Question on gaiters

[Captain Pogue]

From what I've been reading and seeing gaiters came into prominence during the F&I war. Were they around during GAoP? If so, in what fashion?

Any help would be great, especially from those that maybe did some F&I re-enacting.

Thanks, Pogue

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

I posed this same question a long tme ago and it never went anywhere then. Maybe this time some one can help out. I like to wear them for many practical reasons in my colonial kit and have started building a pair from oilcloth for the early period stuff. I hope we can come up with some drawings or something besides the Canadian French or military of that period.

Bo

[Capt. Sterling]

We're looking into this as well at the moment. So far, it seems that gaiters were around during the early 1700s, Villier's marines likes showing them, but it seems that they were not officially issued to all regiments... seems more like at the whim of commanding officers.... will post more when and if we find it...

[Captain Jim]

Perhaps an inquiry into First Nations (aka Native Americans) field gear is in order. I believe that "gaiters" as Europeans came to call them, were a staple of the Eastern Woodland/Iroquois hunting gear. I have nothing at hand to support this, so this is just a signpost for inquiry. As such it is one of those "the natives had 'em, so..." I find it hard to believe that European armies didn't have them.

Until…you remember that Europe had different rules of warfare. Long lines of idiots...er...soldiers would line up opposite each other in open fields and fire volleys at each other. It wasn't until war on this continent started involving the First Nations that war moved into "rough" fighting in wooded country and the adoption of gaiters was deemed necessary.

Just a signpost, as I said.

[Capt. Bo of the WTF co.]

I wish I had a copy of Dampier or Esquemellin! Surely if there were any being used by the Bucc's it would be in there wouldn't it? HELP!

I know that I have seen plenty of documentation for leggins and Gaiters in the woodlands region for the GAoP period, and I have seen a modern depiction of a Buccaner with gaiters like those being used in New France (Canada) at the same time period. I've done F7I and Rev War for over 15 years now.

Just don't remember seing anything back in the buccaneer discussions or the GAoP discussions on this.

I have posted this in other threads, but this is my 1750's everyday wear, my boy is 1770's militia here.

I'll put up photo's of my oilskins when I get done.

Bo

[Patrick Hand]

For the Buccaneer Project, I'm trying to figure that out..... from what I can find.... there are some really thorny plants down there, so covering your legs with something seams to be a wise idea......

I don't know if the lower leg coverings would be buttoned like gaitors.... or just tied on like leggins..... (I'm guessing tied on... but I don't know for sure....)

The drawings don't show them very well... but they do lool kinda close fitting to the leg...... so were kinda stuck with pure speculation........ (ie. yer quess is as good as mine....)

[Captain Pogue]

It is a bit frustrating. From what I've seen and read, second source only mind ye, they only really pop up during or after F&I just like Capt. Bo stated. But it is hard to believe they weren't common as an alternative to boots, especially during a period where boots were necessarily in fashion. Especially for the rich and fancy to wear while hunting, gotta look good doing it.

I also read that they really matured technologically during F&I in ways to improve protecting the leg and how they cover the foot.

Thanks for yer input, I'd definitely appreciate knowing what you guys find out.

Pogue

[hurricane]

I've never seen mention in any buccaneer tomes about the use of gaiters. I don't think they were in use, at least not in the Caribbean operations of buccaneers out of Tortuga or Jamaica. I've seen the drawings, but I haven't heard of any first hand accounts of their use.

Others?

-- Hurricane

[JohnnyTarr]

I am a bit confused. Don't gaiters live in swamps in states like Florida. Sorry I just had to say that.

[Captain Jim]

Gators live in the Swamp, but we occasionally let them out to chew up Bulldogs, Seminoles, Volunteers, Wildcats and various other types of sacrificial lambs...

OK, thread hijack over, back to our regularly scheduled subject...

[Fox]

Button up gaiters are certainly in evidence in a general sense prior to and during the GAoP (the earliest I've seen off the top of my head is about 1660-70s). I know of no evidence of their use by buccaneers or GAoP pirates, but it's not impossible. IMHO buccaneers would be far more likely to wear them than later pirates.

What I suspect we can see on several of the buccaneer pictures are either cloths wrapped around the leg and tied on somehow or long strips of cloth wound round like puttees. Possibly a mix of both.

[blackjohn]

I didn't think I'd get around to posting here anytime soon, but happened to find some time... what Foxe said... I doubt pirates wore them unless given some reason... buccaneers may very well have found reasons. Without any trouble I was able to come up with an illo (Guerard's French Dragoons 1695) showing gaiters. If I could find that with no problems, I suspect someone could push it back a decade or two with a bit of research.

http://www.piratebrethren.com/periodpics/g...ragoons1695.jpg

[Captain Pogue]

Yeah, I found that picture of the french dragoons after reading Cpt. Sterling's post about Villers' (sp) marines. I'm really not looking to use them for a pirate but definitely GAoP period. Now I'm kinda wondering about material and color. I'm leaning towards hardened leather. My prefernce on the color would be black. Similar to a black belly box. Any thoughts on that? Would that be way off or would buff be more period for hardened leather?

