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{{CaptionedImage|file=Joyous Wassail.jpg|align=left|width=550}}
 
==Overview==
 
==Overview==
{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesHenry.jpg|title=Film: Henry V|width=300|align=left}}
+
'''Gritty, solid, practical, traditional, mud, blood, green fields, rural, iron.'''<br>
[[The Marches]] draws strongly on English history from the 12th century through to the  
+
[[The Marches]] draws strongly on English history from the 12th century through to the War of the Roses for costume, weaponry and armour.  
War of the Roses for costume, weaponry and armour.  
 
  
The costume of the Marches has a 'solidity' to it, a worn, lived in look that contrasts
+
The costume of the Marches has a 'solidity' to it, a worn, lived-in look that contrasts with its neighbour [[Dawn]]'s high romance, gleaming plate and vivid hues. The Marches is Kenneth Brannagh’s Henry V rather than Laurence Olivier’s.
with its neighbour [[Dawn]]'s high romance, gleaming plate and vivid hues.
 
The Marches is Kenneth Brannagh’s Henry V rather than Laurence Olivier’s.
 
  
 
==Breakdown==
 
==Breakdown==
===Influences===
+
<big>'''Influences</big><br>
 
Wars of the Roses England, Rangers of Ithilien (Beaters), Cadfael (Monks and Landskeepers).
 
Wars of the Roses England, Rangers of Ithilien (Beaters), Cadfael (Monks and Landskeepers).
===Materials===
+
 
 +
<big>'''Materials</big><br>
 
Wool, calico, linen, leather.
 
Wool, calico, linen, leather.
===Colours===
 
Plain flat colours, mostly the soft colours of natural dyes or unbleached
 
cloth. The palette is autumnal suggesting natural dull blues, greys, browns/
 
rusts, mustards and greens, dull reds etc. especially at the lower end of
 
the social scale. Wealthier Marchers may use deeper, brighter shades.
 
 
===Clothing===
 
{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesHats.jpg|width=300|align=right}}
 
Marchers favour plain clothes, simple hoods, hose and shirts.
 
Wealthier characters might wear finer robes or a simple doublet
 
but it will be plain wool not silk. Headwear is common, either a
 
simple cap, or something like a hood and liripipe or plain chaperon.
 
 
Instead of shirts and hose women may choose to wear shifts and plain kirtles or cotehardies.
 
The look is long, lean and smooth and laced to fit.
 
Back lacing shows higher status and gives a better line. Side lacing is more usual.
 
 
Hose, either joined or split, are acceptable worn with braies and a long shirt.
 
If you wear split hose you will require a longer shirt than a 20th century one 
 
- as it is normal for the shirt to hang out front and rear (thus covering
 
one’s embarrassment). Shirts are an extremely simple untailored cut,
 
full in the body and sleeve, possibly gathered at neck and wrist.
 
 
Doublets are common but should be short and simple, not the fancy
 
slashed doublets of the Tudor period and later. Tunics are generally
 
woollen (or linen in summer) and come down to somewhere between
 
mid-thigh and the knee. Woollen livery coats in the household colours
 
are often worn over armour
 
 
Marchers have no pockets so a pouch is invaluable – bollock or kidney pouches
 
or leather bags are perfect. Belts are often very long, wrapped round,
 
looped at the front and left to dangle.
 
 
Both male and female monks wear traditional plain monks habit either
 
in dark colours, or white with a dark scapula.
 
 
===Armour===
 
{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesJoan.jpg|title=Film: TheMessenger|width=250|align=right}}
 
Padded or leather jacks are common for the poor with a harness of plate
 
for richer individuals. Households often wear matching livery jackets,
 
although simple sashes or badges are also used to denote afiliation.
 
 
===Shields===
 
Not common. Small metal bucklers are sometimes used.
 
  
===Weapons===
+
<big>'''Colours</big><br>
Bows are common. In hand-to-hand combat Marchers favour bills and
+
Plain flat colours, mostly the soft colours of natural dyes or unbleached cloth. The palette is autumnal suggesting natural dull blues, greys, browns/rusts, mustards and greens, dull reds etc. especially at the lower end of the social scale. Wealthier Marchers may use deeper, brighter shades.
other pole-arms. Two handed swords are common for richer characters
+
{{CaptionedImage|file=Marches_colour_scheme.png|width=400align=right}}
in heavier armour, or warhammers, maces or poleaxes.
 
