142. One brother of the convent may give to another a garnache that he has worn for a year, an old coat of mail, an old tunic, shirt, breeches and boots; and a lantern if he knows how to make it, a deerskin and a goatskin.
But what is a garnache? A quick trawl through the internet for useful info gives us the following options:
My first hit is the website of Dame Alys, where she notes that
"Instead of the surcot the Knights wore a garnache, a loose outer garment with short, wide sleeves and usually lined with fur; in the Regle du Temple they are also called pelices covertes. [9] They must have been pleasant to wear, for c. 1265 the Grand Master Hugh Revel ordered the Hospitallers to ask for garnaches sans penne instead of taking out the fur during the summer heat, which last method the brothers had evidently preferred to simply not wearing their garnaches. [10] In Prussia the heat was seldom a problem and though in the main phrased like the Regle, the Ordensstatuten omit the clauses about an extra linen cotte and a garnache sans penne." [Unfortunately the footnotes don't appear in the original any longer]
Marc Carlsson's Glossary of some medieval clothing terms gives us the information as follows:
"Garnache, Ganache
- 'A loose outer garment, with short, wide sleeves, and usually lined with fur' [Zylstra-Zeems {sic: Zijlstra-Zweens} , 1988]
- 'Surcoat or robe worn for extra warmth; similar in shape to the Housse'; . [Bouchet, {sic: Boucher} 1966]
- 'Ganache: loose outer garment' [Medieval Timeline in Fashion and Events (http://romancereaderatheart.com/medieval/timeline/)]"
"Five new styles of the super tunic were introduced in this era. The first consisted of a front and back panel which extended from the shoulders to the calf level. The two panels were sewn together or clasped together near the waist, where they were met by a slit up the front. The neck opening was large so that the tunic could be put on over the head and a belt was not usually worn with this tunic. The second new style was more “voluminous” as C. Cunnington describes, and hung in folds to a length between the knees and the ankles.[49] The sleeves gathered at the shoulders and extended beyond the hands. A vertical slit was cut in the upper arm of the sleeve to allow unrestrained movement. This garment, like the previous, was puton over the head and a hood was often attached. The third style was much looser than the previous ones. The sleeves could extended to just below the elbow or could be worn short and wide. A buckled belt was optional. The fourth super tunic, or garnache, was knee length and the material was cut wide at the shoulders to allow the material to “fall down on each side, predicting cape-like sleeves,” as C. Cunnington describes.[50] The sides of this tunic could be clasped at the waist, sewn from the waist to the hem, or left open and was traditionally beltless. The last style was simply sleeveless and worn all with a belt.[49][50]"
Credits: Cunnington, C. Willett and Phillis (1969). Handbook of English Medieval Costume. Plays Inc. (Doesn't exactly sound like a fantastic source, does it...?)
The fashion encyclopedia lists this:
"Ganaches,
also spelled garnaches, and gardcorps were over coats worn by men of all social
classes during the Middle Ages (c. 500–c. 1500). Most likely made of thicker
wool, the primary purpose of these garments was to protect the wearer from
inclement weather and provide warmth. They might even be lined with fur for
extra warmth. They were worn from about 1200 on.
Ganaches and gardcorps
were very similar. Both garments were pulled over the head and hung down past
the waist, perhaps as far as the knees. The sleeves of the ganache were formed
from extended fabric at the shoulders; they were open at the underarm and the
sleeves were generally no longer than the elbow. The gardcorps had separately
attached sleeves and thus was better for cold weather. Both garments could have
a hood that attached at the back of the neck that was draped over the back when
not in use.
(Credits: Payne, Blanche, Geitel Winakor, and Jane
Farrell-Beck. The History of Costume. 2nd ed. New York: HarperCollins,
1992.)
Further to this is the tantalising information from Costumes and Courtiers, information from the Medieval Studies Department at the Central European University, Budapest:
"The hérigaut and the houce were long dresses worn by men mostly for ceremonial occassions. The former, mentioned by Joinville in his chronicle about St. Louis's crusade, was a coat-like garment, opened in the front with long and loose sleeves; the arm often was slipped out through a separate hole. The lower part of the sleeve trailed, while the upper part could be padded. Its wearing was determined by social status relatively early, being prohibited for ecclesiastical persons by a synod in 1260.
In wintertime a longer garment was needed besides the short pourpoint: this was the houce, developed from the thirteenth century garnache, which often appeared in connection with military orders. For instance it can be found in the thirteenth-century Règle du Temple. It was trimmed with fur and decorated with two pieces of cloth of different colour. This garment was part of the royal wardrobe as well: in 1352 it was mentioned together with two surcottes and a hood as a robe of King John the Good. King Charles VI of France wears a houce in a book miniature from 1371.
Among the various kinds of cloaks and mantles, the gardecorps of the thirteenth century was used especially in winter. This long cloak sometimes reached the ankle, had wide sleeves and high collar, was cut on one side. Sometimes a hood was added. This dress was replaced by the middle of the 14th century with the characteristical round mantles, which were cut in one piece. A corset rond usually was closed with four buttons on the left or right shoulder, and could be dagged elaborately at the bottom. One of the variations was named cyclas: in this case the neckline was trimmed with fur or silk of a different colour.
Hmmm....
