Colours and fabrics of sailors' clothing

[Fox]

Following my comments in the Tartan Shortcoat thread, I have been tabulating the colours and fabrics mentioned in various sources describing sailors' clothing of the 17/18th centuries. More often than not the garments are only listed, without description, but there are still plenty of more detailed descriptions available which might be enough for us to draw some conclusions about colours and fabrics. What follows is information culled from a variety of sources (listed more fully at the end), and some general points need to be made. I have ignored any mention of clothing which does not also list either fabric or colour. Most descriptions list fabric or colour, only a few list both. The information comes principally from 3 sources: probate inventories or similar lists of possessions, runaway adverts, and the inventory of a london slop-shop. I have deliberately not included the '6 dozen worsted and threed stockens, 3 dozen of speckled shirts and Breaches' which were sent by Frederick Phillipse to supply the Madagascar pirates in 1693, because so many unvaried items from a single source would, I feel, unrealistically skew the proportions. For the same reason I have not included any slop clothing supplied to RN ships under the Admiralty slop contracts (which are well discussed elsewhere in any case).

In this study a sample of the following numbers of garments has been used: 161 jackets and coats, 89 waistcoats, 41 'frocks' or smocks, 140 pairs of breeches, 11 pairs of trousers, 173 shirts, and 20 pairs of stockings. Because I have not included undescribed articles of clothing in this sample it cannot be used to establish the relative prevalence of any type of garment. For example, breeches are usually accompanied by a description of fabric or colour, while trousers are not: the sources I have used contain many more than 11 pairs of trousers, so the actual ratio of breeches to trousers in the sources is not 140-11.

COLOURS

Jackets

44 blue

21 striped

8 white

7 brown

5 grey

4 'light coloured'

3 'dark'

3 green

2 red

2 black

1 'sad coloured'

1 'plaid'

1 'floured'

Waistcoats

8 white

6 red

3 blue

2 brown

2 black

1 striped

1 'coloured'

1 green

1 'drab'

Frocks

6 blue

Breeches

27 striped

7 blue

5 brown

2 white

2 black

1 'dark'

1 grey

1 'light'

1 olive

Trousers

6 striped

Shirts

82 striped

35 white

13 blue

10 check

5 speckled

Stockings

7 pr white

3 pr grey

2 pr blue

FABRICS

Jackets

30 fustian

25 canvas

5 kersey

3 flannel

2 broadcloth

1 serge

1 drugget

1 duffel

Waistcoats

28 cotton (cue the arguments about 'cotton')

14 ticking

10 fustian

8 kersey

6 flannel

1 silk

1 camlet

1 nankeen

1 holland

Frocks

20 fustian

15 canvas

Breeches

28 canvas

28 ticking

17 fustian

11 linen

7 'woollen'

5 kersey

4 leather

2 broadcloth

1 worsted

1 camlet

1 drugget

Trousers

3 fustian

1 canvas

1 linen

1 cotton

Shirts

27 holland

1 dowlas

1 osnabrig

Stockings

6 worsted

5 yarn

1 jersey

1 thread

Sources

The inventory of Joseph Haycock's slop shop, 1699 (London Metropolitan Archives, Orphans Inventory 2330). Probate records from Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Mass., vols v-ix (1672-1686); Probate Inventories of Port Royal, vols 2(1679-1686), 3 (1686-1694), 10 (1712-1716); miscellaneous collected probate inventories, mostly from the National Archives, Kew, PROB series. Runaway advertisements, from London newspapers 1700-1730, and colonial newspapers 1720-1770. 'Account of clothes &c. sold at the mast of HMS Gloucester, belonging to James Bearcroft, Gunner, D.D., 14 March 1750', in The Naval Miscellany, vol. II (NRS), pp. 289-291.

Edited January 30, 2010 by Foxe

[Matty Bottles]

Thanks for the info, Foxe! I don't know how many hours you must spend reading. :)

Is anyone else surprised that there are NO red breeches? I believe the ASC of 1706 specified red breeches.

EDIT: As well ticken ones, I think. Or am I confusing contracts? Anyway, any theories about that? I always assumed that the slops contract would make up a pretty big percentage of common sailor's clothing, but that doesn't seem to be the case at all.

Edited January 30, 2010 by Matty Bottles

[LadyBrower]

Wow! Thank you. How very interesting...

Now we can argue about what things actually meant (cotton not refering to what we know as cotton, etc. etc....) =P

Definitely puts things in perspective. I wish the sample set(s?) was larger to gain a better understanding. BUT, at least this gives good hard evidence of colors and fabrics where they were actually worn. I very much appreciate the time you put into compiling this list. Nice work.

[Matty Bottles]

Waistcoats

28 cotton (cue the arguments about 'cotton')

I think it's telling that none of the shirts are called cotton. Holland cloth I believe was linen, osnabrig I always thought was a blend, and I am at a loss for 'dowlas.' Anyway, it looks as though linen was the most common, by far, according to the sample.

Edited January 30, 2010 by Matty Bottles

[Fox]

3 replies in 12 minutes - is that a record?

Virtually all of the sources used describe merchant seamen, so the lack of red breeches (or other slop contract stuff) is possibly down to that. Also many of the sources come from outside the period covered by the usually-quoted slop contracts (all of the Essex probates, for example, are pre 1706). FWIW, along with canvas, ticking (or ticken) breeches account for the largest number - and no you're not mistaken

At a rough estimate (I didn't count) the garments tabulated above probably only account for about one third of the garments actually mentioned in the sources used. Unfortunately the other two thirds only list the garments, not their colour or fabric. There are dozens and dozens of entries like 'one jacket and breeches, 2 pair of trowsers...'.

[PoD]

I wonder what colour 'sad coloured' is?

[Bos'n Cross]

Thank you very much Foxe.......... wonder what colour sad is as well......i appreciate the time you took to make this list...i think i should look at more newspaper adverts...........

[Liam McMac]

I wonder what colour 'sad coloured' is?

not pink... for sure not pink

[Matty Bottles]

I wonder what colour 'sad coloured' is?

not pink... for sure not pink

LOL

Though popular, it certainly wasn't pink.

sad  /sæd/ –adjective, sad⋅der, sad⋅dest.

1. affected by unhappiness or grief; sorrowful or mournful: to feel sad because a close friend has moved away.

2. expressive of or characterized by sorrow: sad looks; a sad song.

3. causing sorrow: a sad disappointment; sad news.

4. (of color) somber, dark, or dull; drab.

5. deplorably bad; sorry: a sad attempt.

6. Obsolete. firm or steadfast.

[LadyBrower]

Waistcoats

28 cotton (cue the arguments about 'cotton')

I think it's telling that none of the shirts are called cotton. Holland cloth I believe was linen, osnabrig I always thought was a blend, and I am at a loss for 'dowlas.' Anyway, it looks as though linen was the most common, by far, according to the sample.

Now, this is just off the top of my head (bad I know- I'll look into it more later...) But I remember reading somewhere about particular wool cloth (not the yarn or fiber) being referred to as "cotton." I can't remember why for the life of me, but I'm just throwing it out there in case anyone else has heard of this.... But it would make sense given the garment- and that "lack" of cotton shirts.

[Bos'n Cross]

i believe our lady brower is correct.......i cannot seem to find where i had it....i have notes that if i remember correctly...cotton was indeed a type of wool cloth....a cheap one......ill look more....im sure one of our more knowlegable pub guests will beat me to it though.........*sigh*