Historical Fabric

Historical Fabric

Today I have come across a website that has given me a very interesting insight into fabric used for military uniforms during the 18^th Century.

http://www.najecki.com/repro/Wool.html

The website doesn’t only sell this historic fabric, but actually goes in to detail about the specific fabrics used for the coats, linings, and facings of various 18^th Century Military Regiments.

Their main source of historical accuracy and fabric comes from Kochan & Phillips Historical Textiles which is a company that’s founders have been doing primary source research on the cloth being produced and used for military and naval dress of the 18th and 19th century for a number of years. Their aim was to try and reproduce the quality woollen cloth that was equal in weave, milling, finish and hand to the original cloth samples and clothing artefacts that they had examined in numerous museums, archives, and private collections.

“After many years of research on the cloth being produced and used for the 18th century military, James Kochan and Sean Phillips are having custom woven in England broadcloths and kerseys unlike any other cloth commercially available today.

This cloth is woven using the instructions laid out in a notebook of a weaver who supplied the British Army in 1812 and made cloth to meet their specifications. This weaver's notebook specified every detail of manufacture, from the type of sheep used to create the yarn, to the weight and width of the raw cloth, to the fulling and napping procedures.

To achieve authentic colours, spectral colour analysis was used to create dyes to match the colours of original cloth swatches in museums, archives, and on original uniforms. The result is cloth that has the same appearance, weave, milling, finish and hard hand to cloth made in the late 18th century and that will wear and drape much better than any other cloth available today.

If you are making a military uniform or civilian clothing and want the most authentic cloth available, this is the cloth to use.”

The fabric sold from this company has been authentically made in the same fashion as it would have been in the 18th century, which makes it a very good source for future reference.

Kochan & Phillips Historical Textiles: www.historicaltextiles.com

Broadcloth

Broadcloth was the staple product of the British woollen textile industry from at least the 16th century until the middle of the 19th century.

Its solid construction and weatherproof finish made it ideal for making the coats of men of all stations. It was produced in many different grades suited to the pocket of the purchaser but this is the quality with which the British Government chose to clothe its soldiers.

The quality of the cloth was decided on the wool from which it was made. Each fleece was sorted by hand into anything up to 12 different 'sorts' of wool, each capable of being spun into a different thickness of yarn. These were carefully matched to the required quality of cloth which in turn decided the finished weight and the quality of dyeing and finishing which it warranted.

...

Broadcloth was produced in various grades ranging from common to superfine. The grade is dependent upon the quality of wool used, the number of threads per inch, and the weight per square yard. Common broadcloth is the heaviest and made from the coarsest wool yarns, and have the fewest warp and weft per inch.

Common Broadcloths are plain weave:

approx 15-17 oz per square yard, .07" thick, and approximately 54" wide.

Common Broadcloth was primarily used to make uniform coats, civilian coats, and smallclothes which makes it completely authentic.

Kersey

Kersey was a type of cloth widely produced in England from at least the 17th Century, initially in East Anglia around the village of Kersey in Suffolk. By the 18th Century the largest production was in West Yorkshire, particularly in the Keighley area.

Generally, Kersey was a relatively cheap made in imitation of the more expensive Broadcloth. The use of a twill weave enabled the finishers to raise a nap on the cloth more easily than Broadcloth, although the cloth had less substance and the finish was consequently slightly less hard wearing.

The properties of Kersey made it popular for coats and cloaks for the lower orders. Frequently used during the Civil War as a cloth for soldiers' coals and breeches, by the latter half of the 18th Century these items were made from Broadcloth. However, Double-Milled Kersey was used for sailors' jackets by the Admiralty and for Army greatcoats, Cavalry cloaks (in red or blue for heavy and light) and fatigue jackets (in natural or buff for buff faced Regiments).

Bay

Bay is a loose, plain-weave cloth with a worsted warp and woollen weft frequently used for lining British and Continental soldier’s coats from the 17th to the 19th C. It was originally produced in Essex around Colchester and Bocking but later in other areas including Yorkshire. The practice of describing cloth quantities as a number of discreet ‘pieces’ (the length convenient for the weaver to make in one go, typically 30 yards) lead to the use of the plural ‘Bays’, subsequently corrupted into ‘Bayes’ and then ‘Baize’ to mean a specific type of cloth. The modern Baize is an entirely different material however, much more heavily milled and used for billiard table covering.

