Smocks

  • A smock worn by a resident in Piddington
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There was a style of smock, worn by workers, which was particular to Wheatley and was last worn by Joseph Frampton (see record 1299). It was a potective outer garment worn by countrymen in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries (see 'Smocks' by Maggie Hall of which there is a copy with this record). The gathering or smocking was functional as well as decorative as it gave the garment shape and a certain elasticity, allowing freedom of movement. Locally, there was an expert smocker, Mrs Kimber at Headington Quarry. A resident of Wheatley also clearly made these as (see page 19 of 'Smocks') she used to walk to the factory at Oxford 'with a bundle of those heavy smocks as our Mam worked in crinkle-crankle stitch'.

From page 23: The wearing of smocks is usually associated with those employed as farm labourers but they were worn by coun­trymen following many different pro­fessions, for example ploughmen, wag­oners, gardeners, woodmen and game­keepers. Shepherds often wore them as they provided an excellent protection against cold and rain. Tradesmen such as butchers, fish­mongers and tailors were also known to have worn smocks. Smocks worn by stonemasons had very little gathering on them as the stone dust would collect in the gathers and, par­ticularly during wet weather, make the smock too heavy. One stonemason from Oxfordshire used to have a pocket in his smock for his ruler and pencil ‘in case he needed to measure anything’.

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