Welsh National Costume

At one time the Welsh costume was the everyday dress of the peasants such as the farm servants and cottagers. It was both warm and hard-wearing and the woollen material spun at home or locally. When the industrial revolution arrived it brought with it the end for the necessity for home-made clothes. Nowadays only some of the regional patterns and traditions remain.

For the women the national costume was usually a red cloak and a tall black hat. This form of the costume was developed in the 19th century, during a revival of Welsh culture, largely introduced by Lady Llanover.

The national dress was based on the clothes worn by Welsh country women in the early nineteenth century. They wore a striped petticoat, usually made of flannel, with a flannel open fronted bed-gown over the top. They also wore an apron, a shawl and either a kerchief or a cap.

The tall black hats usually associated with the Welsh Lady costume did not appear until the late 1840s.

Between 1840 and 1870, shawls became very popular. They are not traditionally Welsh, and were worn in many other regions as a practical way to keep warm, However the shawl, usually with a checked or paisley pattern, is an accepted part of traditional costume. Shawls were a favourite way for Welsh women to carry their babies, and this method of nursing a baby is still referred to as "Welsh fashion".

Honeycombed Woollen Welsh blankets woven in a rich array of colours may still be purchased from heritage shops and make a very warm addition to household bedding or as a travelling rug.

A modern addition has been the introduction of tartans sometimes worn as a sash or scarf or kilt at formal occasions with the colour combinations for the family names being represented in an exciting range of blends.

Example of a Welsh tartan for DAVIES