by C.M. Owens
Women had an immense array of colorful dyes to choose from, some more expensive, some less expensive. So clothing could be quite bright and cheery. Just as in modern times, practicality had an aspect here. If someone was going to work in the pig pen all day long they'd probably wear something brown and old. If they were going to church they'd wear their best outfit they had.
In modern times we can sometimes think of dresses as "fancy" items we wear to "dress up" that are hard to move in. In medieval times, a dress was normal and natural! These were the outfits they wore every single day. Women made their dresses so they could do all their normal activities in them. To them a dress was like our modern t-shirt and sweatpants. So they're no question about "could they do chores in a dress" or "could they ride a horse in a dress." Of course they could - that's what the clothing was made for. Medieval women didn't generally hide out in tower rooms. Noblewomen would do archery and horseback riding for fun. Working women would scythe hay, ride to the market, and do a myriad of other chores in their dresses. It was what one wore. So those outfits absolutely were made to easily let them do those tasks. Dresses were loose to allow all of that. Women didn't ride side-saddle in medieval days - they simply put their legs on either side for stability. And their clothing was made for that. To ride, a woman could either tuck the skirt beneath her, like when one sits on a chair, or let it flow behind her. Either way works!
In terms of underclothes, most medieval women did not wear a bra. Their simple, straight dresses were meant to keep the body hidden rather than emphasized. A large breasted woman might wear a "binder" to keep the breasts from jiggling around while they tried to work. Current thought is that women didn't wear "underwear" (underpants) either. With their long multi-layer dresses it would be a challenge for underwear-wearing women to go to the bathroom. Instead, they would just move to a section of the field, fluff out their dresses, and go. Then they could get back to work. The same in the outhouses.
Even during the time of their periods, many researchers feel that the philosophy of the time was that binding or constricting a woman's flow would damage her fertility. So she simply bled into her underdress and that was washed. This free-flow practice continued long after medieval times. It was mentioned in doctors' journals in the 1800s. Even as recent as the 1900s there were cotton mills in the United States that had straw-strewn floors to absorb female workers' blood, so again this was not a short-term trend. And given that tampons can cause toxic shock syndrome, maybe those medieval women knew what they were doing :).
Let me know if you have any other questions about medieval women's clothing! I have a library of books here to help with research.
Medieval Transportation
The primary methods of moving around in medieval times were on foot or horseback. Many people in this time period were born, lived, and died within a relatively small radius.
Walking
The average person can walk 3 miles per hour, that is a mile every 20 minutes. In many parts of the world, walking is still a primary means of transportation. Some will walk 10 miles to get to a local village, spend the day working at a job there, then walk the 10 miles back home again. Even back in medieval days, pilgrims would routinely travel 10 to 20 miles in a given day. If there was a pressing need, they could go even further, if there was a well maintained road to travel on.
Horseback
Horses walk between 3-5 miles an hour. Horses could travel 40 miles in a day without much trouble. If there was a problem, the horse could go 60 miles before it needed a break.
Horses can trot at about 8 miles an hour, as fast as a person runs. They canter at 15 miles an hour. They gallop at about 30 miles an hour. The gallop was never meant for long distances, this is a burst of speed to get to safety. A horse can only gallop for 2-3 miles before they need to slow down.
Note that in modern times, the best of the best horses are raced in "endurance rides" where they are sent on 100 miles which they cover in 10-12 hours. Note that these aren't average horses though, they are the elite.
Wagons and Coaches
Wagons and covered coaches were used extensively by the Romans who then emphasized their use in Britain. By medieval times, both open wagons and covered coaches were heavily used for transporting goods and people. Wagons could be two-wheeled for smaller loads or four-wheeled for larger tasks. Note that these vehicles did not have the modern luxury of well-crafted springs, so the voyage could be a bit rough. The overall speed and comfort of travel of course depended a lot on how well made the base wagon was and on the condition of the roads. A good average daily distance would be 20 miles. For oxen, which are slower, the distance is more in the range of 10 miles.
Some of these vehicles would be open-top, sort of like the traditional farm-wagon we often think of. Some would have an arched set of branches or wood covered with fabric, like the Old West Covered Wagons. Some would have a wooden structure built on top of the base to provide a sturdier protection, complete with doors. There were even horse "litters" - where the container holding the people would be suspended between two horses and there were no wheels at all. This would do better for going over bumpy terrain.
This image below comes from the The Luttrell Psalter done around 1325 but the covered coach was well known all through Medieval times.
To compare all of these methods of transportation for speed, the Pony Express system - which involved relaying fresh horses at each stage, as well as fresh riders, could manage to pass a note over 200 miles in a single day.
