The Stuart Tailor database contains information on over 32,000 garments from the period 1603 to 1714 from a variety of sources. Around 10% of the wills and probates from Bishops Courts that mention apparel have a cloak, this is true for both men and women. There are over 520 cloaks from this source and from the Middlesex Sessions Courts. Data from household accounts and diaries has a further 350 cloaks.
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| Figure 1: Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset (1589-1624) by William Larkin (1585-1619) Historic England Archive |
Textiles for the cloaks and their linings
Just under 350 of these cloaks give a description of the textile used for the cloak or its lining. The Middlesex Sessions Rolls from the first half of the century record the theft of many cloaks with most described as cloth, or woollen cloth, however the original records were in Latin and this maybe a translation of gausape, which could be used for several types of woollen cloth. (1)
Most cloaks are lined and many appear to be wool based fabrics. In 1623 Michael Virgo left to his son Michael, his grey cloak with a russet lining (2 p. 291) Both these words, grey and russet, can be used to describe a type of wool-based fabric, or a colour, or both. In 1621 a merchant tailor, Henry Fletcher, left “my marble grey cloake lyned with black bayes,” again both marble and baise are wool based cloths. (3 p. 190) Other wool-based, or mixed fibre textiles mentioned, are stuff, which is usually a worsted cloth, worsted camlet, serge, which is a twilled worsted, and the mixed fabric linsey-woolsey a linen and wool mix. In 1631, Rose Sowter left her cousin her “linsey wolsey cloak”. (4 p. 153) For linings both baise and russet appear. In 1607 Thomas Comyn owned a cloak lined with baise, like the one owned by Henry Fletcher. (5 p. 26) The most expensive lining was fur, in 1617 a cloak belonging to Sir Thomas Walsingham was stolen, being “a velvett cloak lyned with sables worth thirty pounds.” (1) The high value of that cloak was in the fur sables.
Among the most prosperous members of society, rich tradesmen, knights, baronets, but still below the level of royalty or nobility, there are there are wool based, but also silk based cloaks. The 1626 Tollemache household inventory has several cloaks described as cloth, one is lined with taffeta, two with velvet and another with shag baise. (6) Baise is a worsted cloth, the shag indicates it has a long pile or nap on one side. The shag and similarly plush were linings for warmth, as was fur, Figure 1 shows Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset wearing a shag lined cloak . There were also two unlined cloaks in the Helmingham inventory, one of which is described as “without cape or lyneinge.” Elsewhere in the inventory is “ii black cloath capes for cloakes.” Figure 3 shows this "cape" style in the detail from an engraving of the Execution of Charles I, 1649 (Figure 3)
Samuel Pepys wrote of a tallow chandler, William Joyce, who had a “cloake lined with velvett” (7 p. 14th Aug. 1664) Pepys himself owned a “fine Camlett cloak, with gold buttons, and a silk suit, which cost me much money.” (1st July 1660) The gentleman James Master purchased several cloaks during the period for which he kept accounts, 1646-1676. In 1648 he paid “for 8 ya and halfe of serge de roan for sute and cloak at 6s p yd” and the following year “for 4 ya and ½ of Spanish cloath of a sad colour to make me a sute & cloake at 20s p ya bought of bro[ther] Wal £4 10s.” (8 p. 174 & 181) Serge de roan is serge from Rouen, while Spanish cloth is not from Spain, it was made in the west country and incorporated wool from Spain. (9)
Women also owned cloaks. In 1618 Mary Arderne, a widow worth over £400 left a taffeta cloak. (10 pp. 121-9) In 1620 a gentlewoman, Jane Aubrey, who was worth nearly £100, left a velvet cloak. (11) In 1672 Sarah Kitchen, a singlewoman, left both a serge cloak and a silk cloak. (12 p. 54)
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| Figure 2: Silk damask clock. 1590-1610. Los Angles County Museum of Arts |
Trimmings and notions
Depending on the social level of the person owning the cloak the cloak could be trimmed with laces, these are what today would be called braids, or they could be faced or guarded, that is edged or decorated with another textile. At the top of society this could be extremely elaborate. In the 1617 wardrobe account of Richard Sackville, 3rd Earl of Dorset, there are several such garments, including “one cloake of tawney silke grogeran laced with seaventeene gold and silver laces and lyned with rich tissue.” (13 p. 50) The portrait of Sackville (Figure 1) has already been mentioned, he is wearing another outfit from his wardrobe inventory, where this cloak is described as “one cloak of uncut velvet black laced with seven embroidered laces of gold and black silk and above the borders powdered with slips of satin embroidered and lined with shag of black silver and gold.”