Prior to the 1768 Warrant British Infantry coats were lined throughout the body and tails in Bay of the facing colour, changing in 1768 to the use of white or, in the case of Buff faced Regiments, Buff Bay. In the British Army it was replaced by Serge for linings first in the Foot Guards, then in the Line Infantry in 1796. The Royal Marines continued to use it for coat linings into the 19th C.

Cassimere

Cassimere (sometimes also called Kerseymere in the 18th Century) is a lightweight woollen twill fabric which was widely produced in the West Country during the latter part of the 18th Century. The twill weave gives the fabric a slight spring which makes it ideal for making breeches and pantaloons. Its relatively light weight, when compared with broadcloth, also made it popular for waistcoats and lining coat tails.

In common with other types of cloth from this period Cassimere was produced in different weights and qualities. A number of different sources have been consulted in order to gather sufficient information to allow this fabric to be reproduced. It is intended to produce a superfine quality as it was frequently used for Officer's waistcoats, breeches, turnbacks, lining coat tails and sometimes collar linings. It was also apparently used for lining Heavy Cavalry Officer’s coats.

Cassimere was most commonly produced in white or buff for military dress breeches and mixture greys and blues for pantaloons. For civilian wear various drab shades were popular for day-wear, buff and white and black for formal dress.

 Serge

Like Bay, Serge is a cloth with a worsted warp and woollen weft, although in this case twill woven. The twill helps to maintain the stability whilst retaining enough flexibility to be used as a lining material.



serge lining

It was used to line British Army coats and Greatcoats, Cavalry Cloaks and Hussar and Light Dragoon Trooper’s Pelisses. In the infantry it was generally used white or Buff for Buff faced Regiments. For Light Dragoon jackets and Pelisses it appears to have been used the same colour as the facings.

Shalloon or Ratinett

shalloon lining

 Shalloon (sometimes also called Ratinett) is a fine, smooth, twill woven worsted fabric frequently used for lining the coats of Officers and Gentlemen. In effect it is a finer quality of serge. In order to provide a smooth surface which is more comfortable and makes the donning of the coat easier the surface is often given a glazed finish. It is frequently mentioned in contemporary tailor's notes and bills.

Usually white, it was however also produced in contrasting colours to suit the application in hand, for instance scarlet for dark blue cloaks and Hussar pelisses, buff for buff faced uniforms, bottle green for Rifle dolman linings etc.

Superfine Broadcloth

 Superfine is a term which can be applied to any cloth type in order to describe its quality; in historical documents however, it is frequently used without reference to any particular type of cloth. When this is the case the cloth in question is invariably Superfine Broadcloth.

The woollen cloths often sold today as Superfines are normally Superfine Doeskins. Doeskin is a completely different type of cloth, twill woven, lightly milled and incapable of holding a cut edge. It is not as stout as Superfine Broadcloth and has insufficient body for historical tailoring projects.

In common with all Broadcloths, Superfines are stout, heavily milled, plain weave woollens with a carefully raised and cropped nap and capable of holding a cut edge. Superfines were made from the best quality Spanish wool, spun much finer than common broads and more carefully finished, as befitted their better quality.

The technical details for recreating this cloth are taken from the same apprentice book as the Army Broadcloth. It has been compared with details from other weavers' notes from the West Country, the area which was the pre-eminent producer of Superfine Broadcloths up until the last quarter of the 18th Century, when the quality of West Yorkshire goods improved sufficiently to challenge their market.

Because the quality of wool, finesse of spinning and quality of finish was so much more expensive Superfines were dyed using the most expensive dyes available. Again original dye receipts have been recreated and used as the basis for the colours which will be available. Custom colours can be dyed subject to a minimum order of 5 m.

