In the sixteenth century, the flourishing towns of Malmoe and Elsinore, situated at the Sound (Øresund, the strait separating Denmark from Sweden; fig. 7.1) in the heart of the Dano-Norwegian kingdom, were each home to a diverse group of townspeople ranging from ordinary urban dwellers to wealthy members of the bourgeoisie. Malmoe (Malmo), being the “twin town” to the capital Copenhagen (Kobenhavn) directly across the Sound, was one of the largest and wealthiest towns in sixteenth-century Denmark-Norway, known among other things for its many goldsmiths and merchants and as the site of the royal mint. Elsinore (Helsingør) was the base for the lucrative Sound Toll, which was to be paid by any ship passing through the Sound. Elsinore shared its town market with its neighbouring town Elsingburg (Helsingborg) just across the water. Malmoe and Elsinore each housed a royal castle where king and court resided from time to time, but the main portion of the inhabitants were ordinary town dwellers, and a smaller group belonged to the burgher class. It is estimated that Malmoe had around 5,000 or a few more inhabitants in the late sixteenth century, whereas the capital Copenhagen had about 7,000 in 1588. Elsinore and Elsingburg together roughly had about 2,000 to 2,500. These four cities around the Sound formed a rich and thriving centre in the Dano-Norwegian kingdom, and some of the wealthiest families of these towns were connected through marriage and business throughout the early modern period.

Both Malmoe and Elsinore attracted residents from different parts of Europe as well as Danes and Norwegians from across the kingdom. Due to the Sound Toll business, a large proportion of the inhabitants of Elsinore were foreigners. The majority were Germans, Dutchmen, and Scots together with a smaller number of English. Malmoe, however, was a far more homogenous town with mainly Danish inhabitants and a relatively large and wealthy bourgeoisie, although a number of mainly German traders and artisans could be found there as well.

This paper aims to present rather than fully explore the clothes of townswomen described in probate accounts (and certain related records) from Malmoe and Elsinore over a period of sixty-five years, from 1545 to 1610.