A Norfolk jacket is a loose, belted,
single-breasted
A single-breasted garment is a coat, jacket, vest, or similar item having one column of buttons and a narrow overlap of fabric. In contrast, a double-breasted coat has a wider overlap and two parallel rows of buttons.
Single-breasted suit
...
tweed jacket with
box pleat
A pleat (plait in older English) is a type of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabric to a narrower circumference.
Pleats are cat ...
s on the back and front, with a belt or half-belt. It was originally designed as a shooting coat that did not bind when the elbow was raised to fire. Its origin is uncertain but it may have been named after
Coke of Norfolk
Thomas William Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (6 May 175430 June 1842), known as Coke of Norfolk or Coke of Holkham, was a British politician and agricultural reformer. Born to Wenman Coke, Member of Parliament (MP) for Derby, and his wife Elizab ...
, the
Duke of Norfolk, or after the county of
Norfolk. It was made fashionable after the 1860s in the sporting circle of the Prince of Wales, later
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...
, whose country residence was
Sandringham House in Norfolk. The style was long popular for boys' jackets and suits, and is still used in some (primarily military and police) uniforms.
History
There have been several theories regarding the origin of the Norfolk jacket, although none are supported by much evidence. The first theory is that the jacket originated with
Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk
Henry Fitzalan-Howard, 15th Duke of Norfolk, (27 December 184711 February 1917), styled Lord Maltravers until 1856 and Earl of Arundel and Surrey between 1856 and 1860, was a British Unionist politician and philanthropist. He served as Postmas ...
, who invented it for use as a hunting coat in the late 1860s. According to this theory, the jacket was then discovered by Edward, Prince of Wales (later
King Edward VII), whose country residence was at
Sandringham House in Norfolk, and was made popular by him in the 1880s. No pictures of the prince in such a garment exist, however.
Another theory is that the jacket was invented by
Thomas Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (1754–1842), known as Coke of Norfolk, who regularly hosted guests such as the then Prince of Wales (the future
George IV) for duck-shooting events at his estate in
Holkham
Holkham is a small village and civil parish in north Norfolk, England, which includes a stately home and estate, Holkham Hall, and a beach, Holkham Gap, at the centre of Holkham National Nature Reserve.
Geography
The parish has an area of an ...
, Norfolk.
It is also possible that there is no specific origin story, and the jacket was named as such simply because it was invented in the county of
Norfolk.
The jacket has been modified several times since its invention, and its original form is now unknown. A version popularised in the 1930s consisted of a larger version of a
sportscoat, together with a belt.
Types
There are many types of Norfolk jacket, with variations including the type of
pleat
A pleat (plait in older English) is a type of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabric to a narrower circumference.
Pleats are ca ...
used, and the style of the belt. Popular varieties today include the full Norfolk jacket, which features three or four buttons in a single-breasted layout, with pleats and a full belt; and the half Norfolk jacket which is less pleated and has only a half belt. Both these types have a
notched lapel and a
patch pocket. The Norfolk suit is an attire in which a Norfolk jacket is combined with matching trousers to form a full suit. This style was popular in the 1930s and 1940s but is rare today.
Uses
The Norfolk jacket has been employed in the military in the past, for example in the
Australian Armed Forces
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of the Commonwealth of Australia and its national interests. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air For ...
in 1916, in which the women's uniform featured a Norfolk jacket combined with a felt hat, and by the
North-West Mounted Police in Canada in the 1870s. It was also popularised in the
Sears Catalog as a boy's garment in the early twentieth century, alongside the "
Buster Brown" suit.
See also
*
British country clothing
British country clothing or English country clothing is the traditional attire worn by men and women in rural Britain; it is the choice of clothing when taking part in outdoor sports such as equestrian pursuits, shooting, fishing and during gener ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norfolk Jacket
1860s fashion
Jackets
Military uniforms
History of clothing (Western fashion)
Norfolk
Lounge jackets