Even cloth cloaks could be thus decorated. In 1608 Henry, Prince of Wales, paid for “making a white graie cloth cloake, laid about with ashe color silke, and silver broad lace, lined with ashe color velvet, laid down the brests with ashe-color silke, with silver buttons, etc and making 30s (14 p. 92)
The livery cloaks of the servants of the rich could also be trimmed. In 1630 the Reynell Family of Forde spent out for “29 yards of cloth at 11s the yard, 18 dozen of button 18s, lace and silk 26s, for making of 9 cloaks 30s.” (15 p. 76) Those costs would have made the cloaks expensive at over £2 each. This fits with Fynes Morison comment that, “The servants of gentlemen …most commonly weare clokes guarded with lace, all the servants of one family wearing the same liverie for colour and ornament.” (16)
Buttons were a common thing on cloaks. In 1628 Henry Ewbank, a cordwainer, left “to my brother Thomas ..my browne cloke which hath buttons” (5 p. 220) In 1671 Gregory Thornedale, who was a member of the Chapel Royal at Winsor owned “one worsted camlet cloak with gold buttons.” (17 p. 96) In 1632 the mercer Thomas Harris had in stock, “7 long buttens for clockes.” (18 p. 114) Another mercer, John Ewbanke, in 1621 had “three dosen of cloke Buttons price 4s 6d.” (19) Notice the buttons edging the cloaks in Figure 3. Clasps were also used to fasten cloaks. In 1608 Ralph, Lord Evre, had stolen from him, “a mingle coulored clothe cloake lyned with haire coulored velvett with six claspes of silver worth twelve pounds.” (1)
Colours
The Bishops Courts section of the database has 84 cloaks for which a colour is given: 32% are black, 10% reds, 8% greys, 8% russets, 5% brown, 5% mingled, and 4% each blue, green, tawney and white. The nobility and royalty had a much wider range of colours. Charles I in one two year period purchased cloaks in aurora, carnation, cinnamon, deer, dove, faun, minume, parricito, peach, rose, sand, scarlet, sky, watchet, willow and wormwood, as well as the basic colours. (20) These colours could be one colour for the cloak and another for the lining, for example, “for lining a cloake of rose cullor cloth with willow cullor plush turned up.” Aurora has been described as a yellow with light red tones. (21) Carnation was described by Phillips in 1658 as “a kind of colour resembling raw flesh.” (22) Minume was described, again by Phillips, as a “dark brownish grey or dun colour, while a 1630/1 Norwich Minute Book, referring to a local ordinance, has “He had forbidden all Dyers in this City to dye any other Tawnyes then Mynnams.” Parricito is also listed as green parricito, so presumably a parrot green colour.
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| Figure 4: Half circle red silk cloak in the Victoria and Albert Museum, showing piecing. |
Cut
Most of the few surviving cloaks are either a half circle, a three quarter circle or a full circle. The late sixteenth, early seventeenth century red silk damask cloak in the Victoria and Albert Museum is three quarters, and its cut and construction is described in Braun et al. (23 pp. 134-41) This is similar to the pattern that appeared in Alcega’s 1589 work. (24) Another cloak, again from c.1600, is in the LACMA collection (Figure 2) These silk cloaks used a narrow cloth and the black and white image (Figure 4) shows how the narrow silk was pieced for a half circle cloak, this is a red silk cloak in the Victoria and Albert collection. These early cloaks all have small high collars. Later cloaks have larger, less stiff collars, that were usually referred to at the time as capes. A full circle cloak from mid seventeenth century grave clothes in the Bavarian National Museum (Figure 5), shows this larger collar/cape, and again how the fabric was pieced. (25 pp. 90-1 & 178)
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| Figure 5: Silk cloak from a grave, c.1649, with pattern. From: Die Gewander aus der Lauinger Furstengruft |
References
1. Middlesex Sessions Rolls. Middlesex County Records: Volume 2, 1603-25. Originally published London: Middlesex County Record Society, 1887. [Online] https://www.british-history.ac.uk/middx-county-records/vol2/.
