Hood, Skjoldehamn, c. 1050-1090

In 1936, a body was found in a bog near Skjold  harbor (Skjoldehamn), on the Norwegian island of Andøya.  Like many other bog finds, the body was originally thought to date from the 18th or 19th C, so attracted little interest. 

1937, the clothing was studied by Norwegian archaeologist Gutorm Gjessing, who dated the find the late 15th- early 16th centuries.

Nothing further was done with the find until 1988, when archaeologist Per Holck dated the remains to 1000-1210AD. New samples were taken in 1998 by Margareta Nockert and Göran Possnert, who used Radio Carbon Dating to conclude the find dated from 995 to 1029 CE.  In 2009 archaeology student Dan Halvard Løvlid arranged AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Radiocarbon Dating) in conjunction with his masters thesis project, and the find was redated to 1050 to 1090 CE.

The outfit included a hood made of a two-tone woolen 2/2 twill, the shape of which was formed of rectangles and squares.  Square pieces form gores in the front and back. The gores are set in on their corner forming points in the center front and center back. This placement also serves to widen the bottom edge enough to accommodate the breadth of the upper torso. The hood was constructed  with seams stitched together from the outside with a running stitch, and additional decorative sewing was added along the seam lines. The bottom edge of the hood was hemmed with a whip stitched taken thru the flat edge. Decorative cords of unknown use were sewn to the hood near the ear on each side.

Intrigued by the construction method of the original, we are offering a reconstruction which departs from our standard 'no visible stitching' construction method. In the spirit of the decorative stitching of the original, we offer a 'Decorative Stitching' (DS) version wherein all seams have been sewn facing the outside of the garment using a fine machine 'whip stitch' in a contrasting colour. The same stitch finishes the bottom and face opening of the hood.

The hood is close fitting around the head and face, and when pulled forward offers exceptional protection from the elements. The cut forms a 'capelet' to protect the shoulders, as well as an interesting and decorative drape on the chest and back.

The hood is also offered in our Standard Construction (SC) with the seams facing the inside, the bottom and face edges discretely finished with thread in a matching colour. 

DS/wool -Midweight wool with decorative stitching visible on seam lines.	SC/wool - Ass't weight wools with no seams visible and discrete edge finish

January 22, 2011- This garment has received approval from Regia Anglorum. The decorative stitching option DOES NOT meet the standard, and the decorative edge stitching on the Standard version should be turned back and hemmed to meet the standard.  We offer a RA approved version with no visible stitching which meets the standard without alteration. These are designated RA in the drop down menu. 

Photo of the Skjoldehamn hood used with the kind permission of Dan Halvard Løvlid.  Thanks also for additional information and a correction to my description of the stitching on the original hood.