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The shape of a smock is not unlike that of the Roman ‘tunica’ which was still worn in Saxon times in England.
Illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages depict labourers working in loose fitting garments reaching to their
knees, very similar to the 18th and 19th century smocks that have survived. From the 17th century, illustrations of smocks, as protective over-garments worn usually by men, became more common. A playing card of 1676 shows a wagoner whose smock is described as ‘straight and rather full, worn to just below; the opening (at the neck) reaches almost to the waist and there is a small turned down collar; there is no smocking or decoration.’ Smocks were worn as overalls and were the usual outdoor clothing of rural workers especially shepherds and wagoners who were exposed to the full force of the British climate. In Wessex they were made of bleached linen or coarser cotton twill, but in other parts of the country they were sometimes dyed, blue in the Midlands, olive green in East Anglia. Some smocks were oiled to make them almost waterproof, and most had several layers of material over the shoulders and a wide thick collar like a cape for extra protection. |
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The delicately embroidered decorations on the front panels of country smocks were thought to distinguish the
occupations of the wearers; shepherds’ smocks for instance were thought to bear emblems of crooks, sheep and
hurdles, while carters’ smocks had wheels, whips and reins. The smock currently in use by Yateley Morris Men
was made especially for a past Yateley Fool (the wonderful John Farrant), see if you can guess his occupation
from the designs on the smock! Thomas Hardy in Under the Greenwood Tree describes the rural scene in which ‘stalwart ruddy men and boys were dressed mainly in snow-white smock-frocks, embroidered upon the shoulders and breasts in ornamental forms of hearts, diamonds and zig-zags’. It is likely that these specially decorated smocks were far too good for practical use in heavy agricultural labour but were for Sunday best, perhaps made as love-tokens. In 1874 Hardy noted that the ’long smocked frocks and the harvest home…nearly disappeared’. Smocks continued to be used until the 1920s on remote farms. Today most surviving smocks are found packed away in tissue paper in regional museums. It is still possible, though, to see a smock in action by joining Yateley Morris Men in one of their public displays of dance.
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Smocking Much of the needlework on a smock is purely decorative, however where the material is gathered at the chest, back and wrists the smock becomes very flexible, comfortable and practical. The current wearer can testify to that! The gathers can be performed in a number of ways and many smocks (including the smock currently worn by the Yateley Fool) display different gathering styles. It goes without saying that making a good quality smock is technically demanding and very labour intensive.
The Yateley Fool’s Smock |
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John Farrant was dancing at Thaxted one year and an American was in the crowd who followed Yateley Morris Men most of the day. He was fascinated by the smock and during the afternoon approached John and asked to buy it, offering a very large amount of money. Many people do not believe that it could have been made by a man and John F had great difficulty in convincing people! Sadly John Irwin died at an early age. His quart pewter tankard was presented to Yateley Morris Men by his widow, Sue. It is now presented by the squire to the Yateley Morris Man of The Year and is beautifully engraved. I am sure that John would be pleased to know that both his tankard and one of his wonderful smocks are in active use every week. |
Should you feel you need it, more information can be found at http://www.ruralhistory.org/the_collections/the_museum/smocks.html