  
==Feel==
+
==Clothing==
Gritty, solid, practical, superstitious, mud, blood, green fields, rural, iron.
+
Marchers favour plain clothes, tunics, simple hoods, hose and shirts. Wealthier characters might wear finer robes, cotehardies or a simple doublet, but even then plain wool or heavy linen will be more appropriate than fancy patterns or embroidery. Medieval re-enactments are a great source of inspiration for the look and feel of the Marches territories - although unlike history, its worth noting that Marches society is gender neutral. Marcher leg wear is practical and slim fitting. Close fitting trousers are practical and easy to come by or make. Hose, either joined or split, are worn with [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braies braies] and a long shirt. An extremely simple untailored cut for shirts fits the Marches very well: Full in the body and sleeve, possibly gathered at neck and wrist. Doublets are popular in the Marches, a snug-fitting buttoned jacket that is shaped and fitted to the body. It can be worn over the shirt or under another layer of clothing. They tend to be short and simple – fancy slash work doesn't really fit the Marchers practical approach.
  
==Icons and important Images==
+
A woollen or heavy linen overdress such as a [[kirtle]] or [[cotehardie]] over a shirt or shift is be a good alternative to shirts and hose. The look is long, lean and smooth and laced to fit. Back lacing shows higher status and gives a better line. Side lacing is more common. It would be rare to see a gathered skirt (common to Tudor kirtles) in the Marches.
  
Any Marcher who owns farmland is a member of a Household, albeit perhaps a
+
Marchers prefer pouches to pockets – bollock or kidney pouches or leather bags are perfect. Belts are often very long, wrapped round, looped at the front and left to dangle. The [[#Monks and Friars|typical clothing]] of [[The_Marches_religious_beliefs|monks and friars]] consists of a traditional plain monk's habit.
Household of one, and any Marcher Household can declare a livery. Members of the  
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<gallery heights=275 mode="packed">
Household wear the livery in some way – perhaps as a coat, or perhaps as a simple sash
+
Plain White Shirts.jpg
or badge. Stewards of a Household that  alies to a more powerful Household usually
+
Spilling the Tea.jpg
retain their own livery, or combine it with the new Households’ colours in some way.
+
Innocence Personified.jpg
 +
Tired Mustard Comfort.jpg
 +
Layers in Kings Stoke.jpg
 +
Guest in the Camp.jpg
 +
Hiking Happistons.jpg
 +
Good Cider Takes Good Apples.jpg
 +
Stroll in the camp.jpg
 +
Undisputed Union.jpg
 +
Glancing Bree.jpg
 +
Over the shoulder thresher.jpg
 +
Cold with a chance of mandowla.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
Poppets and other symbols of the land are commonplace. Gates and doors are
+
===Hats===
traditionally decorated with woven bundles of grain on either side, the respect shown
+
Headwear is frequently worn, from a simple cap or coif, to hats or something like a hood with liripipe or a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaperon_(headgear) chaperon].
to the land prevents evil doers from entering. The hearth is where food taken from the
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<gallery heights=300 mode="packed">
land is prepared. It should always be kept clean and ideally be decorated with fresh cut
+
Peak Hat.jpg
flowers to prevent food cooked there causing a poison of the blood. Poor March Folk
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Bedecked Hat.jpg
or those on campaign will make do with bundles of grass or common meadow flowers.
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Wassailing Hat.jpg
 +
Ignore the Violence Its About the Hats.jpg
 +
Concerned with Hat.jpg
 +
Selection of Fine Hats.jpg
 +
Always More Hats.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
The symbol of the seed or apple and seed is a common representation of the soul and
+
===Stewards===
the cycle of rebirth. The crow and the rat are both images of ill-omen and bad luck.
+
The head of a household, a [[steward]], may wear richer colours, but most likely in home grown wool not rarer silk. Wealthy Marchers may show their wealth with ornamentation, while maintaining the practical styles favoured by all yeomen. Rich Marchers are often seen in full harness of plate in battle.
 
