Wellington boot

Modern polyurethane Wellington boots

A Wellington boot, often shortened to welly,[1] and also known as a gumboot, rubber boot, or rain boot,[2][3] is a type of waterproof boot made of rubber.

Originally a type of leather boot adapted from Hessian boots, a style of military riding boot, Wellington boots were worn and popularised by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. They became a staple of practical foot wear for the British aristocracy and middle class in the early 19th century. The name was subsequently given to waterproof rubber boots and they are no longer associated with a particular class. They are now commonly used for a range of agricultural and outdoors pursuits.

Names

The term Wellington boot comes from Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who instructed his shoemaker to create the boot by modifying the design of the Hessian boot.[1] The terms gumboot and rubber boot are both derived from the rubber modern Wellington boots are made from, with the term "gum" coming from gum rubber.[4]

The terms Wellington boot and gumboot are most commonly used in British English, with the term being occasionally used in American English. Instead, the terms rubber boot and rain boot are more commonly used in American English.[2][3] Further, in American English, the term Wellington boot is sometimes used to specifically refer to Wellington boots with a more fashionable design.[2]

History

Origins

The Duke of Wellington at Waterloo. By James Lonsdale, 1815. Here he is portrayed wearing tasselled Hessian boots

The Duke of Wellington instructed his shoemaker, Hoby of St. James's Street, London, to modify the 18th-century Hessian boot. The resulting new boot was fabricated in soft calfskin leather, had the trim removed and was cut to fit more closely around the leg. The heels were low cut, stacked around an inch (2.5 centimetres), and the boot stopped at mid-calf. It was suitably hard-wearing for riding, yet smart enough for informal evening wear. The boot was dubbed the Wellington and the name has stuck in English ever since. In the 1815 portrait by James Lonsdale, the Duke can be seen wearing the more formal Hessian style boots, which are tasselled.[5]

Dress Wellington boots, c. 1845

Wellington's utilitarian new boots quickly caught on with patriotic British gentlemen eager to emulate their war hero.[6] Considered fashionable and foppish in the best circles and worn by dandies, such as Beau Brummell, they remained the main fashion for men through the 1840s. In the 1850s they were more commonly made in the calf-high version, and in the 1860s they were both superseded by the ankle boot, except for riding. Wellington is one of the two British Prime Ministers to have given his name to an item of clothing, the other being Sir Anthony Eden (see Anthony Eden hat) whilst Sir Winston Churchill gave his name to a cigar, and William Gladstone (four times prime minister between 1868 and 1894) gave his to the Gladstone Bag, the classic doctor's portmanteau.

World War I

Production of the Wellington boot was dramatically boosted with the advent of World War I and a requirement for footwear suitable for the conditions in Europe's flooded and muddy trenches. The North British Rubber Company (now Hunter Boot Ltd) was asked by the War Office to construct a boot suitable for such conditions. The mills ran day and night to produce immense quantities of these trench boots. In total, 1,185,036 pairs were made to meet the British Army's demands.[citation needed]

World War II

In World War II, Hunter Boot was again requested to supply vast quantities of Wellington and thigh boots. 80% of production was of war materials, from (rubber) ground sheets to life belts and gas masks. In the Netherlands, the British forces were working in flooded conditions which demanded Wellingtons and thigh boots in vast supplies.

By the end of the war in 1945, the Wellington had become popular among men, women and children for wet weather wear. The boot had developed to become far roomier with a thick sole and rounded toe. Also, with the rationing of that time, labourers began to use them for daily work.

Post-war

Modern Hunter natural rubber Wellington boots

The lower cost and ease of rubber "Wellington" boot manufacture, and being entirely waterproof, lent itself immediately to being the preferred protective material to leather in all forms of industry. Increased attention to occupational health and safety requirements led to the steel toe or steel-capped Wellington: a protective (commonly internal) toe-capping to protect the foot from crush and puncture injuries. Although traditionally made of steel, the reinforcement may be a composite or a plastic material such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Such steel-toe Wellingtons are nearly indispensable in an enormous range of industry and are often mandatory wear to meet local occupational health and safety legislation or insurance requirements.

In July 1956, the Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Commission published its Report on the Supply of Certain Rubber Footwear,[7] which covered rubber boots of all kinds including Wellingtons and overboots. This 107-page official publication addressed contemporary concerns about unfair pricing of rubber footwear manufactured in the UK or imported from overseas. The appendices include lists of rubber footwear manufacturers and price-lists of each company's range of Wellington boots available in the mid-1950s.

