Many people today when handed something small, such as
coins or a business card, simply place it in their pocket. But what if we didn’t have pockets? This was the dilemma for people in the Middle Ages, because they had not yet come up with the
revolutionary invention of pockets. Instead, they made due with a variety of bags and
purses. The most common bags were simple in design, being round pieces of
leather with holes punched around the edge for a drawstring. These bags, once synched
closed, could be looped to a belt with the remaining drawstring or would simply
be carried in hand. However, these bags were small and could only hold keys or
coins (Newman 124). Far larger items, bags could be draped over the shoulder or
made into something resembling a horse’s saddle bags in miniature, by attaching
these bags to belts.
These designs of bags were basic, and unlike pockets,
were easily stolen. It was a simple matter for thieves to walk up to a person
and discreetly cut the leather cords supporting the bag or connecting it to a
belt. The thieves –known fittingly as cutpurses—were the ancestors of modern
day pickpockets, also fittingly named.
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| Travelers wearing their purses over the shoulder. |
Interesting article. Funny that we take for granted so many things, including pockets. Reading your article made me wonder when pockets were 'invented'?
ReplyDeleteWhen doing my research on medieval clothing, I found a couple of dresses that had slits in their outer garment and the purse could be attached to something inside. Then they could reach into their dress to access the purse. They were getting closer to a pocket, but still not quite there!
ReplyDeleteWell, another perspective: they had pockets . . . but they were not our 2014 pockets! Pockets were simply pouches (origin of the name); in the Middle Ages pouches hung over the shoulder or hung off of a belt. Pockets were on the outside rather than the inside! Tourists do this today, in the well-known fanny pack. And traveling in Europe we advise not having anything in one's pockets because of the ease of pickpockets. I've had my purse stolen a few times, or money "lost", but I've never had a cutpurse!
ReplyDeleteWell, another perspective: they had pockets . . . but they were not our 2014 pockets! Pockets were simply pouches (origin of the name); in the Middle Ages pouches hung over the shoulder or hung off of a belt. Pockets were on the outside rather than the inside! Tourists do this today, in the well-known fanny pack. And traveling in Europe we advise not having anything in one's pockets because of the ease of pickpockets. I've had my purse stolen a few times, or money "lost", but I've never had a cutpurse!
ReplyDelete