+
<gallery heights=300 mode="packed">
==Images==
+
Fancy Stewards.jpg
===Marcher Household===
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Smart Marchers.jpg
A prosperous Marcher Household will wear often wear matching livery coats, although
+
Talbot Reading Paper.jpg
simple sashes or badges are also used to denote afiliation. Padded jacks are common for the
+
Fine Young Dunlains.jpg
poor with a plain harness of plate for wealthier individuals.
+
Marius.jpg
 
+
Friendly Steward.jpg
<row-fluid>
+
</gallery>
<span8>{{CaptionedImage|file=March20.jpg|width=590}}</span8>
 
</row-fluid>
 
<row-fluid>
 
<span4>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesHousehold2.jpg|title=Film: Ironclad|width=267}}</span4>
 
<span4>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesHousehold3.jpg|width=267}}</span4>
 
</row-fluid>
 
 
 
===Yeomen===
 
Poor Yeomen may wear just a plain coloured padded jack or gambeson as their only armour.
 
Wealthier Yeomen have jacks in their Household colours and mail or plate over the
 
top if they have it.
 
 
 
<row-fluid>
 
<span3>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesYeomen1.jpg|width=187}}</span3>
 
<span3>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesYeomen2.jpg|width=187}}</span3>
 
<span3>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesYeomen3.jpg|width=187}}</span3>
 
</row-fluid>
 
<row-fluid>
 
<span9>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesYeomen4.jpg|title=Film: Ironclad|width=671}}</span9>
 
</row-fluid>
 
 
 
===Stewards and Wardens===
 
The head of a Household, a Steward, wear richer colours, but wool not silk. Wealthy Marcher
 
characters wear a full harness of plate in battle if they have it.
 
 
 
<row-fluid>
 
<span4>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesStewards1.jpg|title=Film: Ironclad|width=267}}</span4>
 
<span4>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesStewards2.jpg|title=Film: Ironclad|width=267}}</span4>
 
</row-fluid>
 
<row-fluid>
 
<span8>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesStewards3.jpg|title=Film: Snow White and the Huntsman|width=590}}</span8>
 
</row-fluid>
 
  
 
