Fragment of woollen sleeve: 14th century

Fragment of woollen sleeve that is open and flat. There are eight woollen buttons at the top and button holes at the bottom. The wool is discoloured and brown. This is the lower edge of a buttoned wool sleeve with a straight cuff. It is of a medium-weight tabby weave, patterned with groups of red and white threads forming checks, which are outlined in a third colour. The buttonhole edge has a carefully applied silk facing to strengthen the fine stitching of the buttonholes. There are twelve cloth buttons and buttonholes. The sleeve appears to widen away from the cuff and may also have been lined. It would have been part of a fashionable outfit, the work of a skilled London tailor. It was found during excavations near Blackfriars.