas More, by Hans Holbein the Younger (1527). ... There are many different styles of hats. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital London Largest city London Official language(s) English Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister Tony Blair MP Unification    - by Athelstan AD927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi   - Water (%) Population... Motto: (Latin for No one provokes me with impunity)1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government Constitutional monarchy  - Queen of the UK Queen Elizabeth II  - Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

Tudor (later Stewart in Scotland) and earlier coifs are usually made of unadorned white linen and tie under the chin. In the Elizabethan and early Jacobean eras, coifs were frequently decorated with blackwork embroidery and lace edging. Allegory of the Tudor dynasty (detail), attributed to Lucas de Heere, ca 1572: left to right, Philip II of Spain, Mary, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Elizabeth The Tudor period usually refers to the historical period between 1485 and 1558, especially in relation to the history of England. ... The Coat of Arms of King James I, the first British monarch of the House of Stuart The House of Stuart or Stewart was a royal house of the Kingdom of Scotland, later of the Kingdom of England, and finally of the Kingdom of Great Britain. ... Linum usitatissimum L. - Flax Torn linen cloth, recovered from the Dead Sea Linen is a material made from the fibers of the flax plant. ... Elizabeth ushers in Peace and Plenty. ... The Jacobean era refers to a period in English history that coincides with the reign of James I (1603 – 1625). ... Blackwork Embroidery is normally simply referred to as Blackwork. It is a simple form of embroidery, using black thread on white or off-white fabric. ... White lace is often used in collars and other fabric borders. ...

Coifs were also worn by an extinct senior grade of English lawyer, the Serjeant-at-Law. Serjeant-at-law is an obsolete order of barristers at the English or Irish bar. ...

Coifs were worn under gable hoods and hats of all sorts, and alone as indoor headcoverings. Mary Wotton, Lady Guildenford, wearing a gable hood with pinned up lappets and a hanging veil. ...

Coifs were also a type of armour, traditionally made of maille, they covered the head (face excluded), neck and shoulders.

See also

• 1500-1550 in fashion
• 1550-1600 in fashion

Portrait of the family of Sir Thomas More shows English fashions of the later 1520s. ... English opulence, Italian reticella lace ruff, (possibly) Polish ornamentation, a French farthingale, and Spanish severity: The Ermine Portrait of Elizabeth I Fashion in the period 1550-1600 in Western European clothing is characterized by increased opulence, the rise of the ruff, the expansion of the farthingale for women, and, for...

References

Oxford English Dictionary The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is generally regarded as the most comprehensive and scholarly dictionary of the English language. ...

George Wingfield Digby. Elizabethan Embroidery. New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1964.

External links

• Tudor and Elizabethan Coifs