On Sun, 5 Feb 2006, Suzi Clarke wrote: > At 17:08 05/02/2006, you wrote: > >In my translation anyway it says... > > > > Clause 35. Let there be one measure......, and one width of cloth > > whether dyed, russet or halberjet, namely two ells within the selvedges. > > > > Dyed I understand. > > > > Russet? Somehow I don't think this refers to red cloth.
Russet, in this period, means an undyed cloth from black-sheep wool, so usually brown or grey. The color meaning came much later. I can dig out lengthy discussion of this from past posts if anyone needs it. I have a distant memory of a discussion of "hauberject" or a similar word, on this list, years ago, and remember nothing of value and cannot find it in my notes. > An ell is (AFAIK) a yard and a quarter, that is 45". (I think there > is something in Shakespeare about it, possibly in "Comedy of Errors", > but memory fades with my hair)! (2 ells = 90" - that's a very wide > width of cloth?) Ells vary from one time/place to another, and typically were less than a yard. Better minds than I have written copious amounts of information on ell lengths. In a paper I happen to have on my desk this moment about French textiles from the late 1200s, I see a reference that says 840 Flemish ells equals about 679 Champagne ells equals 640 modern yards -- so lots of variation here. The author cites her source as John Munro's article on "Textile Technology," in The Dictionary of the Middle Ages, ed. Joseph R. Strayer (New York: Scribner, 1988), vol. 11, p. 704. Munro has done a great deal with textile economics, and probably has quite a number of discussions of ells in various places and times. --Robin _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
