Shooting Coats/Jackets

[Edward]

I've seen a lot of this sort of design around over the last few years:

The design purpose is obvious (to provide warmth while out on a grouse shoot or similar, while coordinating with a tweed shooting suit; the large hip pockets are designed to carry shotgun shells), but I'm intrigued as to when these originated. The design puts me in mind of a lot of the waxed cotton countrywear designs that originated in the eighties, but I've long wodnered whether this has earlier roots. Any ideas?

 

[Doctor Damage]

I was interested in this stuff back in the 90s and used to collect catalogues from various country retailers. These types have jackets have always been around conservative country types, and I believe they started as the uniforms for keepers etc made up in the estate tweed. At some point, however, the mass of people got tired of ratty waxed jackets and wanted something more luxurious, and these came forward from off the "help" and onto the guns and landowners and yuppies. I remember suddenly seeing a bunch of these types of jackets appear in catalogues in the 90s, often with gore-tex liners or something to give them extra water-resistance. Nowadays these seem to be more popular than waxed jackets for people with money, and why not? They look better and are probably warmer.

 

[wdw]

I see quite a lot of that (relatively speaking) on the streets of Edinburgh. Invariably worn with a flat cap, tan brogues and khaki-ish trousers.

To me, it seems to be trying too hard, but I can understand that it's an upmarket uniform for ex-Barbour types.

 

[rocketeer]

I went out on a Norfolk shoot recently, not shooting but beating. This was a farmers shoot rather than gentry. I did not feel right taking photo's as I was invited along basically just for the day by friends in farming. During the shoot, one group were on the guns while the others drove. I stayed mainly as a driver(beater) but did get a chance to shoot later in the day. Alas I just caught the tail feather but did not bring the bird down, so felt a bit awkward and declined a share of the birds we shot.
Overall a great insight into country life and the camaraderie amongst these people, also the use of both experienced dogs and some youngsters retrieving the birds.
An amusing turn was the lost tourist wide eyed at all these men walking the farm tracks(public roads) carrying shotguns
The various styles of jackets worn were as above pic, also a few waxed green Barbours. You will find many styles, often with a leather breast patch for the gun butt, also a button slightly above the hip pocket to hold the flap open for access to the shells(above) on a serious shooting jacket.
These were professional men and women, both farmers and keepers who adapted their style to suit their daily work as well as sporting shoots so a variety of headwear from Harris Tweed to leather bush hats were worn. A few wore traditional socks and ties but no one over did it, just mainly kept to greens and brown shades. As an amateur I just wore some green cords, a green waxed Barbour and a tweed flat cap and felt right at home in my wellies.

 

[HPA Rep]

I went out on a Norfolk shoot recently, not shooting but beating. This was a farmers shoot rather than gentry. I did not feel right taking photo's as I was invited along basically just for the day by friends in farming. During the shoot, one group were on the guns while the others drove. I stayed mainly as a driver(beater) but did get a chance to shoot later in the day. Alas I just caught the tail feather but did not bring the bird down, so felt a bit awkward and declined a share of the birds we shot.
Overall a great insight into country life and the camaraderie amongst these people, also the use of both experienced dogs and some youngsters retrieving the birds.
An amusing turn was the lost tourist wide eyed at all these men walking the farm tracks(public roads) carrying shotguns
The various styles of jackets worn were as above pic, also a few waxed green Barbours. You will find many styles, often with a leather breast patch for the gun butt, also a button slightly above the hip pocket to hold the flap open for access to the shells(above) on a serious shooting jacket.
These were professional men and women, both farmers and keepers who adapted their style to suit their daily work as well as sporting shoots so a variety of headwear from Harris Tweed to leather bush hats were worn. A few wore traditional socks and ties but no one over did it, just mainly kept to greens and brown shades. As an amateur I just wore some green cords, a green waxed Barbour and a tweed flat cap and felt right at home in my wellies.

As a longtime hunter and longtime hunter of upland game among gentleman, you painted a vision that is mythical to me. Sounds like "Downton Abbey." Love It! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Michael A]

I think I need to look for a coat like these with the big bag pockets. Would be very nice for the early year mushroom hunts with room for magnifiers, camera, extra collection bags, etc. And looking good at the same time.

