Winnigas, or Leg Wrappings

The is the documentation for winnigas, or leg wrappings that I made to use in the SCA as part of my garb. These wrappings were entered in the 2010 Ice Dragon Pentathlon in the pre-1200 Clothing category. Winnigas are woolen bands that were wrapped around the lower legs. They are also known as strapulas, or "wickelbander" in German, and "puttees" by costume historians. These were worn by Anglo-Saxons, Germans, Danes, and Normans. The Bayeux Tapestry clearly shows the use of these leg wrappings.

 

Construction materials:

 

Almost all sources note that these were made of wool, and often were of a herringbone weave. One researcher theorized that this was the case because this type of weave makes the cloth stretchier thus helping to keep them in place. This same researcher noted that extant pieces, especially those found in or near London, were dyed purple, blue, red or yellow. Some were woven of two different colors -one for warp, the other for weft. Generally, they are 3-4 inches wide and 8-9 feet long. Most sources indicate that the cloth was woven to the width used, not cut to that size.

Function and Use:

Winnigas from the
Bayeux Tapestry

As noted, winnigas were wrapped in a spiral fashion around the leg, commonly over trousers. Mostly men wore them, but several Anglo-Saxon examples show them peeking out from under women's garments. In Lativia, they were also wrapped around the lower arm. In order to hold them in place, the ends were ordinarily tucked inside the top folds. In a Birka grave, small metal hooks were found that are believed to have been used to fasten leg wrappings. Similar hooks have been found in graves near Winchester, England. ^[1]

Another method of fastening was to start wrapping at the top of the leg, going down to the foot and then back up to the top of the leg. A piece of the wraps would be left exposed at the top, which would be tied off to the remainder of the fabric. This style is demonstrated in the depiction of the three Magi, from 'Benedictional of St. Aethelwold' (Anglo‑Saxon 971‑984AD) ^[2]

Winnigas depicted in the
'Benedictional of St. Aethelwold'

Ties below the knees with tassels are visible on manuscripts. It is also that believed tablet woven garters were used by Viking Age Finns. These had braided ends which were embellished with wrapped bronze wire at the ends. In Germany and Denmark, graves contained leather garters. These consisted of a leather strap, with a buckle, strap keeper (small loop of leather that holds down the end of the strap after it passes through the buckle), and a strap end. The metal pieces are made from bronze or iron.

Wrappings provided both warmth and protection to their wearer. They would have been especially valuable when riding a horse. (In modern days, a similar accessory is used by equestrians, called half-chaps or leggings. These are especially helpful in preventing chafe from the stirrup straps, and I believe winnigas served the same purpose for mounted people in medieval times.) Knives and tools were carried tucked inside these as well, which is evidenced by the finds in Anglo-Saxon graves.

While I am eager to learn and produce reproductions in a fashion as close as possible to the original, at this time, I have not learned how to weave ( a skill I hope to try in the future, having weavers in my own ancestry). Therefore, I used a commercially produced product. For this reason, I was not able to use a piece of wool that was woven to the required width as was done in period. I did use the width found in most extant examples, which is 3-4 inches wide. The length, about 9 feet, was obtained by sewing two strips from a standard bolt of fabric.

As noted above, some people also wore winingas on the lower arm, and since I wanted to make a set of these wrappings to use in the creation of a complete outfit of Anglo-Saxon/Norman "garb," I decided to make a second set for this purpose. Because it would be used on the arms, I felt a slightly narrower piece would work better, thus these were cut to about 2 1/ 2 to 3 inches in width.

 

Progress Notes:

 

While this project was much simpler than some of the other projects I made for this year's Ice Dragon event, I took the same care and time in its construction. The first stage was to measure and cut the fabric to the desired width. After doing this, I stitched the two lengths together, using a strong blanket stitch to ensure that the pieces did not separate. From my research and experience, I learned that this stitch is best when greater strength is desired.  

Detail of project -seam combining
 the two pieces to achieve the desired length
and stitching along edges.

