Men's hair

[Fox]

I don't know that I'd agree that wigs were necessarily all that expensive.

Quite often wigs turn up in sailors' inventories, and the records of a mast sale just post GAoP give us an idea of their relative cost and desirability. When the goods of James Bearcroft, gunner, were divided up the following sales were made (amongst many others):

Richard Dobbs (ab): One chequered shirt, a cloth waistcoat and breeches, wig, pair of stockings and handkerchief. 18s

Henry Williams (ab): Three pair of old stockings, black waistcoat, pair of breeches, a wig and a handkerchief. 10s 6d.

William Pritchard (ab): Two pairs of drawers, 4 pair of stockings, one handkerchief, a wig, and a napkin. 7s 6d.

So, a gunner in this case owned three wigs, and each was bought by an able seaman. Interesting that the stuff sold for less than Bearcroft's bedding:

Mr Bart Geadley (ab): A bed bolster, pillow, blanket, and quilt. £2

It's also worth noting that Henry Avery's wife sold wigs in one of the slummiest districts of London

I'm not convinced that cropped hair, being clean shaven, or wearing tattoos were particularly the marks of a sailor either. Quite a few of the runaway ads I've read mention differing hair lengths and the pictorial record certainly shows longer hair:

Although evidence of facial hair from the pictorial record is scarce Ned Ward mentions the pride some seaman took in their moustaches.

[Capt. Sterling]

I don't know that I'd agree that wigs were necessarily all that expensive.

Honestly one would think not if they could pick them out of a box for 12p... would be interesting to know if the wigs in the Barber's box were cast aways from customers...

[Dorian Lasseter]

Hmmm.....

Pride in their moustaches, eh?

Do tell Master Foxe, Do.... Tell....

As I see you are an mustachioed and bearded Lad...

Or would you be concidered Goateed?

Between you and BlackJohn, the list of sailors with facial hair is growning.

HOWEVER, it still is a minority, thus far...

My apologies, minor thread hijack....

[Red Cat Jenny]

I wondered about the practicality of keeping a beard/moustache at sea, only after I'd seen 18th Cen razors while browsing antique sites.

Perhaps those who sailed in the cold regions were more likely?

Here is an excellent source on wigs and ques

Has some great pics as well

One 18th-century source stated that it took six men six days working from sun-up to sundown to complete a wig. Wigs on display in the shop could be purchased, or a custom fit wig could be ordered. Wearing a custom fit wig required the gentleman to cut his hair very short or to shave his head bald! Measurements taken of a man's head were used to ensure that the proper size blockhead was used to construct the wig.

[Capt. Sterling]

Man's nightcap

The hood.

Over the last 300 years it has been customary to hood the prisoner with a white hood. Nobody is entirely sure why white was the chosen colour. In Tyburn and Newgate days the "hood" was an ordinary nightcap rather than a purpose made execution hood, and as these were generally white, presumably this became the traditional colour. It would seem that the nightcap was optional and provided by the prisoner to hide their face from the crowd. When the prisoner had finished praying, the hangman simply pulled it down over their face.

makes one wonder...

[Rats]

So my new mohawk will have to go???

Can I at least keep my goat-stacheo!

Rats!!

[capnwilliam]

I wondered about the practicality of keeping a beard/moustache at sea, only after I'd seen 18th Cen razors while browsing antique sites.

Perhaps those who sailed in the cold regions were more likely?

Here is an excellent source on wigs and ques

Has some great pics as well

One 18th-century source stated that it took six men six days working from sun-up to sundown to complete a wig. Wigs on display in the shop could be purchased, or a custom fit wig could be ordered. Wearing a custom fit wig required the gentleman to cut his hair very short or to shave his head bald! Measurements taken of a man's head were used to ensure that the proper size blockhead was used to construct the wig.

Good cite, mate.

I think that trying to shave with a straight razor on a rocking wooden ship on the high seas would be enough to make me forego shaving for the voyage!

One thing that I hate is seeing a bloke with a beard wearing a snowy white wig. The combination just makes the guy look dirty, somehow.

Capt. William