A 14th Century Cap of Maintenance

(Bycocket Hat)

West Kingdom 12th Night

Textile Competition

Ula Brennasdottir
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Copyright © January 9, 2016 E. A. Paulsen

 A 14th Century Cap of Maintenance
(Bycocket Hat)

At the beginning of the 14th Century the bycocket (byecocket, bycoket, and many other
variations in English as well as “chapeau a bec” in French) came into fashion. This is a
hat worn by both men and women, often while riding, hunting, or hawking. The hat is
made with a tall crown that has an upturned brim which projects sharply at the front into
a point1. The bycocket is also depicted in heraldry of the time and mentioned in writings
related to the granting of Nobility2.

My goal was to create a 14th Century Cap of Maintenance suitable for a Peer of the
Realm, specifically a Pelican. Unfortunately, there are no extant examples that I have
been able to find and the written descriptions are not detailed enough to determine
construction methods or materials. Due to the lack of extant examples I have based my
recreation on illustrated examples from period.

The bycocket is frequently depicted in

imagery of the time period, one of the
clearest examples is found in the margin of
The Decretals of Gregory IX c.1300-1340,
written in Southern France (page 40v).

This image shows a man wearing a red cap

with a white lining but no other decoration.

Another image with the same hat style and

coloring appears in the 1344 painting The
Effects of Good Government in the
Countryside by Ambrogio Lorenzetti.

This image shows a woman wearing a red cap

with white lining and perhaps decoration on
the upturned brim.

                                                                                                               
1
Amphlett, page 26
2
Gadd, page 4-5, states that in 1397 the Rolls of Parliament inform us more explicitly
that the King granted ‘un cap de honeur & dignite de duc’.  
The majority of visual depictions are shades of red to purple with a few in the blue/green
range. My research did not result in examples in un-dyed sheep or plant fiber colors but it
is possible that they were made.

The Cap of Maintenance appears in heraldic illustrations starting in the 14th Century as
well. It is usually depicted as a red cap lined with ermine (there are a few instances of an
ermine cap lined with red also) and placed atop the arms of nobility3. The heraldic
depictions however have the point toward the back instead of the front and often also
show some kind of mantling. I am unsure of the reason for the difference between
heraldic representation and portraiture.

This example from a French armorial made

between 1401-1470 shows two arms with Caps
of Maintenance. The large one in the top left is
that of the King of England and the arms in the
center of the bottom row are of the Earl of
Oxford (likely John deVere but perhaps his
father Richard or son John, all Earls of Oxford
at various times in the 14th C).

The heraldic achievement shown at right is of John

Beaufort, 1st Duke of Somerset, as shown on his
Garter stall plate in St. George's Chapel, Windsor.
He was Earl of Somerset by heredity and in 1443
was created Duke of Somerset and Earl of Kendal,
made a Knight of the Garter, and appointed
Captain-General of Guyenne by King Henry V.

                                                                                                               
3  Hatguide.co.uk  “A Cap of Maintenance is a ceremonial cap of crimson velvet lined

with ermine, which is worn or carried by certain persons as a sign of nobility or special
honour.”
My recreation is made of fulled red wool, lined with white linen, interlined with stiffened
canvas, and trimmed with ermine skins and tails.

The basic shape and measurements are shown in this drawing.

I cut two of each for all three layers, allowing for ½” seam allowance on the wool and
linen and ¼” seam allowance on the canvas interlining. The center seam on the wool
layer is sewn with a backstitch in red silk then folded over and whipped stitched down to
create a strong flat seam. The canvas interlining is sewn with a simple overlapped seam
using cotton thread. The linen lining is sewn as the wool outer layer using a backstitch
then rolled and whipped in place to maintain strength.

inside of wool layer inside of linen layer

The three layers are then stacked together and the lining sewn into the wool with a hidden
stitch. After all the layers were assembled I did a running stitch through them along the
edge to secure the interlining and prevent shifting. The ermine skins plus additional
ermine tails are trimmed to fit using a sharp blade and then surface applied to the
upturned brim.

running stitch at edge

final side view final back view

After completing the project I am not entirely convinced that the hat was made in two
pieces from woven fabric in period; it may have been felted in one piece from unspun
wool. I plan to make an attempt in that fashion also and compare the two results.
 Bibliography

Amphlett, Hilda. Hats: A History of Fashion in Headwear. Chalfont St. Giles: Sadler,
1974. Print.
"Ancien Armorial Colorié, Où Sont Figurés Les Blasons De Différents Princes Et
Seigneurs De France, Allemagne, Flandre, Angleterre, Espagne, Italie, Etc. Cet
Armorial Est Vraisemblablement D'origine Flamande. Premier Mot : « Daufin ».
Dernier Mot : « Le Sr." Gallica. Web. 27 Dec. 2015.
Barrett, C. R. B. Battles and Battlefields in England. London: A.D. Innes, 1896. Print.
Burke, John. A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerages of England, Ireland,
and Scotland Extinct, Dormant, and in Abeyance. London: H. Colburn and R.
Bentley, 1831. Print.
"Cap of Maintenance - Hat Guide." Hat Guide. 16 June 2011. Web. 27 Dec. 2015.
"Digitised Armorials." Heraldica Nova. Web. 27 Dec. 2015.
Gadd, Ronald P. Peerage Law. Bristol [Avon: ISCA Pub., 1985. Print.
Gilbert Pine, Leslie. "Heraldry." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia
Britannica. Web. 27 Dec. 2015.
"The Bycocket, or ''Robin Hood Hat''" The Robin Hood Hat. Web. 27 Dec. 2015.
The Manual of Rank and Nobility, or Key to the Peerage: Containing the Origin and
History of All of the Various Titles, Orders, and Dignities of the British Nobility,
Etc. London: Saunders & Otley, 1828. Print.