===Beaters===
 
===Beaters===
Beaters are skilled trackers and gamekeepers. They watch the borders of the Marches. They are inspired by  
+
[[The_Marches_military_concerns#Beaters|Beaters]] are skilled trackers and gamekeepers. They watch the borders of the Marches. They are inspired by the classic British archers of the period mixed with the Rangers of Ithilien from Lord of the Rings. Beaters usually wear lighter armour, either just a padded or leather jack or else a leather tunic like the ones worn by the Rangers in Lord of the Rings.
the classic British archers of the period mixed with the Rangers of Ithilien from Lord of the Rings.
+
<gallery heights=300 mode="packed">
 +
Beater Andrew Daybell.jpg
 +
Morgan Archer.jpg
 +
Wild Man Of The Mourn.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
<row-fluid>
+
===Aldermen and Townsfolk===
<span8>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesBeaters.jpg|title=Film: Lord of the Rings|width=590}}</span8>
+
Many [[The Marches economic interests|aldermen]] take great pride in their ceremonial chains of office, sometimes referred to as "Chains of Prosperity". Some go so far as to commission them as magical items, such as an [[Alder's Edge]].
</row-fluid>
+
<gallery heights=300 mode="packed">
 +
Tea-dious Business.jpg
 +
Householder.jpg
 +
Alderman with Hats.jpg
 +
Canny Businessman.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
Beaters usually wear lighter armour, either just a padded or leather jack or else a leather tunic like the ones worn  
+
===Monks and Friars===
by the Rangers in Lord of the Rings.
+
[[The Marches religious beliefs|Monks and friars]] of all genders wear traditional plain monk's habit either in dark colours, or white with a dark [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scapular scapular]. A simple brown cassock works well but it might also be seen in black or grey. A more complex arrangement with dark scapular over white undergarments is also a popular choice. A chasuble or cowl may be worn over the habit, in particular during the cold seasons, but monks and friars alike tend toward simple outfits.
 +
<gallery heights=275 mode="packed">
 +
Monky Business.jpg
 +
Edward_Watcher.jpg
 +
Friars.jpg
 +
Marcher with Flag.jpg
 +
Multiclass_Monk.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
<row-fluid>
+
===Landskeepers and Mummers===
<span8>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesBeaters2.jpg|title=Film: Ironclad|width=590}}</span8>
+
Some [[The Marches magical traditions#Landskeepers|landskeepers]] wear robes, similar to the monk, but hose, jerkin, and a shirt with rolled-up sleeves is just as good an alternative. A landskeeper is well used to hard work in the fields and their look reflects that. By contrast, Mummers are more likely to wear flamboyant costumes as suits magicians whose tradition involves performing plays.
</row-fluid>
+
<gallery heights=275 mode="packed">
 +
Observant Mummer.jpg
 +
Watt Lambrook.jpg
 +
Mummer.jpg
 +
Marcher Musicians.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
===Marcher Costume===
+
==Weapons and Armour==
Marcher costume is in natural autumnal colours using plain fabrics like wool, calico and linen. Shirt and tunic is
+
===Weapons===
common for men, skirt and kirtle for women, headwear for both genders.
+
The classic Marcher fighting unit is a block of bills and other polearms recruited from the yeomanry. Two handed swords are common for richer characters in heavier armour, as well as warhammers, maces or poleaxes. Any historical weapons from the Hundred Years War and the War of the Roses are typical: poleaxes, bills and other polearms are iconic; warhammers, bollock daggers, axes, falchions and mauls.
 +
<gallery heights=300 mode="packed">
 +
Field of Arms.jpg
 +
Billy Columny.jpg
 +
Bill Column.jpg
 +
Marcher Halberds.jpg
 +
Unconvinced.jpg
 +
Balston and Talbot.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
Robes of wool – either with a neck opening or opening all the way down the front in coat style. They are long,
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<big>'''Bows</big><br>
anywhere between knee length and full length.
+
Bows, in particular longbows, are also a common sight among the Marchers units on the battlefield. They are especially popular with [[The Marches military concerns#Beaters|beaters]].
 +
<gallery heights=300 mode="packed">
 +
Aiming Hog.jpg
 +
Armoured Beater.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
Belts are often very long, wrapped round, looped at the front and left to dangle.
+
===Armour===
 +
Poor [[Yeoman of the Marches|Yeomen]] may wear just a plain coloured jack or padded [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambeson gambeson] as their only armour. Wealthier Yeomen usually have livery coats in their household colours and mail or plate over the top if they have it. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigandine Brigandine] is an intermediate option. Households often wear matching livery coats, although simple sashes or badges are also used to denote affiliation
 +
<gallery heights=300 mode="packed">
 +
Fire of the Marches.jpg
 +
Varied Marcher Armour.jpg
 +
Marcher Chain Shot.jpg
 +
Full Plate And Packing Steel.jpg
 +
A helmet is a type of hat.jpg
 +
MarcherThugs.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
<row-fluid>
+
===Mage Armour===
<span4>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesCostume1.jpg|width=267}}</span4>
+
[[Weapons_%26_armour#Mage_Armour|Mage armour]] is often from similar materials - fabric, leather and possibly pieces of chain mail - in both natural and household colours, but is more likely to be adorned and decorated with elements of no immediately obvious use.
<span4>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesCostume2.jpg|width=267}}</span4>
+
<gallery heights=275 mode="packed">
</row-fluid>
+
Landskeeper with a Hat.png
<row-fluid>
+
Furious Landskeeper.jpg
<span4>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesCostume3.jpg|width=267}}</span4>
+
Rosamund_Mage_Armour.jpg
<span4>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesCostume4.jpg|width=267}}</span4>
+
Coal-Eyed Battlemage.jpg
</row-fluid>
+
</gallery>
  
Hose, either joined or split, are acceptable. If you wear split hose you will require a longer shirt. Shirts are an extremely
+
===Shields===
simple untailored cut, full in the body and sleeve, possibly gathered at neck and wrist.
+
Large shields are much less common than in other nations; shield-walls are seen as a tactic best left behind in Dawn. Marchers who have a good reason not to use a polearm or a great sword, such as martial Landskeepers fearing arrows, or skirmish groups protecting the flanks will often use a small buckler to go alongside their weapon of choice.
 
