Snood

Hairnets have been found in archaeological digs and gravesites dating from as early as the Bronze Age. The earliest surviving example of sprang is a hair net, c. 1400 B.C. that was recovered from a bog in Denmark. Netting, and later knitting and crochet became popular construction methods.

The hair net was an important fashion accessory often worn with a wimple/barbette and fillet. Extant hairnets were made from silk and edged with bands of either finger-weaving or tablet-weaving, and the gauge on these nets could be extremely fine.

The word 'snood' was first recorded in Old English from sometime around 725. It was widely used in the Middle Ages for a variety of cloth or net head coverings, including what we would today call hairbands and cauls, as well as versions similar to a modern net snood.

Whether you prefer to call them hairnets or snoods, this type of headwear can be used for impressions ranging from Bronze Age thru Roman, Dark Ages, Middle Ages and Renaissance. The hair net went out of fashion in the 17th c., but reappears again in the 19th c., and again in the 1940's. 

It is interesting to note that for several decades of the 16th C., German and Italian men wore a type of hairnet called a 'caul', either on its own or together with other headwear.  

Left: St. John’s College, Cambridge Ms K 26 f.231 (1270-80) shows the highly fashionable hairnet, barbette, and fillet on the serpent which tempts Adam and Eve 

A 14th century mesh hairnet, reproduced to scale (Crowfoot et al, Textiles and Clothing). The basic construction did not change from the 13th to the 14th century.

 

 

 

 

 

Our snood is hand crocheted of faux silk (rayon). Elasticated edge. One size fits all.  Hand wash delicate.

Available in black, white, red, gold and royal blue . 



$8.95

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  • Model: BSD-PV-SN01
  • Shipping Weight: 0.5lbs




This product was added to our catalog on Friday 25 November, 2011.