This article seeks to discover what we can learn about the importance of gold in the clothes and accessories of medieval Britain through a process that combines historical evidence with language analysis. It begins by considering the place of gold in the dress and textiles of medieval Britain. It then examines the terms relating to GOLD (the semantic field) in the data collected by the Lexis of Cloth and Clothing in Britain ca. 700–1450 project (LCCB). It looks at the lexis and lexicalisation of GOLD, investigates how the words and phrases collected can be delineated within the semantic field of cloth and clothing, and offers a semantic classification of the relevant lexis. The basic premise of this investigation is that we may gain a new perspective on cultural history by viewing a related set of words in semantic categories in the light of the material and literary evidence for a specific concept.

GOLD IN THE DRESS AND TEXTILES OF MEDIEVAL BRITAIN

In the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf, we are told “Gold fāg scinon / web æfter wagum wundorsīona fela / secga gehwylcum þāra þe on swylc starað” [Tapestries decorated with gold shone on the walls, many wondrous sights for everyone who looks at such things]. Elizabeth Coatsworth suggests that this statement “constitutes important evidence for rich hangings contributing to the splendour of a secular, courtly interior.” Certainly it is clear that in medieval Britain, textiles could express wealth and status: The rejection of luxurious fabrics showed humility; their adoption displayed status and power.