‘Gill’, the Head Driver at Waltham (b.1746, d. after 1804), wearing replica 18th century linen shirt and breeches.

Enslaved African people taken to the Caribbean and the Americas were given only one or two sets of clothing a year by their enslavers. You might imagine how dirty and tattered it became.

This shirt, replicated from a 1771 pattern, is made from very coarse and heavy linen. The shirt is long so it could be used as a nightgown and also for work. The breeches which have a fall-front and a leather tie at the back to adjust the waist are of finer, but coarse linen. 18th century Scottish weavers had ready market exporting this cloth and clothing to the colonies. The Scottish economy thrived on supporting slavery.

The re-enforced stitching was designed to withstand hard manual labour with extra gatherings in the breeches to allow for lots of bending when working on a plantation.

Gill lived at Waltham, Grenada, from at least 1771, perhaps earlier (the archives do not record when he first arrived) to at least 1804, when he was aged 58. He became the lead driver—the person who would have to force other enslaved people to work hard in the fields.

This clothing was made by Stefan Romero as a research project for Paxton House whilst studying on the Art History: Dress and Textiles MLitt course at The University of Glasgow.