The history of gloves goes back many centuries to the ancient Greeks and perhaps even earlier. Herodotus was a Greek historian and in his history written about 430 BC Leotychides was incriminated when a bribe of silver was discovered filling a gauntlet glove.
Popes, cardinals and bishops wore gloves to keep their hands clean in the 10th century for holy mysteries while Henry II was buried wearing gloves. King John and King Edward I were both found to be wearing gloves when their tombs were opened in the 18th century.
The existence of mittens, worn for comfort in bad weather, predates medieval Europe. However gloves started to come to the forefront of fashion between the 12th and 16th centuries in Europe and the British Isles. Gloves have been integral to both comfort and fashion ever since and have provided the source of employment for several centuries in and around Tintinhull.
You can read Denny Robbins extensive article on Gloving & the Leather Industry in Tintinhull here