Hans Holbein the Younger Young Woman with a White Coif 1541 LACMA M44 2 9 2

A coif () is a close fitting cap worn by both men and women that covers the top, back, and sides of the head.

History

Coifs date from the 10th century, but fell out of popularity with men in the 14th century."A New Look for Women." Arts and Humanities Through the Eras. Gale. 2005. Retrieved August 13, 2012 from HighBeam Research: http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-3427400451.html Coifs were worn by all classes in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

to the early 17th century (and later as an old-fashioned cap for countrywomen and young children). Tudor (later Stewart in Scotland) and earlier coifs are usually made of unadorned white

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...

and tied under the chin. In the

Elizabethan The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personific ...

and early Jacobean eras, coifs were frequently decorated with blackwork embroidery and lace edging. Coifs were worn under gable hoods and hats of all sorts, and alone as indoor headcoverings. Coifs were also worn by a now-defunct senior grade of English lawyer, the Serjeant-at-Law even after they became judges. A

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

law school honor society is called the

Order of the Coif The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of advocates, the serjeants-at-law, whose courtroom attire included a coif—a white lawn or silk skullcap, ...

. The traditional

religious habit A religious habit is a distinctive set of religious clothing worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognizable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anchoritic life, ...

of Catholic nuns and Religious Sisters included a coif as a headpiece, along with the white cotton cap secured by a bandeau, to which the

veil A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has been prominent ...

would be attached, along with a white wimple or guimpe of starched linen or cotton to cover the cheeks, neck and chest. A

mail coif A mail coif is a type of armour which covered the head. A mail coif was a flexible hood of chain mail that extended to cover the throat, neck and the top part of the shoulders. They were popular with European fighting men of the Middle Ages. ...

was a type of

armour Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...

, made of

mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sys ...

, which covered the head (face excluded), neck and shoulders.

References

External links

Tudor and Elizabethan Coifs
{{RC consecrated life Caps Children's clothing English clothing Medieval European costume Catholic religious clothing Medieval armour

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links