Depiction of St. Helena wearing a bycocket (circa 1380)

A bycocket or bycoket is a style of hat that was fashionable for both men and women in Western Europe from the 13th to the 16th century.[1][2] It has a wide brim that is turned up in the back and pointed in the front like a bird's beak.[3] In French, it is called a chapeau à bec due to this resemblance.[1]

The hat was originally worn by nobles and royalty, and later by the rising merchant class.[1][2][3] It was often decorated with feathers, jewels, or other ornaments.[1][3] Today, it is commonly associated with the character Robin Hood.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Amphlett, Hilda (2003). Hats: A History of Fashion in Headwear. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. pp. 26, 29, 39–40, 71. ISBN 0486427463.
  2. ^ a b Planché, James Robinson (1876). A Cyclopaedia of Costume or Dictionary of Dress, Including Notices of Contemporaneous Fashions on the Continent. Vol. 1. London: Chatto & Windus. p. 1.
  3. ^ a b c Johnston, Ruth A. (2011). All Things Medieval: An Encyclopedia of the Medieval World. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood. p. 330. ISBN 978-0313364624.
  4. ^ Potter, Lois; Calhoun, Joshua (2008). Images of Robin Hood: Medieval to Modern. Newark, New Jersey: University of Delaware. p. 60. ISBN 978-0874130034.
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