Thursday, 31 January 2013
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Mopoke’s Stock & Trade (Australia).
Mopoke’s Stock &
Trade (Australia).
I would like to
introduce you all to a new Australian trader, Mick Humphrey. Mick is a good
friend of mine and he is based in Victoria. Please bear in mind that Mick has
to order this gear from overseas, therefore the prices at first glance may seem
a little high. But the fact is Mick’s prices including post and package should
be at least comparable if not less expensive than ordering from the UK or the
States.
The other good thing
is that Mick is local, any problems and you can literally phone Mick up and he
can sort things out for you. You can order by phone, by email, or online from
Mick’s site. I think this is a great opportunity for Australian living
historians and re-enactors to get the items they want, knowing that they are
helping a small Australian company.
If you have any
special needs that do not show on Mick’s site, or if you have any suggestions
for Mick, contact him. I know Mick would love to hear from you.
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This fishing kit unfortunately has a synthetic line. But if you think the price is right you can replace it with linen or silk line.
Sunday, 27 January 2013
Storm in the Forest.
Storm in the Forest.
Well the storm has
finally reached us here in Wychwood Forest. This would not be a good time to be
camping in the woods. If you ever find yourself in this situation, the best
thing to do is either find some open area well away from the trees, or find a
rocky outcrop that will protect you from falling trees. We have had rain now
for two days, and the ground in the valley bottoms is soft. Up higher it is
very rocky, so the trees have not been able to put their roots down deep. Water
soaked ground and high winds in any forest will be a sure combination to bring
down trees.
Do not light a fire in
these conditions, it is wet enough to stop the spread of fire through the
forest, but not wet enough to stop your shelter and gear getting burnt. The
high winds will blow sparks and embers into your shelter. This is when it pays
to be carrying foods that do not require cooking.
If you are using
stakes to secure the lower part of your shelter, make sure they are long and
driven deep. Winds like we are getting here will tear stakes out of the ground
and turn them into dangerous weapons being wielded by the wind still attached
to the canvas. Skills on woodsmanship really count on days like this. Once you
are in a relatively safe place, stay there. Do not venture away from the
protection of high rocks or large fallen trees. I have seen small sticks driven
far into the ground by winds like these. If you get hit by one, it could be
bad.
Friday, 25 January 2013
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Monday, 21 January 2013
Supplies for a French Mission. Part One.
Although this is a list of supplies required for the running of a French mission, for those of us more interested in other interpretations it does give us some insight into what this person considers necessary supplies for the people living and working in a wilderness situation.
"This is a group of letters addressed
to Jean de Lamberville, agent in France
for the
Canada missions. The first is an invoice,
probably-
written by Gravier, of the supplies
necessary for the
Illinois missions for the year 1702. The
distressed
condition of the laborers therein is
energetically
described, and relief for their poverty is
urgently
requested. The supplies desired include
articles of
clothing; conveniences like pins, twine,
thread,
paper, razors, etc. ; a few household
utensils ; medi-
cines, food, wine, etc.; material for
hoods for
protection against mosquitoes ; ammunition
and nails ;
vermilion, beads, rings, etc., for the
Indians; "six
ells of stuff for capotes, to make
Breech-clouts;"
also tobacco and agricultural tools".
THE JESUIT RELATIONS AND ALLIED DOCUMENTS
VOU. LXVl
1702-12] LETTERS TO LAMBERVILLE 27
For my part, I am in good health, but I
have no
cassock, etc. ; I am in a sorry plight,
and the others
are hardly less so.
Three winter cassocks,
3 pairs of winter hose.
3 lined cloaks.
3 summer cassocks; 3 pairs of winter and 3
of
summer breeches.
3 pairs of summer hose.
3 pairs of cloth breeches for winter.
6 pairs of breeches of black duck or
strong linen.
12 hempen shirts, lined ;^ calico
handkerchiefs;
Cap linings,
4 hats ; 3 hoods ; 3 pairs of mittens.
One Livre of black Wool.
Half a livre of black and other silk.
One Livre of fine white thread.
2 livres of black thread, i livre of twine
for Nets.
3 Lines; 3 whip- [lashes?].
3 livres of coarse white thread.
6 pairs of Shoes,
3 pairs of double-soled slippers,
3 pieces of white thread galloon.
One thousand pins.
One Ream of good and strong paper, of large
size.
One Ream of small-sized paper. 3 good
razors,
with a whetstone,
3 sticks of Spanish wax. 3 half-double
caps.
12 [small] towels and 6 [small] napkins.^
3 covered bowls for The sick,
12 pewter spoons, with knives and forks.
[illegible — 6 case-knives?] in 6 sheaths.
3 deep pewter basins with a narrow edge.
6 plates.
3 tinned kettles with lids, and strong, to
hold 6 pots
each.^
One Syringe ; one livre of Theriac ;
ointment,
plasters, alum, vitriol, aniseed,
medicines, and pastils.
