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From the time of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, nobody at any level in society wore "trousers" (pants in American English) - they wore separate leggings of wool cloth called hose, which each tied to the drawstring of the linen braies (male underwear).

Sailors, building labourers and farm workers often took off their hose and worked just in their braies, which reached to below the knees and might vaguely resemble shorts, but they could have ties around the bottom of each leg or splits at the bottom of each leg; they were made extremely loose and baggy, since linen does not stretch and tight garments would simply burst apart at the seams. Noblemen would never be seen without their hose, which were made to fit closer to the leg, of better quality wool and sometimes with feet coverings attached ("footed hose").

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13y ago

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