Rye Pottery

The Guildsmen & their Wives – The Dyer’s Wife

Chaucer mentions the specific Guilds in his prologue, and when we first introduced a generic Guildsman and his Wife we realised there was huge scope for us to work with each of the named Guilds allowing us an exciting choice of costume especially for the wives. As it says in the Prologue: They had the capital and revenue,/Besides their wives declared it was their due./And if they did not think so, then they ought;/To be called Madam is a glorious thought.

The Dyer’s Wife

They had the capital and revenue

Besides their wives declared it was their due.

We have always felt that our Guildsmen’s Wives were the forerunners of’ ‘The Ladies who lunch’ and no doubt each wife was carefully scrutinised about the exact state and cost of her dress and head gear.

The Dyer’s Wife is wearing blue to match her husband, but in her case the fabric is richly paterned and her large hat and wimple is worthy of Ladies Day at Ascot.

Click here to see her husband the Dyer.