Since I did not have a selvedge edge along the length as would have been the case in a piece woven to size, and as was found on extant pieces, I wanted to finish the edge to prevent fraying. I chose to use wool thread, so the cloth would still stretch (I did not want to risk that cotton thread would be too restrictive or would be subject to different shrinking during washing than the wool) and for aesthetics. I chose a thread of a contrasting color, again for aesthetics. I used a whip or overcast stitch for this edge. Both the blanket stitch and whip stitch are period stitches.                                     

 

 

Completed winnigas

After completing one piece, I moved on to finish the other three. The time to complete the project was about 6 hours. I found it to be a very rewarding endeavor. The stitching was relaxing, as I completed it in the evening hours after a long hard day at work. I can well imagine that women of the period would have also used the eveningtime to work on such tasks. It would have afforded them a little quiet time after a strenuous day.

It is interesting that these leggings resemble three items in use today: Ace wraps, Polo wraps and half-chaps. When rolled up, winingas look a bit like modern ace bandages. Both are wrapped in a similar fashion and commonly held by a small hooked fastener. As noted above, half-chaps are used by modern day equestrians to protect their lower leg from chaffing from stirrup leathers on an English style saddle. Modern English style saddles, like medieval saddles, have a looped strap that connects to the saddle and holds the stirrup. This double strap allows the leg to be pinched between the two layers. Half-chaps protect the leg from this painful and distracting injury. The last item, polo wraps look exactly like winingas, and in fact, I have seen SCAdians substitute a polo wrap for a hand-made winingas. Polo wraps are about the same size - 3-4 inches wide and about 10 feet long.   Today, they are made of a synthetic material which looks and feels like wool, and has the same stretchiness. These are used to wrap the lower legs of horses; especially and originally those horses used for polo and hence the name. This protects the horse's legs from injury from the polo stick as well as from the horse striking his own legs during the fast play of the game. They are also used to provide support to the leg, especially for horses used in the sport of Dressage. Like winingas, the material has considerable give. This is especially important to prevent tension-induced injury to the tendons of the horse's lower leg, which can be a crippling and debilitating injury. 

I look forward to testing their durability and to assess the degree of protection they afford while on horseback. I can well imagine that they would be quite comfortable and warm in the winter months, and I will probably make a few extra sets for use in the SCA.

[Note: Since making the winnigas, I have had the chance to test them on horseback, and found them to be quite comfortable and effective in protecting my leg. I have also learned some weaving and have acquired several looms since this project was completed. I am planning several weaving projects, including making winnigas.]

Endnotes:

1. A pair of silver hooks from the knee region of the burial in grave 67 (sex unknown) at Winchester, England mid‑late 9th century (from Biddle 1990) as noted on the website,  http://miklagard.nvg.org.au/articles/legwraps3.htm
2. http://miklagard.nvg.org.au/articles/legwraps3.htm

Sources:
Wilson, David A. The Bayeux Tapestry.  London: Thames & Hudson, 1985.
Website on Archaeological Sewing techniques, 5 Feb 2010, http://heatherrosejones.com/archaeologicalsewing/index.html
Website:  Bayeux Tapestry,  31 Jan 2010, http://hastings1066.com/
Website:  Bayeux Tapestry,  31 Jan 2010, http://rubens.anu.edu.au/htdocs/bytype/textiles/bayeux/
Website: Britain's Bayeux Tapestry at the Museum of Reading, 31 Jan 2010, http://www.bayeuxtapestry.org.uk/
Website: "Clothing and Appearance of the Pagan Anglo‑Saxons," 24 Jan 2010, http://mahan.wonkwang.ac.kr/link/med/england/anglo‑saxon/culture/dress.html
Website:  Period stitches, Jan 2009,http://jauncourt.i8.com/stitches.htm( referenced information on running stitch, back stitch, and over‑stitched or over‑sewn, as well as Hem treatments including blanket, running, whip stitch)
Website: Legwraps, 24 Jan 2010, < http://miklagard.nvg.org.au/articles/legwraps1.htm>
Website: Atlantian MOAS site (links), Jan 2009, http://moas.atlantia.sca.org/wsnlinks/index.php?action=displaycat&catid =56
Website, Sewing Stitches Used in Medieval Clothing, compiled by Jennifer L. Carlson, 5 Feb 2010, http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc‑carlson/cloth/stitches.htm.