Jacobite Shirt origins?

[MACKAY]

With the recent thread regarding Jacobite shirts, I started to wonder what the origin of the shirt really was. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the 'Jacobite' shirt is a modern invention designed for the Ren Fair type market.

Is this true? Or does the shirt have some type of historical pedigree? In addition, is it in any way associated with the jacobite movement from the 18th century, or I am just wayyyyyy off base?

I personally do not own one, and think that they look a bit too Ren Fair for me ... of course I always wanted to be a pirate though ... arrrrrrrr.

Brian Mackay

[macwilkin]

With the recent thread regarding Jacobite shirts, I started to wonder what the origin of the shirt really was. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the 'Jacobite' shirt is a modern invention designed for the Ren Fair type market.

Is this true? Or does the shirt have some type of historical pedigree? In addition, is it in any way associated with the jacobite movement from the 18th century, or I am just wayyyyyy off base?

I personally do not own one, and think that they look a bit too Ren Fair for me ... of course I always wanted to be a pirate though ... arrrrrrrr.

Brian Mackay

Brian,

I think you hit the nail on the head in your first paragraph -- to my knowledge, the "Jacobite" shirt is a modern garment designed to look like an old one -- and the name was given in the same way we name "Prince Charlie", "Argyll" and "Monstrose" jackets.

Matt will have much more information, though! ;)

Cheers,

Todd

[mddock58]

They are basically a common type of shirt you can find from colonial times and further back.

Yes, I suppose there have been many "updates" made to them, but the basic style has been around for quite a while.

This is also why it is a popular style to sell at Ren-Fairs, since it is a basic tunic.

This of course is from my limited knowledge of history and costuming that I had looked into for the Colonial Period of the US.

[Paul Henry]

the "jacobite" shirt is just a basic peasant/workman/counttry type of garment.There are variations to be found all over the globe of a very similar structured garment.
they are usually made out of very simple squares or rectangles, and seldom have curves, that meant there was no wastage in the cutting.
I wear them, because they are comfortable and easy to work in. They are simple and very quick to make they could have buttons or eylets, just a matter of preference really.

On a side note... I;m really not sure why there seems to be an "anti" feeling about these shirts.Kilts can be casual or formal, or somewhere in between, and we should be careful about setting down guidelines as to what "should" be worn.
Let us all wear what we like, and enjoy others doing the same

[M. A. C. Newsome]

You cannot really say that "Jacobite shirts" are historic or not historic, because you will see many different styles of Jacobite shirts for sale by different vendors. Some of them will be very exact replications of seventeenth and eighteenth century shirt styles, and others will be more modern costume fabrications, made to look vaguely historic. So, like anything else, the historical accuracy of the garment may vary.

Personally, I favor them only for historic wear. For modern kilt wear, I usually wear modern shirts.

[auld argonian]

...but I don't want to be a pirate!


Best

AA

[Paul Henry]

why would you think that they would make you a pirate??

too much hollywood perhaps!!

[Pleater]

18th century Europe was bitterly cold - there was a mini ice age.

I have looked through my costume book and found very few men depicted in just a shirt, usually a waistcoat, or two, and coat were worn as well - even indoors.

Where a shirt is shown it is much larger than the Jacobite shirt sold today. It is gathered at the top and bottom of the sleeves, which are square cut onto a dropped shoulderline. The necklines vary from notched lapels to a simple slit - which is not cross laced. Some have no collar as such but a plain band worn with a length of cloth - a stock I think it is called, if plain or a lace cravat. Early examples have a large round collar or ruff.

The origins of the shirts sold today would possibly be the Erol Flynn movies or Richard Green's Robin Hood on British TV in the late 50's, early 60's.

I had several long sleeved tunics, from the early 70's which I wore on stage with long skirts or jeans, or as dresses. I still have at least one of them - and they do have a resemblance to the Jacobite shirts - some of them had a yoke and gathered body, like old fashioned 'grandad' shirts, some have just a shoulder band and the body gathered onto that, but they have a slit neck without cross lacing.

I suspect the Jacobite shirt design is a minimalistic develpment of the romantic 'folk' tunic like garments of the 1970's. They seem to be ungathered and without yokes, so reducing the material required.

The early 18th century British and French would have worn linen, silk or wool - imports of cotton cloths were not allowed until the final quarter of the century. Fabrics were manufactured with cotton thread as weft and a linen warp, in England at least, after the middle of the century, though it required the repeal of several Acts of Parliament to be allowed here.

[Blu (Ontario)]

When I bought my first kilt, I bought a jacobite shirt from L & M Highland outfitters as part of the package. I found it looked better with jeans than with a kilt. I found it too warm to wear in summer heat. I don't have occasion to wear it much any more.

[Woodsheal]

As a reenactor devoted to as much authenticity I can accomplish, I've seen quality repro shirts based on originals, and many pictures of actual original shirts as well. NONE of them from the "Jacobite period" - 1640's to 1740's - have the criss-cross "pirate shirt" lacing at the throat. Most close at the throat with a single button....