Clothing Soldiers; Development of a System of Production and Supply of Military Clothing in England from 1645 to 1708.

This paper sets up and identifies certain needs that a soldier's clothing of this period had to satisfy, divided into the physical and psychological, as exemplified by the provision of warmth as well as identity. A consideration and analysis of the processes and systems of supply in place between 1645 and 1708 will follow in order to identify changes and developments in the way that the English Military man was clothed. The subsequent discussion of relevant objects alongside official clothing contracts and documents concerning supply will attempt to investigate the success or failure of these different supply systems according to their ability to satisfy the physical and psychological needs essential for a soldier to function successfully. Most notably, this paper will draw upon the unique examples of late seventeenth and early eighteenth century sealed pattern garments in the Armémuseum in Stockholm. These objects are both excellently preserved and illustrative of the process of manufacturing and storing exemplar garments for the army. As such they indicate the manner in which similar supply systems were developing across Europe. They also provide a rare example of the style and suit of clothing worn by a regular soldier, from the undershirt to the outer cloak, (c. 1750s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]