These colours are taken from Drea Leed's Elizabethan colours page, where she lists names of colours mentioned in primary and secondary sources and, where possible, describes the colour. I have created swatches to show the colours and, where possible, have given examples of the colours in use.
Some notes:
- The names of colours are those used in Elizabethan England
- Some of the visual sources I've used are from outside England
- I know little of pre-1600 dyeing techniques; if you know anything about that subject and notice errors in my work, please let me know.
For more information about colour in Elizabethan costume, see this list of links.
| Name | Swatches | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Black |
|
|
| Crane colour |
|
|
| White |
|
|
| Sheep's colour |
|
|
| Dead Spaniard |
|
|
| Rat's colour |
|
|
| Russet |
|
|
| Murrey |
|
|
| Sangyn, Sanguine |
|
|
| Carnation |
|
|
| Peach |
|
|
| Orange tawney |
|
|
| Tawney |
|
|
| Hair, Maiden Hair |
|
|
| Straw |
|
|
| Primrose |
|
|
| Goose turd |
|
|
| Willow |
|
|
| Lincoln green |
|
|
| Popinjay |
|
|
| Watchet |
|
|
| Whey |
|
|
| Milk and water |
|