One host- Iron, and shape for cutting the
wafers.
50 livres of flour, in a Barrel. 3 Tin
boxes.
One minot of Salt, In a Barrel.
A jar of oil.
A Barrel of 1 5 pots of vinegar.
30 livres of Sugar.
Rice, raisins, prunes.
25 pots of Spanish wine, In 2 kegs.
25 pots of brandy.
9 livres of pepper.
One Livre of nutmegs and cloves.
Six pairs of half-worsted hose.* [Material
for
making] awnings as a protection against
the gnats
that infest the mississipi.
One piece of strong sail-cloth.
One livre or 2 of cotton candle-wicking.
India ink and cotton [illegible],
A thousand nails, large, medium-sized, and
small.
150 livres of powder.
50 livres of assorted shot, large and
small.
30 livres of Bullets; [500 gun-flints].
Ten livres of vermilion.
Ten livres of large glass Beads — -black,
white, and
Striped.
Ten livres of small glass Beads — white,
green,
and transparent.
One gross of large Clasp-knives, with horn
handles.
One gross of round buckles, both large and
medi-
um-sized.
One gross of small metal plates.^
French Clothing in the New World. Final.
o
DOCUMENTATION:
o
1713-1745: 39 fabrics and 15 colours of
waistcoats specified
o
1748-1758: 20
fabrics and 6 colours of waistcoats specified
o
1713-1758: 59
fabrics and 21 colours of waistcoats specified
o
o carpenters,[140] the lighthouse keeper,[141] the
beachmaster.[142] There is even mention of "a fisherman's gilet".
[143]
o It was not strictly reserved to this section of the
population, for one finds gilets, though rarely, among men such as
engineers, [144] or the clerk of the Superior Council. [145] In exceptional
cases, it would not be a simple filet of comfortable wool but at the same time
an elegant piece of clothing, when for example, it was trimmed "with white
satin cuffs". [146]
o 7. SHORT CAPE (MANTELET )
o One finds in the effects of a merchant-broker "a
lining for a mantelet of white wool". [147] The effects
of a ship captain include a mantelet of "common Indian
cloth lined with flannel".[148] This short cape was very popular among
women but was rarely worn by men. Only in New France did men adopt the short
cape[149] and, though mantelets were not common here,
Louisbourg was not an exception in this case.
o 8. POLONAISE
o Other than the fact that it was trimmed with frogging
(brandebourgs) (See Table No. 3), we have no description of the polonaise,
though vests of this type appear a dozen times in the documents. The specified
fabrics are similar to those used for ordinary vests (See Table No. 5):
plush,[150] wool (a coarse variety called pinchinat)[151] and
calamanco (calemande)[152] and of "rough blue fabric" (grosse
étoffe bleue)[153]
o 9. REDINGOTTE
o The redingotte, which took its name from
"riding coat", was a coat buttoned from collar to waist. It had a
collar like that of the surtout and another circular one
covering the pleats of the upper back like a short cape. From the number of
references to it (about thirty), it was more popular at Louisbourg than the
vest à la polonaise. It was made with cloth (drap) (See
Table No. 9) and was sometimes regarded as a vest, as when a soldier hid a
stolen object "under his redingotte" that is "under
his vest". [154] Thus it was not necessarily an outdoor coat.
o It is doubtful that every redingotte was
the elegant garment implied in the name. If it were so, it would be difficult
to explain why one was owned by a fisherman (compagnon pêcheur) [155] or
why another was worth less than 3 livres, [156] though that of the
governor, made of "gray cloth trimmed with a collar of black velvet",
[157] cost 101 livres. Between these extremes, prices averaged
between 10 and 15 livres. Those who wore redingottes were
generally the same people who wore suits.
o 10. OVERCOAT
o It was also the same people who wore the overcoat (surtout),
a type of "justaucorps which one wore over other clothes
during winter". [158] However it had a collar and the front buttons
stopped at the level of the pockets. There were only three buttons at the back
opening. Though it was theoretically an outdoor coat, it could replace
the justaucorps and in some cases, it could be part of a suit,
since one reads, for example, of a surtout "with its vest
and breeches". [159] The surtout was not unusual at
Louisbourg but it was less common than the justaucorps from
which it differed only slightly. Like the justaucorps, it was made
of wool or cloth, but the colours we know about were less sombre than those
used in the suit (See Table No. 10).
