Buff Coat
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The European buff coat is an item of leather
clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...
that was primarily worn by
cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...
and officers during the 17th century, but also worn by a small number of infantry. It was often worn under iron or steel armour for the torso ( breastplate and backplate). The buff coat was derived from the simple leather jerkins employed by huntsmen and soldiers during the
Tudor period In England and Wales, the Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603, including the Elizabethan era during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England, which began with ...
, these in turn deriving from the
arming doublet A gambeson (also known as, or similar to where historic or modern distinctions are made, the acton, aketon, padded jack, pourpoint, paltock, haustement, or arming doublet) is a padded defensive jacket, worn as armour separately, or combined wit ...
. The name of the jacket, as well as its characteristic tan or '' buff'' colour, derives from the buffalo or ox hide from which it was commonly made.


Production, appearance and variation

The buff coat was worn as European military attire from around 1600 through to the 1680s. The origin of the term 'buff' in relation to the coat refers to leather obtained from the "European buffalo" (available sources do not specify what species this term means, but it most probably refers to the
wisent The European bison (: bison) (''Bison bonasus'') or the European wood bison, also known as the wisent ( or ), the zubr (), or sometimes colloquially as the European buffalo, is a European species of bison. It is one of two extant species of bi ...
), which also gave rise to the term '' buff'' for its light tan colour. The only source of buffalo leather in the early 17th century was Germany. Most buff coats, however, were made from thick
cowhide Cowhide is the natural, unbleached skin and hair of a cow. It retains the original coloring of the animal. Cowhides are a product of the food industry from cattle. Cowhide is frequently processed into leather. Process Once a cow has been killed, ...
. While mainly worn for military use, its design reflects civilian styles fashionable during the early 17th century, with a high waist and flared
skirt A skirt is the lower part of a dress or a separate outer garment that covers a person from the waist downwards. At its simplest, a skirt can be a draped garment made out of a single piece of fabric (such as pareos). However, most skirts are ...
s extending to the thighs. It is related to the earlier sleeveless doublet or jerkin, likewise made of thick leather.Made in sleeveless and sleeved variants, the very finest buff coats were made of the hide of the European elk. Buff leather was produced by a method of "oil tanning"; following treatment with lime the hide was scraped to remove the outer layer, which gave the finished product a matt surface. The hide then had
cod Cod (: cod) is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gad ...
oil worked into it in a process called "kicking" and was finally air-dried. The oiling and drying steps could be repeated. The finished leather attained its characteristic buff colour and was supple, durable and weather resistant. Due to the thickness of the leather, the seams of these coats were all butt-jointed, with hidden or partially hidden stitches. Thread holes were punched with an awl before stitching, since needles then in use could not puncture the hide. Extant examples are lined, either with coarse linen or silk. Closures included laces threaded through eyelets, buttons, loops, and clasps. All extant English examples are closed with hooks and eyes. Many high quality examples show apparent fastenings of gold or silver tape at the front, however, these were merely decorative, the real fastenings being hidden hooks and eyes attached to the inside of the join. Some of the highest quality buff coats, typically shown in portraits of officers, had multiple stripes of gold or silver lace running lengthwise down, or hooped around, the sleeves. Most surviving examples have sleeves, but a minority are sleeveless. Removable sleeves were common for men's clothing in the 17th century. Sleeves could be of a single thickness of leather from shoulder to wrist, or alternatively of a double thickness from the shoulder to the elbow, with a single thickness, to allow freedom of movement, to the wrist. All buff coats had deep skirts attached, which protected the upper legs of the wearer. The thickest parts of the leather were generally placed so as to protect the wearer's legs while on horseback. The extant collection of buff coats preserved at
Littlecote House Littlecote House is a large Tudor architecture, Elizabethan country house and estate in the civil parishes of Ramsbury and Chilton Foliat, in the English county of Wiltshire, about northeast of the Berkshire town of Hungerford. The estate inclu ...
dating to 1649–1660, contains examples with leather varying from in thickness and entire coats weighing between . File:Coat MET C.I.50.98.3 F.jpg, English buff coat 1630–1640 showing false fastening of silver tape down the front. Metropolitan Museum of Art File:Richard Neville by William Dobson.jpg, A Royalist cavalry officer of the English Civil War, wearing a buff coat under a
cuirass A cuirass ( ; ; ) is a piece of armour that covers the torso, formed of one or more pieces of metal or other rigid material. The term probably originates from the original material, leather, from the Old French word and the Latin word . The us ...
. The buff coat has sleeves decorated with bands of gold lace. Portrait of Richard Neville, by William Dobson, 17th century


Use

The coat provided some protection against cuts by swords and other edged weapons; however the buff coat was ineffective against thrusts; it was also ineffective as a protection from firearms, possibly excepting spent bullets. The buff coat was often worn under the plate armour cuirass, where it helped to cushion the wearer from chafing or bruising by the armour's edges. It was also worn on its own, as the buff coat was much more comfortable to wear for long periods of time than the cuirass. The finest quality buff coats were expensive, often much more so than the munition armour cuirasses typically issued to common soldiers, which may account for their widespread association with officers and other men of greater than average wealth. The buff coat was used extensively during the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
and the
English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
. Together with the lobster-tailed pot helmet and cuirass it formed the basis of the equipment of the harquebusier, the typical form of European cavalryman of the 17th century. Although worn by some
foot soldier Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
s, in battle it was mainly restricted to use by affluent cavalry troops. Buff coats were issued to a minority of
musketeer A musketeer ( ) was a type of soldier equipped with a musket. Musketeers were an important part of early modern warfare, particularly in Europe, as they normally comprised the majority of their infantry. The musketeer was a precursor to the rifl ...
s in the
pike and shot Pike and shot was a historical infantry tactical formation that first appeared during the late 15th and early 16th centuries, and was used until the development of the bayonet in the late 17th century. This type of formation combined soldiers ...
formations to give them some protection during
hand-to-hand combat Hand-to-hand combat is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of ranged weapons.Hunsicker, A., ''Advanced Skills in ...
. The buff coat was also worn by civilians requiring a protective and durable garment, such as huntsmen and men travelling on horseback.


See also

*
Gambeson A gambeson (also known as, or similar to where historic or modern distinctions are made, the acton, aketon, padded jack, pourpoint, paltock, haustement, or arming doublet) is a padded defensive jacket, worn as armour separately, or combined wit ...
, a padded jacket, worn singly as armor or combined with mail or plate armor


Citations


Cited works

* * * * * * * *


External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Buff coats Body armor Coats (clothing) Leather clothing Military equipment of the Early Modern period New Model Army