Green Wellington boots, introduced by Hunter Boot Ltd in 1955, gradually became a shorthand for "country life" in the UK.[8] In 1980, sales of their boots skyrocketed after Lady Diana Spencer (future Princess Diana) was pictured wearing a pair on the Balmoral estate during her courtship with Prince Charles.[8][9]

Construction

Wellington boots were at first made of leather. However, in 1852 Hiram Hutchinson met Charles Goodyear, who had just invented the sulfur vulcanisation process for natural rubber. Hutchinson bought the patent to manufacture footwear and moved to France to establish À l'Aigle ("At the Eagle") in 1853, to honour his home country. Today the company is simply called Aigle. In a country where 95% of the population were working on fields with wooden clogs as they had been for generations, the introduction of the wholly waterproof, Wellington-type rubber boot became an instant success: farmers would be able to come back home with clean, dry feet.

Design

Clockwise from top: Sperry Top-Sider, Le Chameau, Jeantex, Aigle, Gill, Helly-Hansen and Newport short and tall rubber sailing Wellingtons

Wellington boots in contemporary usage are waterproof and are most often made from rubber or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a halogenated polymer. They are usually worn when walking on wet or muddy ground, or to protect the wearer from heavy showers and puddles. They are generally just below knee-high although shorter boots are available.

Use

Colourful printed rubber Wellingtons

Before its entry into the mobile phone business, rubber boots were among the best-known products of Nokia.[10][11]

Both the Finnish Defence Forces and the Swedish Armed Forces issue rubber boots to all soldiers for use in wet conditions and during the winter with felt liners.[12]

Cultural impact

Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher was Wellington's colleague at the Battle of Waterloo and there is speculation that some early emigrants to Australia, remembering the battle, may have confused a different design the Blucher shoe developed by Blucher. The Australian poet Henry Lawson wrote a poem to a pair of Blucher Boots in 1890.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Wellington Boots". The Fashiongton Post. 3 September 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Tuft, Karen (30 March 2022). "What Do Americans Call Wellies? (Inc Wellies History)". Wonderful Wellies. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b University, Yeshiva. "A Brief History of the Rain Boot". Treehugger. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  4. ^ Sole, Steve. "Gumboots". New Zealand Geographic. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  5. ^ "James Lonsdale's portrait of Wellington". Gac.culture.gov.uk. 25 January 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  6. ^ Christopher Breward, “Men in Heels: From Power to Perversity,” in Shoes: Pleasure and Pain, ed. Helen Persson (London: V&A Publishing, 2015), 137; Matthew McCormack, “Boots, Material Culture and Georgian Masculinities,” Social History 42, no. 4 (2017): 475–478
  7. ^ Monopolies and Restrictive Practices Commission, Report on the Supply of Certain Rubber Footwear, London: HMSO, 1956. Full text retrieved on 22 February 2019 at http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20111202181215/http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/1950_1959/015footware.htm.
  8. ^ a b "Will Kate kick off a war of the Wellies?". The Telegraph. 17 June 2015.
  9. ^ "These were the boots that shaped the world". The Telegraph. 17 June 2015. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015.
  10. ^ "London Telegraph". The Telegraph. Telegraph.co.uk. 16 February 2016. Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  11. ^ "Finnish Footwear Sale". New York Times. 28 November 1989. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  12. ^ "Gummistövlar M/90 /K". Dokument.forsvarsmakten.se. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  13. ^ "'To a Pair of Blucher Boots' by Henry Lawson". Archived from the original on 10 June 2007. Retrieved 17 July 2019.

Read other articles:

French poet, dramatist and novelist Jean AicardAicard ca. 1880Born(1848-02-04)4 February 1848ToulonDied13 May 1921(1921-05-13) (aged 73)ParisLanguageFrenchNationalityFrenchGenrePoetry Jean Aicard by the sculptor Victor Nicolas (bronze bust, 1931). Jean Aicard, sketch byFélix Régamey, ca. 1878. Jean François Victor Aicard (4 February 1848 – 13 May 1921) was a French poet, dramatist, and novelist.[1] Biography He was born in Toulon. His father, Jean Aicard, was a journalist of...

 

 

John Malcolm Fobes Ludlow (1821-1911) John Malcolm Forbes Ludlow CB (Neemuch, Brits-Indië, 8 maart 1821 - Londen, 27 oktober 1911) was een Brits advocaat, filantroop en voorman van de Engelse Christensocialistische beweging.[1] Hij was een belangrijk theoreticus binnen de coöperatieve beweging.[2] Biografie John Ludlow, nakomeling van Edmund Ludlow (c. 1617-1692) werd geboren in Brits-Indië en hij ontving zijn opleiding in Frankrijk, waar hij de invloed onderging van het ut...