o
o
TABLE N0. 9:
FABRICS AND COLOURS OF REDINGOTTES
|
PERIOD
|
WOOL
|
OTHER
|
COLOUR
|
|
1713
to 1745 |
1 carisé
|
2 drap
1 gros drap 1 étoffe |
2 blue
1 gray 1 "gray-brown" |
|
TOTAL
|
|
|
|
|
1748
to 1758 |
1 carisé
|
2 drap
2 gros drap 1 étoffe |
2 red
1 gray brown 1 brown |
|
TOTAL
|
1
|
5
|
-
|
|
GRAND TOTAL
|
2
|
9
|
-
|
o
DOCUMENTATION:
o
1713-1745: 5
fabrics and 4 colours of redingottes specified
o
1748-1758: 6
fabrics and 4 colours of redingottes specified
o
1713-1758: 11
fabrics and 8 colours of redingottes specified
o
o
TABLE N0. 10:
FABRICS AND COLOURS OF COATS (SURTOUTS)
|
PERIOD
|
WOOL
|
OTHER
|
COLOUR
|
|
1713
to 1745 |
1 plush
1 camlet |
6 étoffe
1 écarlate 1 toile |
2 red
1 white |
|
TOTAL
|
2
|
8
|
-
|
|
1748
to 1758 |
3 camlet
2 frieze (ratine) 1 carisé 1 mazamet 1 plush |
1 drap
1 poplin |
3 blue
2 red 2 gray 1 white |
|
TOTAL
|
8
|
2
|
-
|
|
GRAND TOTAL
|
10
|
10
|
-
|
o
DOCUMENTATION:
o
1713-1745: 10
fabrics and 3 colours of coats specified
o
1748-1758: 10
fabrics and 8 colours of coats specified
o
1713-1758: 20
fabrics and 11 colours of coats specified
o
o 11. FROCKCOAT
o The "frockcoat" (volant) is another
style of coat known in Louisbourg, though it was more rare than the surtout which
it resembled, being differentiated only by its unbuttoned sleeves and buttoned
collar. We doubt whether these differences were of great importance in the
usage of the time. Frequent mention is made of a frocked overcoat (surtout
volant) [160] or an "overcoat or frockcoat of red camlet with a vest
and breeches...4 livres". [161] This example suggests a
resemblance to the justaucorps since it was combined with a
vest and breeches, just as in a suit. The frockcoat was sometimes very
luxurious. A ship captain had a frockcoat of "gray Brussels camlet trimmed
with frogging of gold lace and new buttons of gold thread", which was
worth 95 livres. [162] Another, valued at 16 livres,
was certainly more sober. It was probably part of a uniform, since it was
described as a "regulation white frock coat" (volant blanc
d'ordonnance). [163] When camlet is not specified, the most common
reference is to "cloth"(drap) without further detail.
o E. WORK CLOTHES
o 1. DEVANTAUX
o In 1756 the inventory of a merchant's gods included
"sixteen goat's leather devantaux" [164] which were not
listed among the same goods sold a few days later. [165] The sale included
sixteen leather aprons (tabliers) which were not in the inventory. This
suggests that a devantau was an apron. This deduction provides
the only definition we have been able to find for this term, which would
correspond to the leather aprons one sees in engraved illustrations of 18th
century fishing scenes: men cleaning the fish after the boats returned wore a
type of apron which covered their front (devant).
o Devantaux were
common at Louisbourg. [166] They belonged to the men (except captains) who also
owned cloaks and fishermen's capots. Hence it was a fisherman's
garment and the sixteen belonging to the merchant were undoubtedly for sale.
These ones were of goat's leather. Others were of sheepskin [167] and the rest
say simply "leather" or "skin" or do not specify the material,
as if a devantauwere of leather by definition.
o 2. APRON
o The simple apron (tablier) was no doubt used
more frequently than the documents show. There were one hundred and thirty-two
kitchen aprons, "both good and bad" worth less than one livre together,
in the household of Governor Duquesnel. [168] His servants wore them for work.
A cooper accused of theft was said to have "put it all in his apron". [169] The cooper pretended that he was going to the pond where he soaked the barrel staves used in his work. This shows that he wore an apron in the course of his work.
A cooper accused of theft was said to have "put it all in his apron". [169] The cooper pretended that he was going to the pond where he soaked the barrel staves used in his work. This shows that he wore an apron in the course of his work.
o There are no references to aprons apart from these.
These are fairly important, then, to show that artisans and simple domestics at
Louisbourg protected their clothes with an apron while they worked.
o
The Louisbourg Institute of / L' Institut de
Louisbourg de Cape Breton University ~ © 1995-present ~ Louisbourg.info@pc.gc.ca
A Research Site for the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada operated by the Louisbourg Institute ~
Un site de recherche du lieu historique national du Canada de la Forteresse-de-Louisbourg géré par l'Institut de Louisbourg
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A Research Site for the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site of Canada operated by the Louisbourg Institute ~
Un site de recherche du lieu historique national du Canada de la Forteresse-de-Louisbourg géré par l'Institut de Louisbourg
Report/Rapport © Parks Canada / Parcs Canada --- Report Assembly/Rapport de l'assemblée © Krause House Info-Research Solutions
o
CIVIL COSTUME AT LOUISBOURG: 1713 - 1758
MEN'S COSTUME
MEN'S COSTUME
o
BY
o
MONIQUE LA GRENADE