General Wolfe's Field Coat c.1727-59
Green serge (wool) with lining of red serge | 140.0 cm (whole object) | RCIN 31955
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Dark green full length cloak of green serge lined with red serge, with wide collar and detachable hood. Major James P. Wolfe was a British Army Officer who achieved posthumous fame after defeating French forces on the Plains of Abraham in 1759, allowing the British to take Quebec, which led in turn to the capture of Montreal and the end of French control of Canada. He was killed on the Plains of Abraham and was reputedly lain on this cloak in his final moments. He is immortalised in the painting 'The Death of General Wolfe' by Benjamin West, 1770.
Provenance
The cloak originally belonged to General Wolfe (1727-1759). On his death it was taken by his friend Isaac Barré (1726-1802) who had served as Wolfe's Adjutant-General and may have been at his side when he died. Barré later became a prominent parliamentarian and passed the cloak on to the Marquis of Townsend (1724-1807), another veteran of the Canadian campaign who had served under Wolfe as a Brigadier and had assumed command of the forces once the General had fallen. Like Barré, Townsend went on to forge a political career and the two men remained friends. The cloak was eventually presented to George, Prince Regent by Frederick Beilby Watson, assistant to Sir Benjamin Bloomfield, Private Secretary to the Prince. It is recorded in the 1816 inventory of Carlton House, the Prince Regent's residence. King William IV later sent the cloak to the Tower of London.
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Medium and techniques
Green serge (wool) with lining of red serge
Measurements
140.0 cm (whole object)
Category
