English boys have worn kneepants, short pants, knickers, and long pants as well as a variety of lesser types. The English use the term "Trousers" and the American usage of pants is reserved for underpants. The popularity of the different troser types varied significantly over time. There were also a variety of conventions associated with them. One of the most important was age conventions. Modern pants developed in the 17th century and gradually evolved into the knee breeches that were commonly worn by men and boys in the 18th century. We notice bloomer knickers in the mid-19th century. They were worn by younger boys, initially as part of a suit. Bloomer knickers were worn rather like knee pants and were more popular in England than in America. Knee pants were one of the styles of shortened-length pants thay appeared for boys in the mid-19th century. They were straight-cut pants and not bloused out like knickers. They eventually became standard for British boys and wre widely worn at schools. Knickers or "knickerbockers" as they are more commonly called in England were developed as country wear for English gentlemen in the late 19th century. They were adopted as a school uniform at many English boarding schools and were worn into the early 20th century. Short pants were first commonly worn in England after the turn of the Century. The emensely popular Boy Scout Movement helped to popularize the new shorts, worn with kneesocks rather than the declining kneepants worn with long stockings. They were worn by most English boys through the 1950s, but began to decline in popularity in the 1960s as fewer and younger boys wore short pants suits. The Scouts dropped short pants as part of the school uniform in 1969, although Cubs continued to wear them. By the 1970s they were much less commonly worn, although many schools--especially private preparatory schools and many elementary schools still required them.

Knee Breeches

Modern pants developed in the 17th century and gradually evolved into the knee breeches that were commonly worn by men and boys in the 18th century. There were no age conventions. Both men and boys, after breeching, wore them.

Bloomer Knickers

We notice bloomer knickers in the mid-19th century. They were worn by younger boys, initially as part of a suit. Bloomer knickers were worn rather like knee pants and were more popular in England than in America.

Figure 1.--Here we see a British boy about 1900 wearing knee pants and long stockings. Norice the peaked school cap.

Knee Pants

Knee pants were one of the styles of shortened-length pants thay appeared for boys in the mid-19th century. They were straight-cut pants and not bloused out like knickers. They eventually became standard for British boys and wre widely worn at schools. Americans boys mostly wore knee pants with long stockings. We note English boys wearing long stockings in the 19th and even the early 20th century. Knee sovks became, however, much more popular. Baden Powell and the new Boy Scout movement may have been a factor here.

Knickers

Knickers or "knickerbockers" as they are more commonly called in England were developed as country wear for English gentlemen in the late 19th century. They were adopted as a school uniform at many English boarding schools and were worn into the early 20th century. A British reade writes, "As a couple of other contributors have noted, in Britain we do not use the term knickers in the same sense as in America. Knickers is the name given to female underpants. It was also a term used as a 'soft' swear word at least from the early 70s. Knickerbockers (derived from the Dutch) were loose fitting short trousers gathered in at the knee worn by boys in the late Victorian and early Edwardian eras but there is no reference to them ever being refered to as knickers, that being a purely American (Websters) term. Nowadays you will hardly see them except worn by a adult few golfers and young page boys. There are also some ceremonial uniforms in Britain which include such garments or versions of them which date back hundreds of years." We have noted the term "knickers" being used for short pants before World War II.

Figure 2.--After World War I, short pants and knee socks became standard wear for English boys for both school and play.

Short Trousers

Short pants were first commonly worn in England after the turn of the Century. The emensely popular Boy Scout Movement helped to popularize the new shorts, worn with kneesocks rather than the declining kneepants worn with long stockings. They were worn by most English boys through the 1950s, but began to decline in popularity in the 1960s as fewer and younger boys wore short pants suits. The Scouts dropped short pants as part of the school uniform in 1969, although Cubs continued to wear them. By the 1970s they were much less commonly worn, although many schools--especially private preparatory schools and many elementary schools still required them. The changing conventions over short trousers engendered aan extensive discussion of the suitability of shorts for boys in the English press. HBC readers should not that the common term for short pants in England is short trousers. "Knickers" has been used in the past, but is no longer used and "short pants" is never used. A British reader writes, "It is also worth pointing out that although the term 'short trousers' is used in the UK it is far more usual for just the word 'shorts' to be used. 'Short pants' is the preserve of the Americans!"

Long Trousers

Long pants were at first only worn by boys. They were worn with the skeleton suits that boys began wearing in the late 18th century. Long trousers were sandard in the early 19th century for boys of all ages. Various style of shortened-length trousers became popular for boys beginning in the mid-19th century. At first only little boys wore them, but they gradually became popular for older boys as well. They eventually by the late 19th century became standard for boys. Boys in the early and mid-19th century commonly wore short pants, although knickers were not very common. Long pants began to grow in popularity after World War II, especially by the 1960s. British boys were commonly wearing long pants until the 1970s. Shorts by the end of the century were seen as casual wear for warm weather, although some schools still required them. Long trousers were mich more common.

Rompers

We have only limited information on rompers in England. A British reader tells us, "In the United Kingdom rompers is the name given to the all in one baby-grow babies are sometimes dressed in. These being a one piece item incorporating arm and legs (including feet) as well as the main body usually fasten using press-studs. I have never seen anyone wear what the unfortunate boys in the French photographs are wearing, although in the late 1950s very young boys would sometimes wear shorts with the same appearance. I can't comment as to whether all in one tops and shorts were available but have never seen them mentioned."

Created: 10:54 PM 6/3/2007
Last updated: 4:39 AM 6/4/2007