Rye Pottery

The Guildsmen & their Wives – The Haberdasher’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 HABERDASHER’S WIFE

To be called  Madam is a glorious thought,

And so is going to church and being seen

Having your mantle carried like a queen

Just like her husband, The Haberdasher’s Wife well knows the importance of her position in life.  Like him she, too, is very well dressed with a beaver fur trimming to the neck of her gown.

While the toning, exotic terracotta and rich brown, of both dress and hat are designed to make the couples’ wealth and social standing crystal clear to all the other Pilgrims.

To see her husband in all his finery, click here.