Cap fragment, earflap

A woollen ear or cheekpiece from a 16th century cap. It was knitted in the round in stocking stitch on 4 or 5 needles, then fulled (washed, beaten and felted) and napped (raising and trimming the pile) to produce a stiff, hardwearing fabric.

Knitted caps were worn by men in London's business and working communities in Tudor times. They were designed to be warm and waterproof. A range of styles and qualities were available to suit the taste and pocket of the customer.

The long lozenge or spearhead shaped ‘earpieces’ mostly survive separately from the caps, often with a cut at the top where it has been taken off. They were knitted separately in a tubular shape and stitched on either side of the head. However, these long side pieces cover little of the ear and more of the jaw and neck under the chin, like a scarf.

Earflap knitted in stocking stitch in dark brown wool, yarn diameter 2.1 mm, 3 ply, Z spun. Tubular knitting from widest to narrow end. Cut edge at narrow edge. At widest edge there are 17 stitch holes 0.3 mm in diameter. 6 stitches per inch. 8 rows per inch. Munsell Colour Value 10YR 3/4 (dark yellowish brown). The ground yarn is the same colour as the remaining pile, suggesting it was yarn-dyed or is the natural wool colour

The earflap was given to the London Museum by the costumer Doreen Erroll and probably came from one of G. F. Lawrence's exacvations in FInsbury or Worship Street in the 1920s. No further find details are known. Workman in the early 20th century digging deep foundations for new buildings around the City of London found many pieces of clothing and textiles buried in the earth. Many are in a good state of preservation and may have been lost from wearers’ heads or discarded when they became unfashionable (from around 1570), thrown into the City ditch and cesspits. Unfortunately, because these were not formal archaeological excavations, any strata details or contextual material such as pottery that would help date the caps more closely were lost.