The clothing of husbandmen 1600-1660

 William Harrison in 1577 described the “common sort” of Englishmen as “daie labourers, poore husbandmen and some retailers (which have no free land).” (1) Husbandmen were men who worked the land. They were above the status of labourers, but below the status of yeomen.

Fig. 1: Woodcut from The Happy Husbandman. These woodcuts frequently appear in more than one ballad over a period of years, this one appears in at least half a dozen in the English Broadside Ballad Archive, this is EBBA 21041.

 

This post is based on the wills and inventories of 167 men who are described as husbandmen between 1600 and 1659. In terms of the value of their estates they are a disparate lot, the poorest had a valuation of £4 14s 10d in 1638, and the richest £456 19s 0d in 1646. The richest is an outlier. There are 108 for whom their estate valuation is given, as in the table below.

Valuation of estate*	Number of husbandmen
Under £10	4
£10 to under 25	13
£25 to under £50	29
£50 to under £100	33
£100 to under £150	13
£150 to under £200	10
Over £200	6

* This aligns with the valuations for husbandmen in Spufford and Mee (2 p. 69)

The value of their clothes

Most of the inventories do not give a list of clothing, they just give a value for the apparel, or the apparel and purse. Purse in this instance being the ready money they had in their purse. There are 109 men with a valuation for their clothes. The valuations are given in round numbers; they are not exact. Nineteen men have clothes worth less than one pound. In 1615 John Wilkinson in Cheshire has apparel worth only 3s 4d, his estate is worth £8 10s 1d. (3 p. 133) Thirty six men have apparel worth between one and two pounds, though some of these include money in a purse. In 1638 Abraham Chalkes in Essex had “his waring aparell and the mony in his purs” valued at £1 10s. (4 p. 77) Thirty men have valuations over two pounds, but less than three. There seems little correlation between the value of the clothes and the value of the estate. John Humfries in Banbury in 1624 has wearing apparel worth two pounds, though his estate is only worth £15 10s 4d. (5 p. 36) Over in Bedfordshire in 1619, Thomas Pruddon, also has wearing apparel worth two pounds, but his estate is worth £159 6s 8d. (6 p. 66)  The highest valuation for apparel, without the value of a purse is £6 13s 4d, for the clothes belonging to William Tayler in 1631, his estate was worth £170 13s 4d. (5 p. 88)

Valuation of clothes (may include cash)	Number of husbandmen
Under £1	19
£1 to under £2	36
£2 to under £3	30
£3 to under £4	11
£4 to under £5	5
£5 and over	8

 

The clothes

Fig. 2: Woodcut from: The discourse between the Serving-man and the Husband-man. [EBBA 30066]

 

Sets of clothes

In 1605 John Lamboll of Farleigh Wallop leaves clothing in his will. He appears to have no immediate family as he leaves two pair of breeches to his uncle, and a doublet and two jerkins to the children of Jane Lewes, a widow, and finally “the rest of my apparel already not given nor bequeathed to be bestowed by my executor unto such poor people as my executor shall think fit.” (7) The will of John Douse in 1627 has two sets of clothing; son Thomas received “all working day clothes, with pair of shoes, pair of hose and a shirt” and his son Daniel “all best clothes worn on holy days and best shirt, hose and shoes.” (8 p. 10) This shows that husbandmen could have separate sets of good, or best, clothes.

Suits of apparel

One of the terms often used in wills is suits of apparel, and this usually means a doublet and breeches. Nine men leave suits of apparel in their wills, and six of them leave two suits, as with George Renshawin in 1640 who leaves, “my best sute of apparel unto my brother William” and, “my worser sute of apparel unto John Rainshawe.” (9 p. 78) In 1625 the will of Thomas Maysant  leaves to his son, his “best suit of apparel throughout as well hose as shoes and also a cloak.” (10 p. 17)  One of these suits, the only one with a material specified, is leather, left by George Mills in 1630. (11 p. 82)

Doublets

Six men leave doublets, and here there is more information on fabric and colour. A fustian doublet is left by Edward French in 1618; his estate is worth almost £59. (12 pp. 277-8) Richard Greenwood n 1646 leaves “one dublet made of white woollen cloth and walted in the seames with blacke sattan.” (13) Another white doublet is left by William Aldred in 1625. (10 p. 98) A pink doublet, though this may indicate it was pinked rather than a colour, is left in 1636 by Edmund Osborne. (14 p. 58)                                                                                 