 

 

هذه المقالة يتيمة إذ تصل إليها مقالات أخرى قليلة جدًا. فضلًا، ساعد بإضافة وصلة إليها في مقالات متعلقة بها. (أبريل 2019) براد هاريسون   معلومات شخصية الميلاد 11 مارس 1972 (51 سنة)  برياركليف مانور (نيويورك)  مواطنة الولايات المتحدة  الحياة العملية المدرسة الأم كلية سلوان ل�...

Pasarean Agung Asta Tinggi Kompleks Makam Raja-Raja SumenepPintu Gerbang utama Asta Induk dalam kompleks makam Asta Tinggi, bangunannya dipengaruhi oleh gaya arsitektur EropaInformasi umumLokasi Sumenep, Jawa TimurAlamatJalan Raya Asta Tinggi, Kebon Agung, Kota Sumenep Asta Tinggi adalah kawasan pemakaman khusus para Pembesar/Raja/Kerabat Raja yang teletak di kawasan dataran tinggi bukit Kebon Agung Sumenep. Dalam Bahasa Madura, Asta Tinggi disebut juga sebagai Asta Rajâ yang bermakna makam ...

 

 

Marduk-zakir-szumi II – król Babilonii w 703 roku p.n.e. Zorganizował rebelię, która pozbawiła władzy w Babilonie króla asyryjskiego Sennacheryba. Sam został obalony po zaledwie dwóch tygodniach panowania przez wieloletniego (byłego) króla Marduk-apla-iddinę II[1]. Przypisy ↑ Marc van de Mieroop: Historia starożytnego Bliskiego Wschodu ok. 3000-323 p.n.e.. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, 2008, s. 258. ISBN 978-83-233-25...

 

 

Questa voce sull'argomento stazioni dell'Emilia-Romagna è solo un abbozzo. Contribuisci a migliorarla secondo le convenzioni di Wikipedia. San Biagio in Padulestazione ferroviariaLocalizzazioneStato Italia LocalitàSan Biagio, frazione di San Felice sul Panaro Coordinate44°51′26.81″N 11°07′52.63″E / 44.857448°N 11.131285°E44.857448; 11.131285Coordinate: 44°51′26.81″N 11°07′52.63″E / 44.857448°N 11.131285°E44.857448; 11.131285 ...

Canadian ice hockey player (born 1988) Ice hockey player Keaton Ellerby Ellerby with the Winnipeg Jets in 2014Born (1988-11-05) November 5, 1988 (age 35)Strathmore, Alberta, CanadaHeight 6 ft 5 in (196 cm)Weight 216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb)Position DefenceShot LeftPlayed for Florida PanthersLos Angeles KingsWinnipeg JetsBarys AstanaHC Fribourg-GottéronLukkoMora IKIserlohn RoostersDornbirn BulldogsFerencvárosi TCSheffield SteelersNHL Draft 10th overall, ...

 

 

Turkish and Azeri dish Stuffed quincesRegion or stateTurkey, AzerbaijanServing temperatureHot  Media: Stuffed quinces Stuffed quinces (Turkish: Ayva dolması)[1][2] are made of quinces stuffed with meat (lamb) and rice. The ingredients are ground meat, rice, quince, grape molasses, coriander, salt, and warm water. See also List of stuffed dishes References ^ Quince Stuffed with Savory Lamb - Peggy Lampman's dinnerFeed. 2 December 2010. ^ Republic Of Turkey Ministry Of...

 

 

This article is about the former Peterborough District Hospital. For the present-day hospital, see Peterborough City Hospital. Hospital in Cambs. , United KingdomPeterborough District HospitalPeterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustPeterborough District HospitalGeographyLocationThorpe Road, Peterborough, Cambs. PE3 6DA, United KingdomCoordinates52°34′25″N 0°15′17″W / 52.5735°N 0.2546°W / 52.5735; -0.2546OrganisationCare systemNational Health...

Character in the Star Wars universe Fictional character K-2SOStar Wars characterK-2SO in Rogue OneFirst appearanceRogue One (2016)Created byJohn KnollPortrayed byAlan TudykVoiced byAlan TudykIn-universe informationSpeciesRobotGenderMasculine programmingOccupation Imperial security droid (formerly) Co-pilot of Cassian Andor Affiliation Galactic Empire (formerly) Rebel Alliance HomeworldVulpter K-2SO (also referred to as K2 or Kaytoo-Esso) is a droid character in the Star Wars franchise, first ...

 

 

2015 single by Carrie UnderwoodHeartbeatSingle by Carrie Underwoodfrom the album Storyteller ReleasedNovember 30, 2015 (2015-11-30)GenreCountry popR&BLength3:29LabelArista Nashville19Songwriter(s)Carrie UnderwoodZach CrowellAshley GorleyProducer(s)Zach CrowellCarrie Underwood singles chronology Smoke Break (2015) Heartbeat (2015) Church Bells (2016) Music videosHeartbeat on YouTube Heartbeat is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Carrie Underwood from her fift...

