Coif

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Medieval coif

Detail of Edward VI as a child by Holbein, 1538. He wears a linen coif under a cloth-of-gold coif and a feathered hat.

A coif is a close fitting cap that covers the top, back, and sides of the head, worn by all classes in England and Scotland from the Middle Ages to the early seventeenth century (and later as an old-fashioned cap for countrywomen and young children).

Tudor (later Stewart in Scotland) and earlier coifs are usually made of unadorned white linen and tie under the chin. In the Elizabethan and early Jacobean eras, coifs were frequently decorated with blackwork embroidery and lace edging.

Coifs were also worn by an extinct senior grade of English lawyer, the Serjeant-at-Law. A United States law school honor society, the Order of the Coif, is named after this use of the coif.

Coifs were worn under gable hoods and hats of all sorts, and alone as indoor headcoverings.

Coifs were also a type of armour, traditionally made of maille, they covered the head (face excluded), neck and shoulders.