Breeches

There are five references specifically to breeches including in the 1642 Sussex Quarter Sessions when Edward Chauntler, husbandman, is found not guilty of stealing two shirts worth 4d., and breeches 4d.” (15 p. 25) In 1618 Edward French, who has already been mentioned, leaves a pair of breeches and a shirt to William Higgins, labourer. (12 pp. 277-8) In 1638 a probate account, this is were executors are buying items for orphaned children out the parent’s estate, has “for 2 [leather] skinns for Thomas Coopers breeches 1s.” (16 p. 160)

Waistcoats

Apart from Edward French in 1618, who leaves a waistcoat as well as his fustian doublet, waistcoats are only mentioned in probate accounts. These give some values. In 1633 four shillings is paid “for a wascott cloth for Richard Holdippe” and in 1638 two shillings and sixpence is paid for a waistcoat for Thomas Cooper. (16 p. 142 & 160) These are for children of husbandmen, and the difference in price may relate to the age of the child.

Jerkins

John Lamboll has already been mentioned as leaving two jerkins in 1605. (7) In 1633 Christopher Barker leaves “my son Christopher my coat, my best doublet and jerkin.” (14 p. 27) In 1634 Thomas Deane leaves “my best jerkin,” which means he owns more than one. (11 p. 274)             

Coats

Coats only appear twice, in the 1634 will of Christopher Barker as already mentioned, and in the 1636 will of John Eagle, who leaves his brother “my best suit of apparel, my coat, and 2 bushels of rye”. (14 p. 33)

Cloaks

Another garment that appears is the cloak, often mentioned separately possibly because it was the most expensive, and certainly contained the largest amount of material. They appear in eight wills, and on four occasions the reference is to “my best cloak” indicating that they owned more than one. Only one has a fabric, in 1617 Edward French leaves two cloaks, one of these is “my russet cloak” which he leaves to his servant Elizabeth. (12 pp. 277-8)

Shirts

There are very few shirts, if they are given, they are usually given with other items to make a set of clothes, as in the will of John Douse already mentioned. Interestingly shirts are sometimes given to women. Thomas Deane in 1634 left “to Goodwyfe Miller my best shirt.” (11 p. 274) In 1620 John Mayo left his best shirt to Elizabeth Baker, while the will mentions several cousins it does not say what Elizabeth’s relationship is, his inventory lists his “old apparel” as being worth only six shillings.  (12 p. 303)

Stockings (hose) and Shoes

The word hose is going through a change of use in the early seventeenth century, at this point it can mean either breeches or stockings, if for example a pair of hose is listed as having pockets, then they are breeches. In the 1627 will of John Douse, “all working day clothes, with pair of shoes, pair of hose and a shirt,” the hose are stockings. (8 p. 10) Also there is Thomas Maysant’s will which leaves a, “best suit of apparel throughout as well hose as shoes and also a cloak.” (10 p. 17)  Shoes do appear in 1632 William Parker left “my eldest son Thomas all my woollen apparel and shoes.” (11 p. 163)

Hats

Hats, like shirts, might be left to women. Thomas Deane in 1634 left his mother his “best hat, my shirt and petticoat.” (11 p. 274) In 1625 John Hewell left to his wife Elizabeth his lined hat. (10 p. 38)

Truss – a debateable item

One man, Edward French in 1618, leaves a truss; “my fustian dublitt, a truffe and a wastcote.” (12 pp. 227-8) The question of what a truss is, is debateable. Florio in 1598 has truss as hose, “leather hosen, or trusses such as our elders were woont to weare.” (17) Others at the same time have it as a support in case of a rupture, in 1580 Hollyband has “a trusse as such as the broken do use.” (18)

What does not appear

For the most part wills and probates only list valuable items, which is why most just list “all my apparel.” Sometimes the specification is woollen apparel or, as with John Randall in 1636, “his apparaile both lynnen and woollen belonging to his bodie £1 5s.” (19 p. 20) As a result of this there are very few shoes or shirts, and linens in the shape of bands, ruffs, etc. are not mentioned. The only mention of gloves is when they are given as gifts as part of the funeral or other expenses, for example in 1634 when John Canham leaves two shillings each to the supervisors of his will for them to buy a pair of gloves. (11 p. 281)                                     

 

Fig. 3: Woodcut from : The Citizens Kind Welcome to Country-men. [EBBA 37452]

 

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