Purse, linen embroidered with silk ca. 1540. his formal, heraldic purse associated with marriage has more significance than a purse used simply for money, or a &#x27;swete-bag&#x27; used for carrying perfumed herbs to sweeten the atmosphere. Both men and women carried or wore pouches or purses. The long strings of this example suggest that it was intended to hang from the waist, but it is uncertain whether it was ever actually used as a container.