In the Viking age archaeological layers in Dublin a group of caps made of silk or wool have been found. They are al of roughly the same model, with minor variations. Many have for example a small tip created by a diagonal seam, as on the picture to the right. Most of them are small and couldn’t have covered the head of an adult person. Similar caps have also been found in York and Lincoln. The one from York, which is the most well-known, is larger than the rest. All these cities were Viking settlements.

They are all sewn from thin fabrics in tabby. The wool is woven to the width of the cap, but the silk is cut to create the right width. Similar caps have not been found outside of the British Isles, but fragments of fabric of the same type has been found in several places. That fabric is often called “veil weave” but with these small fragments it is not possible to see if they come from veils or this type of cap. Something to think about when reconstructing a cap of this type is that the thin fabric makes them flexible which gives a completely different interpretation compared to if you use a more stiff fabric.

Because they are found in settlement layers and not in graves we don’t know who may have worn them, but it at least seams like some were worn under some other type of headgear.

You can buy patterns for Dublin caps here: Caps and Mittens