Leather jerkin

Jerkins were sleeveless outer garments. They were worn by men and boys in the 1500s and 1600s, and towards the end of the 1600s were also popular with women. Jerkins were mostly made of leather and were worn over a doublet, a type of short jacket with long sleeves. This jerkin is made from buff leather, a soft thick flexible undyed leather, produced chiefly from the skins of buffalo, oxen and elk.

This type of jerkin is often associated with military wear rather than everyday wear. The thickness of the leather would deaden the impact of a blow. Jerkins could be worn under back and breast plate armour to provide extra protection. A leather jerkin like this was expensive, but it was lighter and more comfortable to wear than full metal armour.

The workmanship of this jerkin is exquisite with careful hand stitching through the thick leather. The split at the back suggests that it may have been designed to wear on horseback.

The jerkin was passed down through the Acton family. Family tradition maintains it was left behind by Charles I (1600-1649) at their home at Aldenham, after the Battle of Naseby in 1645. The small missing pieces of leather at the back of the jerkin may be testimony to this belief, as it is possible they were cut out as keepsakes by Royalist supporters of Charles. After his execution in 1649 Charles I was revered by some as a martyr, and relics and keepsakes of him were highly valued. Unfortunately there is no early documentary evidence to support this traditional association of the jerkin with Charles I, so it remains speculative.