Early cricket dress

Cricket on the Artillery Ground, Finsbury, 1743 by or after Francis Hayman, showing the lack of uniformity in early cricket dress © MCC

In the early days, dress varied greatly, although three-cornered or jockey hats, often with silver or gold lace started becoming more common; shirts were generally frilled, and other common items included nankeen breeches, silk stockings and buckled shoes. The Hambledon Club wore sky-blue coats with buttons, engraved "C.C.". The first uniform of the MCC was in azure blue.

1800-1850
From about 1810-15 trousers began to replace breeches, though Eton and Harrow still wore the latter in 1830. Tall "beaver" hats, in black or white, became the rule. Shirts were no longer frilled, but worn with rather high collars and spreading bow ties, while singlets instead of shirts were not uncommon. Wide braces were often seen, especially on professionals. Black "Oxford" shoes became universal, as did belts, with metal clasps, for the waist.

Towards the end of this period the tall hat began to give place to a full flannel cap, white or chequered, or, less commonly, to a straw hat, often rather of a haymaker's shape. Short, white flannel jackets, mentioned as early as 1812, began to appear as forerunners of "the blazer"; T. Lockyer, the Surrey cricketer, is thought to have been the first to wear "a cricket coat".

1850-1880
Under the lead of I Zingari (established 1845) club cricket colours began to appear, often as ribbons round the white bowler hats which were replacing the tall and straw hats of the previous two decades. Club caps date from about 1850, but Eton may have sported their light blue caps as early as 1831 and the Rugby XI were "habited alike" in 1843. The Winchester XI first wore their blue caps in 1851 and Harrow their striped caps in 1852. The Cambridge "blue" seems to date from 1861, the Oxford "blue" certainly from 1863. Coloured shirts became common as uniform; e.g. a pattern of coloured spots, stripes, or checks on a white ground: the All-England XI wore white shirts with pink spots.

Rugby School wearing their distinctive light blue shirts. Times and coloured kit may have made them trendy once again, but they have been playing in these colours for more than 175 years © Rugby School

1880-1895
Coloured shirts disappeared (except at Rugby School, where light blue shirts are still retained for the first XI). White shirts, with starched or semi-starched fronts, were the rule. Ties were not so common, but small bow ties in low turned-down starched collars common enough. White buckskin hoots were first worn about 1882, but they only gradually superseded the old brown and brown-and-white type. Umpires still wore ordinary suits.