2. Allen, M. E. ed. Wills in the Archdeaconry of Suffolk 1620-1624. Woodbridge : Suffolk Records Society, 1988.
3. Earwaker, J.P. Lancashire and Cheshire wills and inventories 1572-1696. Manchester : Chetham Society, 1893.
4. Evans, Nesta, ed. Wills of the Archdeaconry of Sudbury 1630-1635. Suffolk Records Society. 1987, Vol. 29.
5. Wood, H. W. ed. Wills and inventories from the registry at Durham, part 4, [1603-1649]. Publications of the Surtees Society. 1929, Vol. 142.
6. Coleman, Moira. Household Inventories of Helmingham Hall 1597-1741. Woodbridge : Boydell Press for The Suffolk Records Society, 2018.
7. Pepys, Samuel. Diary. [Online] https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary.
8. Robertson, S. The expense Book of James Master 1646-1676 [Part 1, 1646-1655], transcribed by Mrs Dallison. Archaeologia Cantiana. 1883, Vol. 15, 152-216, pp. 152-216.
9. Chevis, Hugh. Innovations in Cloth Manufacture in Early Modern England: The Demise of English Fine Wools and Rise of Spanish Merino Wool. s.l. : PhD thesis. University of Western Australia. https://api.research-repository.uwa.edu.au/ws/portalfiles/portal/26474580/THESIS_DOCTOR_OF_PHILOSOPHY_CHEVIS_Hugh_William_2017.pdf, 2017.
10. Phillips, C. B. and Smith, J. H., eds. Stockport probate records, 1578-1619. Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire. 1985, Vol. 124.
11. Hampshire Record Office. Will of Jane Aubrey. Hants. RO 1620A/003. 1620.
12. George, E. and George, S. Bristol probate inventories, Part 2: 1657-1689. Bristol : Bristol Records Society publication 57, 2005.
13. MacTaggart, Peter and MacTaggart, Ann. The Rich Wearing Apparel of Richard, 3rd Earl of Dorset. Costume. 1980, Vol. 14.
14. Bray, W. Extract from the Wardrobe Account of Prince Henry, eldest son of King James I. Archaeologia. 1794, Vol. 11, pp. 88-96.
15. Gray, Todd. Devon Household Accounts 1627-59. Part 1. Exeter : Devon and Cornwall Record Society, new series, vol. 38, 1995.
16. Moryson, Fynes. An itinerary. London : Printed by John Beale, dwelling in Aldersgate Street, 1617.
17. Reed, M. Buckinghamshire probate inventories 1661-1714. Buckinghamshire Record Society. 1988, Vol. 24, 258-9.
18. Vaisey, D. G. A Charlbury mercer's shop 1623 (viz 1632). Oxoniensia. 1966, Vol. 31, 101-16.
19. Staffordshire Record Office. Dioceses Of Lichfield and Coventry, Probate of John Ewbancke 1621. Transcribed by Sylvia Watts.
20. Strong, Roy. Charles I's clothes for the years 1633-1635. Costume. 1980, Vol. 14, pp. 73-89.
21. Lowengard, S. The Creation of Color in Eighteenth-Century Europe. New York : Columbia University Press., 2006.
22. Phillips, Edward. The New World of English Words, or, a General Dictionary. London : Brooks, 1658.
23. Braun, Melanie et al. 17th Century Men's Dress Patterns 1600-1630. London : Thames & Hudson in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2016.
24. Alcega, Juan de. Tailor's Pattern Book, 1589 facsimile. Carlton : Ruth Bean, 1979.
25. Stolleis, Karen. Die Gewander aus der Lauinger Furstengruft. Munich : Deutscher Kunstverlag, 1977.