Superfine Broadcloth was used for Officer's and Gentlemen's coats, sometimes for waistcoats and an alternative to Kerseymere and sometimes for breeches, especially in the first three quarters of the 18th C.

 

Linen Holland

Holland is a fine, smooth, plain weave linen fabric given a smooth glazed finish by the application of pressure in the manufacturing process.  Used where a smooth, thin lining is required it is found in contemporary garments in the following applications:

·        Breeches waistband linings

·        Coat sleeve linings

·        Waistcoat linings and backs

·        Hat and shako linings

·        Pocketing.

Usually natural, it is sometimes dyed black and occasionally bleached white for specific applications

There are so many interesting photos of old cloth/fabric records and books from the 18th Century which I can only guess is where they found all this amazing information about fabric of the time:


Merchant's patterns showing different coloured Milled Bays





Examples of Superfine Broadcloth colours c1760

 Another useful bit of information that I have found from this site is this fabric chart for Regemental coats. This gives me an insight in to the fabric used for various british regiments, and in particular the British Marines.

 

A Guide to Regimental Coat Cloth 1775-1783
	Coat	Facing	Lining
British Reg't of Foot - Private or Corporal	Madder Red Broadcloth	Broadcloth - color per Royal Warrant (color varies by regiment)	White Bay, unless a Buff faced regiment
British Reg't of Foot - Serjeant	Mock Scarlet Broadcloth	Broadcloth - color per Royal Warrant (color varies by regiment)	White Serge, unless a Buff faced regiment
British Reg't of Foot - Officer	Scarlet Superfine Broadcloth	Superfine Broadcloth - color per Royal Warrant (color varies by regiment)	White Shalloon, unless a Buff faced regiment
British Reg't of Foot - Drums	Broadcloth of regimental facing color	Madder Red or Mock Scarlet Broadcloth for facings and smallclothes for red, buff, and white faced regiments.	Madder Red or Mock Scarlet Serge for those with red smallclothes, otherwise white serge except for Buff faced regiments.
British Light Dragoons (16th & 17th)	Mock Scarlet Broadcloth	16th - Royal Blue Broadcloth 17th - White Broadcloth	16th - Royal Blue Serge 17th - White Serge
Royal Artillery	Royal Blue Broadcloth	Mock Scarlet Broadcloth	Mock Scarlet Serge
Guard Reg'ts (1st, Coldstream, Scots)	Madder Red Broadcloth	Royal Blue Broadcloth	White Serge
British Marines	Madder Red Broadcloth	White Broadcloth	White Bay
Continental Army
Contract and French made coats for Soldiers	Broadcloth - color varies by regiment	Broadcloth - color varies by regiment	Serge - color varies by regiment
Prior to Seven Years War and up to 1768 Warrant
British Reg't of Foot - Private or Corporal	Madder Red Broadcloth coats and waistcoats. Madder Red Kersey breeches. Bay lining that matched the facing color. Undress jackets and frocks (new issued, not altered old clothing) of Madder Red Kersey.

The materials used for the British Marine jackets of the 18th century would have been Madder Red Broadcloth for the coat, White Broacloth for the facing and White Bay for the lining.

Regimental Coat yardage requirements
Size	Coat Body	Lining of Body and Skirt	Facing Cloth (cuff, lapel, and cape)	Sleeve Lining
38	2 yards	1 yard	1/3 yard	1 yard
40	2 1/4	1 1/8	1/3	1
42	2 1/2	1 1/4	1/3	1
44	2 3/4	1 3/8	1/3	1
46	3	1 1/2	1/3	1 1/8
48	3 1/4	1 3/4	1/3	1 1/4
50	3 1/2	2	1/3	1 3/8
52	3 1/2	2 1/4	1/3	1 1/2
Presumptions: Coat body cloth yardage is for body, sleeves, and mid thigh length skirts. Bay, Serge, or Shalloon is used for body lining and skirts. Facing cloth used for the cuffs, lapels and cape (i.e. collar). Linen is used to line the sleeves and pockets. The above chart courtesy of Henry Cooke, 18th C. tailor.

This chart may be useful for me down the line if I chose to cost an officers coat.