Moustaches, Mantles, and Saffron Shirts: What Motivated Sumptuary Law in Medieval English Ireland?

Review of periodical literature for 2021

“…These laws differ from other European examples in that they focused on ethnic distinctions between the ‘English’ and ‘Irish’ rather than gendered or socio‐economic differences. Booker argues that this was in part due to an economic context of relative poverty after the Black Death, which meant that only a small elite could afford to buy luxury items. Consequently, laws focused on trying to ensure that elites purchased luxury goods rather than preventing lower‐status individuals from acquiring these.…”