Dark Age Hat

This hat is a Viking/Norse style of hat 

This one is made of 4 panels of wool sewn together to form a bowl shape to fit the head, then trimmed with fur.

This hat is not well made, it was purchased from a historical market for £10 and probably worth that.

Better hats in this style are made of leather or thicker wool and trimmed in genuine fur

Enter the Dragon

A round Chinese wealthy merchant, scholar or nobleman's skull cap.

Sometimes called Water Mellon caps on some sellers sites. 

I wear this hat to play triad or oriental noble characters.

In the photo below I'am taking part in a larp based enter the dragon competition called Death Match.

(further photos at bottom of post)

This a fancy dress hat with a pre-attached pigtail of a style worn by Kwan Tak-hing in Enter the Dragon. Its made of cardboard then covered in fabric, their are similar fancy dress just made of fabric that sit uncomfortably on the head, this one is fine to wear.

The pigtail seems to have grown in modern copies of this hat from tassels that denoted ranks, often by expensive beads woven into the tassel or the number or colour of the tassels.

In this hat the tassel is much longer than it should be that why its more of a pig tail. 

Ecky Thump

Wi dis hatah progressed frama novice ta a masta hint secret hart o Ecky Thump wit ranka gold pudding.

Usin't tha ancient fightin techniques ha "Fatty Smash" "The Eye of Hovis" and "The Full English" an armed wi ma black pudding, ah's gunner t'fight fo truth ant justices an fo't local chippy ta stay opun till afta't pub shuts.

If thou dus na know wha' ecky thump iss then thar muss use ya nouse ant watch this youtube link

This oversize flat cap was purchased from my favourite trader Chow's Emporium, looking at it I wondered if it was one of those used in the London Olympic games

Robin Hoods Hat

This hat seems to be generally known as a Robin Hood Hat although its also been named a Bycocket.

Made famous by Errol Flynn as Robin Hood, this hat makes perfect sense, as an archer hat the front brim provides a bit shade and the lack of the brim at the sides stops the hat interfering with the draw of the bow string.

Since Robin Hood is just a legend all I can say is it was worn in 14th Century illustrations.

I tried archery for a bit with long bow during my many years as a medieval re-enactor, I didn't get hooked preferring the fun of hand to hand combat with a sword, axe or polearm.

This hat was purchased from Mike the Hat while he was trading at Tewkesbury Medieval Festival.

Crop Mutilations and Cow Circles

This hat was purchased with a specific character in mind and then decorated to suit.

A tan wide brimmed felt hat with home made fimo rune stones sown around the brim.

In the photo below the top of the hat as been sunk in/creased giving it a slightly different look.

Felt Hats = Many types of hats that are made from fur, beaver or wool felt

 The character that wore this hat was called Creedance and he belonged to the family below.

I should explain Crop Mutilations and Cow Circles but ....

Keeps My Head Warm

This fur hat I originally thought of as a Cossack hat, but its not really they are a ring of fur around the head and have a flat fur top, this is more a Mongolian Shepherd hat with it little horse hair tassel from the where the 4 pieces of leather join at a point. 

This hats been used for several different characters

The very thin almost invisible tassel of horse hair can be seen coming from a bead at the top

This hat was going cheap at a Medieval fair, it had gone mouldy and was in a bad way, I washed it with diluted bleach to kill the mould, then scrubbed it to remove the staining. The hat survived the harsh treatment and has remained in good condition since.

Hooded Man

The hood is a soft covering of the head that covers all sides, even the face sometimes and goes around the neck.

They commonly form part the garments often attached to a cloak or coat, they are designed to keep your head warm and dry, they can be easily pulled back and not lost like a hat might.

 In the Picture above we have the 4 Dwarves Wappy, Cappy, Dappy and Zappy.

 Commonly made of wool, this Hood however is made some lightweight hemp like fabric, so not that warm and certainly not water resistant, its therefore more of theatre piece than a practical hood

This is a typical medieval style hood, independent of any garment, it as one button at the front which keeps it tighter around the neck and wide base (Mantle) covering the shoulders.

 Hoods covering the sides of the face don't make it easy to see the axe coming towards your head but the do hide the face, so ideal criminal headgear.