+
<gallery heights=300 mode="packed">
Ladies generally wear shifts and kirtles. The look of the dresses is long, lean and smooth and laced to fit.
+
Getting into a Habit.jpg
Headwear is comomon, either a simple cap, or something like a liripipe or chaperon.
+
</gallery>
 
 
<row-fluid>
 
<span6>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesCostume5.jpg|width=428}}</span6>
 
</row-fluid>
 
<row-fluid>
 
<span6>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesCostume6.jpg|width=428}}</span6>
 
</row-fluid>
 
<row-fluid>
 
<span6>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesCostume7.jpg|width=428}}</span6>
 
</row-fluid>
 
 
 
Doublets are common in the Marches, a snug-fitting buttoned jacket that is shaped and fitted to the body. It can be worn over the shirt or drawers or under another layer of clothing such as a gown, mantle, or overtunic.
 
 
 
Marcher doublets should be appropriate for the period and feel of the Nation. They are in simple autumnal colours. The fancy doublets that appear later in history, particularly anything with slashed sleeves or similar should be avoided for the Marches.
 
 
 
<row-fluid>
 
<span6>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesCostume8.jpg|width=428}}</span6>
 
</row-fluid>
 
 
 
===Monks and FrIars===
 
Monks and friars wear similar robes. A simple brown cassock is acceptable but it can also be black or
 
grey. A more complex arrangement with dark scapula over white undergarments is also excellent.
 
 
 
<row-fluid>
 
<span6>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesMonks1.jpg|title=TV Series: Cadfael|width=428}}</span6>
 
</row-fluid>
 
<row-fluid>
 
<span6>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesMonks2.jpg|title=TV Series: Cadfael|width=428}}</span6>
 
</row-fluid>
 
 
 
===Landskeepers===
 
Some landskeepers wear robes, similar to the monk, but waistcoat-shirt-and-hose, with rolled-up sleeves is a good alternartive.
 
  
===Marcher Children===
+
==Household==
 +
Any Marcher who owns farmland is a member of a [[Marcher_Household|household]], albeit perhaps a household of one, and any Marcher Household can declare a '''livery'''. Members of the household tend to wear the livery colours in some way. Stewards of a household that allies to a more powerful household usually retain their own livery, or combine it with the new households’ colours in some way. Households often wear matching livery coat or jackets, although simple sashes or badges are also effective ways of showing affiliation. Many households own a banner showing their livery.
 +
<gallery heights=300 mode="packed">
 +
Coppice Collective.jpg
 +
Household Marching.jpg
 +
Those Damn Dunlains.jpg
 +
Peering Talbots.jpg
 +
Kings Stoke Fighters.jpg
 +
Impish and Sitting.jpg
 +
Balston Household.jpg
 +
Not All Gloom And Doom.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
<row-fluid>
+
==Camps==
<span3>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesChild1.jpg|width=187}}</span3>
+
Gates and doors are traditionally decorated with woven bundles of grain on either side, the respect shown to the land prevents evil doers from entering. The hearth is where food taken from the land is prepared. It is the core of a Marcher home and should always be kept clean, ideally decorated with fresh cut flowers to prevent food cooked there causing a poison of the blood. Poor March Folk or those on campaign will make do with bundles of grass or common meadow flowers.
<span5>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesChild2.png|title=TV Series: Game of Thrones|width=348}}</span5>
+
<gallery heights=275 mode="packed">
</row-fluid>
+
Marcher Camp.jpg
<row-fluid>
+
Shanks_Awning.jpg
<span5>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesChild3.jpg|title=TV Series: Game of Thrones|width=348}}</span5>
+
Herb Business.jpg
<span3>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesChild4.jpg|width=187}}</span3>
+
Dancing Pole.jpg
</row-fluid>
+
Stay Off My Land.jpg
 +
Boundaryman Tarp.jpg
 +
Selection of Hats.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
===Marcher Weapons and Armour===
+
==Children==
Shields are uncommon in the Marches, the most common are small metal bucklers when they are used at all. Any historical weapons from the Hundred Years War and the War of the Roses are good, bollock daggers, axes, falchions, mauls, warhammers, poleaxes and bills.
+
[[The Marches children|Children in the Marches]] can be dressed in scaled down versions of their parent's clothes. For toddlers and babies, traditional smocks, or simple t-tunics and drawstring trousers are simple and easy to pull-on garments, that can be made in linen or cotton for easy washing! These types of clothes also have plenty of flexibility in terms of size, meaning you'll get more than one year's use out of them. Small [[coif]]s are great for keeping the sun off a baby's head and simple straw hats can also be used to stop children burning. Older children can either have their own costumes, or be given adult clothes which are then rolled up and belted to fit - the practical Marchers are unlikely to waste any clothing and hand me downs are a cheap (in and out of character!) way to clothe children.
 +
<gallery heights=300 mode="packed">
 +
Walking the Boundary.jpg
 +
CM-130726-0034.jpg
 +
MG0690.jpg
 +
MarchesChild4.jpg
 +
MarcherFamily.jpg
 +
</gallery>
  