Michael

 

[rocketeer]

As a longtime hunter and longtime hunter of upland game among gentleman, you painted a vision that is mythical to me. Sounds like "Downton Abbey." Love It! Thanks for sharing.

Never seen 'Downnton Abbey' Upper class drama's don't really do it for me, I'm more a Jeeves and Wooster type if the gentry are involved.
A few more details that separate a farmers shoot and the Landed gentry parties are:
Gentry and their invites use loaders for their guns. One doesn't wish to be encumbered with bags of cartridges etc. The farmers load themselves.
The dogs are usually fully trained. We had dogs of various experience, some retrieving naturally with the youngsters chasing but not fetching the birds, the inexperienced dogs occasionally fighting for a bird leaving it a mess of bloody meat and feathers.
The drive: The farmers will shout calls to scare the birds into flight beating with sticks and canes, calling and encouraging the dogs to fetch the kills or chase the 'runners'. That is those birds brought down but not killed and run off. During the professional shoot the drivers(beaters) have to be seen and not heard, flags made from sailcloth or similar that can be cracked like a whip are often used and sticks but no shouting by the drivers. A head driver is selected who signals for safety both the start and finish of the drive.
The farmers will take around 30-50 birds visiting around 8 fields. We shot on four fields then it was back to the barn for a bite to eat, then the other fields till time for the count up. The 'Downton' teams will have fine wines and whatever in a catering tent while the loaders clean and oil the Purdy's and Holland & Holland shotguns. On our shoot one field yielded around 23 birds, another only 3, whereas the invited shooting parties will kill around 400 also in various fields, most birds being specially bread and brought in for the occasion.
Most of our birds were Pheasant with a few Dovecot and Partridge. The odd Magpie is also shot if spotted as these will steal the pheasant eggs.
Finally we had a sweepstake at the beginning of the shoot for the kill tally with the nearest taking his winnings, the kill spread amongst those who wanted a brace, the remainder going to a local butcher(also a member of the shoot).
And so ends a frosty day in the north Norfolk fields. Maybe I will get a re invite and next time down a couple of pheasant allowing me to be able to 'legally' wear a feather in my cap.

The patterns of the cloth's appear to vary and though I have not investigated, I would think are rather like Scottish tartans, the different checks belonging to different families in the past.
Cheers, J.

 

[Edward]

Sounds like you were on a 'real' shoot with a level of skill invovled; a lot of the "go shooting for an afternoon!" type events for the city boys on game estates see so many birds being driven that it's impossible not to hit something. Fortunately most of the surplus on the likes of those estates I gather makes its way to local restaurant tables. Which is fine with me... all politics of hunting and field sports aside, I hate to see wastage.


Michael, if you're looking for one of these, I've had these recommended to me in the past: http://www.bobparratt.co.uk/PBSCCatalog.asp?ItmID=12966875 Don't know if I'll go with the coat, but at their prices I plan to experiment with the tweed suit for the office.

 

[nick123]

I love these. Just knowing they exist is good enough for me. Beautiful things. The ones with the stitching near the shoulder for the butt of the rifle are pretty cool!

 

[Doctor Damage]

Here's a really early shooting coat variant in corduroy, long before the 'estate tweed' versions moved beyond the keepers and became so ubiquitous. You don't see much in corduroy today but I'd buy a coat like this today.

 

[rocketeer]

Here's a really early shooting coat variant in corduroy, long before the 'estate tweed' versions moved beyond the keepers and became so ubiquitous. You don't see much in corduroy today but I'd buy a coat like this today.

Saw one of these in the same tan corduroy at a car boot sale recently. Didn't buy it as It was not really 'me'. I didn't think it was a shooting jacket as it had none of the details as the standard Norfolk type, just the same suede shoulder patches and bag pockets. I just imagined it as a 1970s heavy jacket

 

[Doctor Damage]

Lord Lucan in a nice coat.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Here's a really early shooting coat variant in corduroy, long before the 'estate tweed' versions moved beyond the keepers and became so ubiquitous. You don't see much in corduroy today but I'd buy a coat like this today.

I guess postimg doesn't keep images around for long, which is fine since it's free. In any case, here's that corduroy jacket being worn by Prince Philip and Patrick McGoohan in Ice Station Zebra.

 

[Doctor Damage]

^ Further to that, here's a real one from e-bay. This would make a great custom commission.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Here's a really cool LL Bean vintage suede version of their classic field coat.