A Pretious Treasury

or a New Dispensatory Contayning 70 approved Physical rare Receits. Most necessary and needfull for all sorts of people to have in their Families. Written by Salvator Winter and published in London in October 1649. It’s one of those books that claim to cure all ills and stop your hair falling out or going grey with a few pinches of pepper and a handful of herbs from the garden. It’s highly recommended! I particularly like A Medicine for the Squinsie: “Take the ashes of Centory, and the powder of white Dogs-turd, make it into a Plaister with Honey, spread it upon a cloth and lay it upon the griefe”. Nice.

Anyway, on the front cover appear a quack doctor and his assistant, presumably selling the concoctions described within. They are both dressed smartly in late 1640s short doublets and unconfined breeches. The Doc has his doublet open from halfway down so we can see the folds of his shirt  and a tall-crowned felt hat, whilst his boy is bareheaded, showing his cropped hair, possibly marking him out as an apprentice.

Barnabies Summons

or Paie your Groat in the Morning. Satirical single sheet publication on the dangers of drink printed in London in 1652. Barnaby was a proverbial name for a drunkard and he is definitely the worse for wear, being comforted by a fox after a long night. He is fashionably dressed though for the early 1650s, with a short doublet under which you can see his shirt and ribbon decoration at the bottom of his unconfined breeches. Nice rosettes on his shoes and notice the detail of the construction of his cap.

A Pious and Seasonable Perswasive

To the Sonnes of Zion, Soveraignely usefull for Composing their Unbrotherly Devisions. By “a Lover of the Truth and all those that live godly in Christ Jesus, printed in London by Henry Overton, March 1647. The tract is a call for unity in all the sects that formed the opposition to the King, and the illustration has some fine details. Note the square toed high boots and the ribbon decoration on the lower edges of their unconfined breeches. The Disenting Brother on the left has a fashionable off the shoulder cloak, whilst his godly counterpart on the left wears the kind of cloak worn by professionals, lawyers, clerics with a wide hanging collar that displays the lining when worn on the sholuders.

 

The Scots

Holding Their Yovng Kinge’s Nose to Ye Grinstone (sic). Pamphlet/broadsheet from 1651. It’s a familiar image, but there are some interesting details if you zoom in.

Jockie’s hat and coat cuffs for instance. Bonnet or wide brim?

His shoes and hose. Looks like they are sewn rather than knitted from the back seam and side gussets. He has unconfined breeches too.

The buttons on the back of his coat. Round and shanked.

And last but not least, Charles’s soft boots, boothose and breeches. Spot the ribbon decoration on the lower edge.

John Lilburne 1649

The arch Leveller at his trial. Colonell Lilburne was one of the more politically minded soldiers of the war, but here he is wearing the height of 1649 fashion with unconfined breeches, short doublet and soft boots.