<row-fluid>
+
General tips for costume for children:
<span4>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesArms1.jpg|width=267}}</span4>
+
* Robes that stop at knee - mid-calf will be less of a trip hazard
<span4>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesArms2.jpg|width=267}}</span4>
+
* Headgear that can be very simply retied is great
</row-fluid>
+
* Avoiding things that can pull around the neck is wise (strings on cloaks/hats on cords/ tabards that don't secure under the arms
<row-fluid>
+
* Wider neck holes, sleeves and armholes will help with getting costume on and off, and leave room for growth
<span8>{{CaptionedImage|file=MarchesArms3.jpg|width=590}}</span8>
 
</row-fluid>
 
  
[[Category:The Marches]]
+
*[https://neheleniapatterns.com/produkt/kinder-des-mittelalters-mae1215/?lang=en Patterns for Medieval children's clothes]
[[Category:Nations]]
+
*[https://revivalclothing.com/product-category/all-products/childrens-clothing/ Revival Clothing's Premade items for children]
 +
{{The Marches Links}}

Latest revision as of 12:40, 18 January 2024

Joyous Wassail.jpg

Overview

Gritty, solid, practical, traditional, mud, blood, green fields, rural, iron.
The Marches draws strongly on English history from the 12th century through to the War of the Roses for costume, weaponry and armour.

The costume of the Marches has a 'solidity' to it, a worn, lived-in look that contrasts with its neighbour Dawn's high romance, gleaming plate and vivid hues. The Marches is Kenneth Brannagh’s Henry V rather than Laurence Olivier’s.

Breakdown

Influences
Wars of the Roses England, Rangers of Ithilien (Beaters), Cadfael (Monks and Landskeepers).

Materials
Wool, calico, linen, leather.

Colours
Plain flat colours, mostly the soft colours of natural dyes or unbleached cloth. The palette is autumnal suggesting natural dull blues, greys, browns/rusts, mustards and greens, dull reds etc. especially at the lower end of the social scale. Wealthier Marchers may use deeper, brighter shades.

Marches colour scheme.png

Clothing

Marchers favour plain clothes, tunics, simple hoods, hose and shirts. Wealthier characters might wear finer robes, cotehardies or a simple doublet, but even then plain wool or heavy linen will be more appropriate than fancy patterns or embroidery. Medieval re-enactments are a great source of inspiration for the look and feel of the Marches territories - although unlike history, its worth noting that Marches society is gender neutral. Marcher leg wear is practical and slim fitting. Close fitting trousers are practical and easy to come by or make. Hose, either joined or split, are worn with braies and a long shirt. An extremely simple untailored cut for shirts fits the Marches very well: Full in the body and sleeve, possibly gathered at neck and wrist. Doublets are popular in the Marches, a snug-fitting buttoned jacket that is shaped and fitted to the body. It can be worn over the shirt or under another layer of clothing. They tend to be short and simple – fancy slash work doesn't really fit the Marchers practical approach.

A woollen or heavy linen overdress such as a kirtle or cotehardie over a shirt or shift is be a good alternative to shirts and hose. The look is long, lean and smooth and laced to fit. Back lacing shows higher status and gives a better line. Side lacing is more common. It would be rare to see a gathered skirt (common to Tudor kirtles) in the Marches.

Marchers prefer pouches to pockets – bollock or kidney pouches or leather bags are perfect. Belts are often very long, wrapped round, looped at the front and left to dangle. The typical clothing of monks and friars consists of a traditional plain monk's habit.

Hats

Headwear is frequently worn, from a simple cap or coif, to hats or something like a hood with liripipe or a chaperon.

Stewards

The head of a household, a steward, may wear richer colours, but most likely in home grown wool not rarer silk. Wealthy Marchers may show their wealth with ornamentation, while maintaining the practical styles favoured by all yeomen. Rich Marchers are often seen in full harness of plate in battle.