Thanks for all your input

Pogue

[Will Fiddle]

Gaiters aren't only for protecting your stockings. They are also valuable for covering the tops of your shoes, protecting your feet from stones that can really get aggravating on a march. I am unaware of high top lace-up-tight shoes, but gaiters do the job pretty well from my experience with them. Lord, I wouldn't swim in them, but they are great for walking about in.

Mine are a Cotton Canvas Duck Cloth, but a friend suggests a Russian linen canvas as a more appropriate fabric for the period if going with cloth.

I have seen a picture of bucaneers in Arica with what seemed to be gaiters, that was probably 1690's. Wierd Dejavu feeling that Foxe will direct me to an online picture that shows the image in my head.

[Captain Pogue]

I've got the following for an update on this post. Black John pointed me to one of the Baltimore Rangers and he supplied me with the following. All the credit goes to the Ranger for the three years of work he did researching leggings. If anybody wants to track down the first hand references and see some great kits check out the Oldton's Company of Baltemore Rangers.

Thanks to the Commander and Black John:huh:

Pogue

>  What we found was that leggings were not commonly

> worn day-to-day or even

> by the foot soldiers of the time.  It appears that

> leggings of all sorts

> were worn only by those who rode horses and could

> not afford, or chose not

> to wear, boots. The foot-soldiers did not begin to

> wear leggings until the

> 1730's as can be demonstrated in various paintings

> and woodcuts dating from

> 1690-1750. 

>

>  Another interesting thing about the leggings worn

> at the time is that not

> only did they replace the boots, but they were made

> to look similar to

> boots.  The leggings that we wear in our unit even

> have a slight 'bucket' at

> the top.

  It describes three types of leggings available during the period in question, to include leather ones.

  Something I failed to mention in my initial reply.  Avoid the

introduction of native styles to your English kit unless you are

specifically doing something from one of the Massachusetts at which

point

you could wear moccasins.  Prior to the 1720's the English appear to

have

actively avoided the introduction of 'savage' styles in their clothing.

This is important when thinking of cockers (leather leggings).  Of

course by

the 1750's this was no longer the case as can be seen with Rogers

Rangers.

  As to your question about metal vs bone(buttons).  I have not seen an original

pair

but paintings and tapestries of men in the leggings show them in good

detail, and they are metal.

  I also made an incorrect statement in my first e-mail.  Leggings were

being worn by infantry as early as 1710.  The Duke of Marlborough

ordered

all regiments of foote to have them in 1710, even the duke wore then

instead

of boots.

[michaelsbagley]

I don't know how accurate these directions are (so this post might be better suited to Plunder than here in Twill ), but since it is on topic, I thought i would share this link for those DIY types out there. The instructions are for the later period half length gaiters/spatterdashes, but i imagine it wouldn't be hard to scale the instructions up to the full length type.

Making Spatterdashes instructions in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format

Edit - On further searching on the above web site I found directions for full gaiters

Instructions for making full gaiters - instructions in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format

[michaelsbagley]

Although the legs are not very clear in this image... This portrait dated to 1699 shows what I believe to be gaiters. This is supposed to be a portrait of François Desportes in his hunting outfit. (I think this image has been posted here in reference to another topic at some point or another).

[Captain Midnight]

Aye, those do indeed look like gaiters, IMHO

[blackjohn]

You need to supersize that baby!!!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...sportes_001.jpg

Gaiters.

[Patrick Hand]

You need to supersize that baby!!!

Hey... check out the pocket on his breaches......

It's also interesting how the top of the gaiters are folded back.......

[Captain Pogue]

Top of gaiters folded back? I'm not seeing what your looking at.

Love the fancy pocket though, that's class!

Pogue

[Patrick Hand]

Top of gaiters folded back? I'm not seeing what your looking at.

The side with the button holes is folded back on itself...... not folded down over the top...... I should have typed that clearer......

[Captain Pogue]

I see, the back edge of the button-hole side is folded towards the front. I wonder what that's about?

Pogue

[Captain Midnight]

That is the first example of such a fancy pocket in a pair of breeches that I've seen...but it is very cool!

[Capt. Sterling]

You need to supersize that baby!!!

Hey... check out the pocket on his breaches......

It's also interesting how the top of the gaiters are folded back.......

For Patrick, more pockets, although the first picture is a modern drawing of an old print...just wish I knew which one, but the second is an original print

And yes I realize this is a gaiters thread...