In pre-17th century Portugal, tailoring was a men’s occupation and only male professionals were accepted in the Nossa Senhora de Candeias guid (tailors, clothing merchants, hat makers, and scabbard makers). They were called alfaiates.

However, during my research on 15th and 16th century Portuguese guilds and respective occupations, I found royal documents referring to women being exceptionally accepted in the tailor’s guild. These royal decrees, signed by Dom Afonso V in 1442, name the 4 women receiving royal favors regarding their position as mistresses in the guild. These are their names:

– Aviziboa, from Tomar (Lisboa, Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo, Chancelaria de D. Afonso V, vol. 23, fol. 68);
– Dona Oiro, from Elvas (Lisboa, Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo, Chancelaria de D. Afonso V, vol. 23, fol. 76r);
– Miriam, from Elvas (Lisboa, Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo, Chancelaria de D. Afonso V, vol. 23, fol. 76r);
– Dona de Brazalay, from Tomar (Lisboa, Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo, Chancelaria de D. Afonso V, vol. 23, fol. 114r).

As Portuguese is a gendered language, these women were referred to as alfaiatas (singular: alfaiata), as opposed to the masculine/neutral alfaiate. Since the distinction was important during the 16th century, it is also important to my SCA persona. As gendering is not a feature of the English language and the word tailor is neutral, I adopted “female tailor” to maintain the custom of pre-17th century Portugal.