Beaters

Beaters are skilled trackers and gamekeepers. They watch the borders of the Marches. They are inspired by the classic British archers of the period mixed with the Rangers of Ithilien from Lord of the Rings. Beaters usually wear lighter armour, either just a padded or leather jack or else a leather tunic like the ones worn by the Rangers in Lord of the Rings.

Aldermen and Townsfolk

Many aldermen take great pride in their ceremonial chains of office, sometimes referred to as "Chains of Prosperity". Some go so far as to commission them as magical items, such as an Alder's Edge.

Monks and Friars

Monks and friars of all genders wear traditional plain monk's habit either in dark colours, or white with a dark scapular. A simple brown cassock works well but it might also be seen in black or grey. A more complex arrangement with dark scapular over white undergarments is also a popular choice. A chasuble or cowl may be worn over the habit, in particular during the cold seasons, but monks and friars alike tend toward simple outfits.

Landskeepers and Mummers

Some landskeepers wear robes, similar to the monk, but hose, jerkin, and a shirt with rolled-up sleeves is just as good an alternative. A landskeeper is well used to hard work in the fields and their look reflects that. By contrast, Mummers are more likely to wear flamboyant costumes as suits magicians whose tradition involves performing plays.

Weapons and Armour

Weapons

The classic Marcher fighting unit is a block of bills and other polearms recruited from the yeomanry. Two handed swords are common for richer characters in heavier armour, as well as warhammers, maces or poleaxes. Any historical weapons from the Hundred Years War and the War of the Roses are typical: poleaxes, bills and other polearms are iconic; warhammers, bollock daggers, axes, falchions and mauls.

Bows
Bows, in particular longbows, are also a common sight among the Marchers units on the battlefield. They are especially popular with beaters.

Armour

Poor Yeomen may wear just a plain coloured jack or padded gambeson as their only armour. Wealthier Yeomen usually have livery coats in their household colours and mail or plate over the top if they have it. Brigandine is an intermediate option. Households often wear matching livery coats, although simple sashes or badges are also used to denote affiliation

Mage Armour

Mage armour is often from similar materials - fabric, leather and possibly pieces of chain mail - in both natural and household colours, but is more likely to be adorned and decorated with elements of no immediately obvious use.

Shields

Large shields are much less common than in other nations; shield-walls are seen as a tactic best left behind in Dawn. Marchers who have a good reason not to use a polearm or a great sword, such as martial Landskeepers fearing arrows, or skirmish groups protecting the flanks will often use a small buckler to go alongside their weapon of choice.

Household

Any Marcher who owns farmland is a member of a household, albeit perhaps a household of one, and any Marcher Household can declare a livery. Members of the household tend to wear the livery colours in some way. Stewards of a household that allies to a more powerful household usually retain their own livery, or combine it with the new households’ colours in some way. Households often wear matching livery coat or jackets, although simple sashes or badges are also effective ways of showing affiliation. Many households own a banner showing their livery.

Camps

Gates and doors are traditionally decorated with woven bundles of grain on either side, the respect shown to the land prevents evil doers from entering. The hearth is where food taken from the land is prepared. It is the core of a Marcher home and should always be kept clean, ideally decorated with fresh cut flowers to prevent food cooked there causing a poison of the blood. Poor March Folk or those on campaign will make do with bundles of grass or common meadow flowers.

Children

Children in the Marches can be dressed in scaled down versions of their parent's clothes. For toddlers and babies, traditional smocks, or simple t-tunics and drawstring trousers are simple and easy to pull-on garments, that can be made in linen or cotton for easy washing! These types of clothes also have plenty of flexibility in terms of size, meaning you'll get more than one year's use out of them. Small coifs are great for keeping the sun off a baby's head and simple straw hats can also be used to stop children burning. Older children can either have their own costumes, or be given adult clothes which are then rolled up and belted to fit - the practical Marchers are unlikely to waste any clothing and hand me downs are a cheap (in and out of character!) way to clothe children.

General tips for costume for children:

  • Robes that stop at knee - mid-calf will be less of a trip hazard
  • Headgear that can be very simply retied is great
  • Avoiding things that can pull around the neck is wise (strings on cloaks/hats on cords/ tabards that don't secure under the arms
  • Wider neck holes, sleeves and armholes will help with getting costume on and off, and leave room for growth

Further Reading

Core Brief

Additional Information