A glimpse inside the sacristy of the church of Salle in 1368 makes immediately clear how much cloth a medieval parish of relatively modest size needed. Salle, in the archdeaconry of Norwich, had the full range of textiles, which are listed in an inventory compiled late in the reign of Edward III (ca. 1380). There were several sets of priestly vestments, one described as “decorated with gilded beasts,” as well as surplices and a choir cope. Items for the celebration of the Mass at the main altar included seven altar cloths, three towels, and six corporals for use with the consecrated elements. Other cloths present at the church in Salle included two altar frontals, a hanging for the lectern, two funeral palls, and three ceremonial banners. Other sets of vestments, including two copes of red silk, were listed according to the name of their donor, and an embroidered bench cover with two cushions was added later. A cathedral, like Saint Paul’s, London, had many more clergy serving altars and chantries. These priests needed much more fabric, including vestments, altar cloths, frontals, and corporals for the proper celebration of the Mass. Some of these were made with expensive materials like samite, and they frequently were heavily decorated. In addition, the bishops of London had miters, gloves, and other items made of cloth. All of this fits with an increased use of fine fabric in “a shared clerical culture,” including the assignment of differing vestments, blessed and sometimes given at ordination, to denote the hierarchy of minor and major orders among the clergy.

After a survey of the evidence regarding the regulation of altar cloths gleaned from medieval canon law, this essay will consider the challenges churches faced in acquiring and maintaining linens employed at the altar. A particular concern was the proximity of certain cloths to the Eucharistic elements, especially as the Real Presence of Christ in the sacrament was given a stronger emphasis from the eleventh century onward. Proximity to the sacred required that these linens be of fine quality, kept clean, repaired well, and, if stained with the consecrated wine, burned or kept locked away, a practice contrary to the usual efforts made in the Middle Ages to retain and reuse cloth.