Quoif

COIF (Quoif)

A close cap for the head. Seen early in the 13th century. In the time of Henry III it was always represented white, apparently of linen, and tied under the chin like a child's night cap. On the heads of men hunting and of knights in armour, it has a most ludicrous and unpicturesque appearance. Later it formed a distinctive feature of the ecclesiastical and legal costume, and in the latter profession has descended to the present day, but so diminished and transformed that it is scarcely recognised. In the reign of Henry VI it ceased to be tied under the chin and became a close skull-cap like the Callot. Coifs were worn by women in the 17th century.