A Plain Jerkin.
In 1697 a jerkin was described by Randle Holme as “a kind of jacket or upper doublet, with four skirts or laps.” These laps were made by slits up from the hem to the belt-line, and varied in number, but four on each side was a usual number, or there might be a slit up the back, and one on each hip, which would afford four laps in all. Mr. Knight, in his notes on Shakespere’s use of the word, conjectures that the jerkin was generally worn over the doublet; but one guess is as good as another, and I guess it was not. I agree, however, with his surmise that the two garments were constantly confounded; in truth it is not a surmise, it is a fact. Shakespere expressed the situation when he said in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, “My jerkin is a doublet;” and I fancy there was slight difference in the garments, save that in the beginning the doublet was always of two thicknesses, as its name indicates; and it was wadded.
As the jerkin was often minutely slashed, it could scarcely have been wadded; though it may have had a lining for special display through the slashes.
A jerkin had no skirts in our modern sense of the word,—a piece set on at the waist-line,—nor could it on that account be what we term a coat, nor was it a coat, nor was it what the colonists deemed a coat.
The old Dutch word is jurkken, and it was often thus spelt, which has led some to deem it a Dutch name and article of dress. But then it was also spelt irkin, ircken, jorken, jorgen, erkyn, and ergoin—which are not Dutch nor any other tongue. Indeed, under the name ergoin I wonder that we recognize it or that it knew itself. A jerkin was often of leather like a buff-coat, but not always so.
Sir Richard Saltonstall wears a buff-coat, with handsome sword-belt, or trooping-belt, and rich gloves. His portrait is shown [here]. As we look at his fine countenance we think of Hawthorne’s words:—
“What dignitary is this crossing to greet the Governor. A stately personage in velvet cloak—with ample beard and a gold band across his breast. He has the authoritative port of one who has filled the highest civic position in the first of cities. Of all men in the world, we should least expect to meet the Lord Mayor of London—as Sir Richard Saltonstall has been once and again—in a forest-bordered settlement in the western wilderness.”
A fine buff-coat and a buff-coat sleeve are given in the chapter upon Armor.