Sir Tis My Hat

This medieval hat is made in the style of a chaperon

It was made for me around 1990 for medieval theatre style reenactment at Warwick Castle for group called Knights Errant. 

Errant Knights being knights with no particular lord that wandered the country looking for adventure, duels, jousts, or just pursuing the values of chivalry.

Made from a platted band of brown, red and white wool forming the bourrelet around the head and separate wool cornette lined with linen, it forms a very comfortable simplified chaperon style hat.

I've worn this hat many time, for many characters, its still worn today and in excellent condition after 25 years of life.

Chaperon

The Chaperone is soft fabric hat worn in medieval northern Europe, it consist of a ring fabric around the head, a crown of loose fabric and long scarf like tail called a liripipe thrown over the shoulder.

The Chaperon developed from a woollen hood, where the hole for face in the hood ended being rolled until it become the band around the head and the large open neck hole becoming the cape hanging from the top.

A touted reason for this is possibly because it was cooler to wear it that way in hot weather. 

The hood evolved and became a actual style of hat that we call the Chaperon worn by the wealthy and nobility in the 13th to 15th Centuries, until it went out of fashion around 1480

Chaperons continued to evolve as the one I'm wearing here with the ring of fabric which was once a rolled up hood becoming padded Bourrelets around the the head in some cases growing almost turban like in proportions and cornette or cape which is the loose fabric hanging from the padded ring and the liripipe becoming extremely large and flamboyant.

Most contemporary portraits show Chaperons in one colour of fabric, but the belief is that was just the simplify the artist job since extravagant fabric from silks or damask were listed as being used.

One thing I note in England particularly during this period the chaperon was also a name for some styles of hood as well as the head covering I'm wearing here 

Hexagonal Hat

This is one of those hats that falls into the category unknown, from a theatrical production, its has a Arabian Nights feel about it.

The hexagonal shape of this soft head covering is also odd, so far I've not found any images of anything similar to it.

It sits uncomfortable because of its design, resting too high on the crown of your head, but that adds to its unique look.

It also could have been for a male or female character, it seems to suit both.

Executioner

The hood is black and menacing and should scare anyone into thinking about not committing a crime.

The face is hidden so if you didn't like me chopping the head off your family member you won't know who I am to get your revenge later.

I'm a professional its my job, I'm the Headsman and when I'm not chopping off heads I will turn my hand to torture or other non lethal but painful punishments.

Its the law, you broke it, your punishment was judged by others, it is my job to execute the sentence.

I also love flower arranging and puppies.

It should be said that the executioners hood is a Hollywood creation, executioners hoods in British history at least are a myth, in fact executioners were celebrities in medieval times. 

In the 19th Century executioners did wear eye mask as executions ceased to be spectacles and came to be considered as regrettable but necessary tragedies.