 

 

Ruta N.º 36 Uruguay Uruguay Ruta 36 próximo a Los Cerrillos. Datos de la rutaTipo Ruta nacionalCamino departamentalOtros datosDepartamentos Montevideo CanelonesIntersecciones Ruta 5, Ruta 48, Ruta 49, Ruta 46, Ruta 47.Orientación • sureste Ruta 5(34°46′03.0″S 56°15′58.6″O / -34.767500, -56.266278) • noroeste Paso Belastiquí(34°32′14.7″S 56°26′50.3″O / -34.537417, -56.447306)[editar datos en Wikidata] La ruta n.º3...

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: 46th Infantry Regiment United States – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) 46th Infantry RegimentCoat of armsActive1917–presentCountry United StatesBranch United State...

 

 

American professional wrestler Bob Orton Jr.Orton (right) driving Jimmy Snuka into a turnbuckle in 2009Birth nameRobert Keith Orton Jr.Born (1950-11-10) November 10, 1950 (age 73)Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.Spouse(s) Elaine Orton ​(m. 1968)​Children3, including RandyFamilyBob Orton (father)Barry Orton (brother)Randy Orton (son)Professional wrestling careerRing name(s)Bob Orton Jr.[1]Bob Orton[1]The Invader[1]Young Mr. WrestlingBilled heig...

 

 

Comprehensive high school in San Anselmo, CaliforniaArchie Williams High SchoolArchie Williams High School ShieldAddress1327 Sir Francis Drake BoulevardSan Anselmo, California 94960Coordinates37°59′01″N 122°34′19″W / 37.98361°N 122.57194°W / 37.98361; -122.57194[1]InformationOther nameHigh School 1327Former nameSir Francis Drake High SchoolSchool typePublic, comprehensive high schoolFounded1951School districtTamalpais Union High School DistrictOvers...

English composer and organist, died 1814 For the 19th-century organist of Manchester Cathedral, see Joseph John Harris. Joseph Harris (1743–1814) was a composer and organist based in Ludlow and then Birmingham.[1] Sketch of Joseph Harris. Life He was born in Bristol, son of John and Mary Harris, on 8 September 1743 and baptised in St Nicholas Church, Bristol on 8 October 1743.[2] He matriculated at Magdalen College, Oxford on 16 March 1773, and graduated B.Mus. 24 March ...

 

 

City in Kweneng District, BotswanaLetlhakeng LethakengcityLetlhakengLocation in BotswanaCoordinates: 24°5′45″S 25°1′47″E / 24.09583°S 25.02972°E / -24.09583; 25.02972CountryBotswanaDistrictKweneng DistrictPopulation (2011) • Total7,229Websitehttps://www.letlhakeng.com/ Letlhakeng or Lethakeng is an urban village in Kweneng District of Botswana. The village is located 75 km north-west of Molepolole. The population of Letlhakeng was 7,2...

 

 

Mike JataNegara HungaryDaerahSomogyZon waktuUTC+1 (CET) • Musim panas (DST)UTC+2 (CEST) Mike merupakan sebuah kampung yang terletak di wilayah Somogy, barat-daya Hungary. Pautan luar Street map (Hungarian) lbsWilayah SomogyIbu kota: KaposvárBandaraya dan bandar Siófok Marcali Barcs Nagyatád Balatonboglár Csurgó Fonyód Balatonlelle Tab Nagybajom Lengyeltóti Kadarkút Zamárdi Balatonföldvár Igal Kampung Ádánd Alsóbogát Andocs Babócsa Bábonymegyer Bakháza Balato...

87th edition of the Miss America competition Miss America 2014DateSeptember 15, 2013 (2013-09-15)PresentersChris HarrisonLara SpencerVenueBoardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey[1]BroadcasterABCEntrants53WinnerNina Davuluri New York← 20132015 → Miss America 2014, the 87th Miss America pageant was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey Sunday, September 15, 2013.[2] Miss America 2013, Mallory Hagan crowned the winner,...

 

 

Cet article est une ébauche concernant une localité malienne. Vous pouvez partager vos connaissances en l’améliorant (comment ?) selon les recommandations des projets correspondants. Tesserla Administration Pays Mali Région Ségou Cercle Barouéli Maire Mamadou Traoré (URD) Démographie Population 6 447 hab. (2009) Population précédent recensement 4 450 hab. Géographie Coordonnées 13° 10′ 54″ nord, 6° 10′ 48″ ouest L...

 

 

Strategi Solo vs Squad di Free Fire: Cara Menang Mudah!