Figure 1.--This English boys in the 1980s wore plain grey turn-over-top socks with his prep school uniform. Many other schools had socks with tops in the school colors. Notice how this boy has carefully pulled his socks up and cuffed the turn-over-tops.

Beginning in the early 20th century, English (and other British) schoolboys often wore short trousers for school, sometimes, in the earlier part of the century, until they left school at age 14. As the statutory minimum school-leaving-age was raised to 15 and then to 16 and as fashions in boyswear changed, the proportion of schoolboys wearing short trousers came down. The fastest period of change was probably in the 1960s. At the beginning of the 21st century they are largely restricted to the youngest of boys or to slightly older boys in a few preparatory schools which still insist on them. The usual accompaniment to short trousers, both with school uniform and with general boyswear, were knee-length socks with turn-over tops, although the youngest boys and older boys in the hotter months might wear ankle-socks instead (or sandals and no socks). Strictly speaking, they should be referred to in England as 'stockings', and school outfitters and other retailers sometimes did just that; but in common parlance they were referred to as 'knee-socks', as 'long socks', turn-over-top socks, or simply as 'socks', with the context making it clear whether the long or the short type was intended. A British reader reports, "The official term 'stockings' rather made us squirm as boys since 'stockings', in our understanding, were what women wore!" There was similar embarrassment over the official outfitters' term for short trousers: 'knickers' (women's underpants)! Many schools had socks with the school colors in stripes or a solid bar at the top. This was usually the kneesocks, but a few schools even had ankle socks with colored trim. Many boys wore plain grey knee socks as they were less expensive. Some Scottish schools had colored knee socks. British boys of any age never wore white socks with shorts, except for sports. English boys never wore white socks, except for cricket, as white socks, both ankle and knee socks, were generally worn by girls and thus seen as girls' socks.

Terminology

Kneesocks were very commonly worn by Engish children to school. In fact they were commonly called school socks. They were also called turn-over-top socks, at least the kind that were long enough to cuff. Strictly speaking, they should be referred to in England as 'stockings', and school outfitters and other retailers sometimes did just that; but in common parlance they were referred to as 'knee-socks', as 'long socks', turn-over-top socks, or simply as 'socks', with the context making it clear whether the long or the short type was intended. A British reader reports, "The official term 'stockings' rather made us squirm as boys since 'stockings', in our understanding, were what women wore!" The term "kneesocks" is more of an American term. The English would more commonly say "turn-over-top" socks. We have also opted ther term "long socks" or even "long stockings". Not all English knee socks were actually "turn-over-top" socks. Some of the less-expensive plain grey kneesocks did not have the extra length needed to form a turn-over-top cuff.

Origins

Like so many other elements of the 'traditional' English (and British) schoolboy uniform, the knee-socks derive from sportswear. Stockings were introduced by the Hockey Association, for example, in 1886, although for rowing they did not become usual (and then with low socks as an alternative) until the early twentieth century. For football (soccer or rugby) they had been in existence for longer. At first they had coloured hoops throughout their length - as some do today - but from the 1880s coloured rings started to be limited to the turn-overs. Today, they are often in a single colour - black, red, or green, for example - with white turn-over tops.

Chronology

Many schoolboys in the late 19th century wore long over the knee stockings with kneepants. We note that boys at public schools commonly wore knickers (knicerbockers) with kneesocks, perhaps in part because these schools more commonly had games where kneesocks were being worn. The boys often cuffed over their kneesocks over the leg hem of the knickers. They become much more common after the turn of the 20th century, especially after they were adopted as part of Baden Powell's Boy Scout uniform. After World War I (1914-18), kneesocks worn with short pants became a very commonly worn school garment in Britain ad many other European countries. This continued through the 1960s after which it became increasinly common for boys tower long trousers. Some primary and prep chool boys continued wearing short pants and kneesocks. Shorts are still worn at some schools in the 2000s, but kneesocks ar becoming less coomon.

Knee-Socks for School

Knnesocks were very commonly worn by Engish children in the early 20th century. They were worn for all occasions, this included both school and non-school wear. Boys wore them for play aswell as when dressing up for church or other occassions. Kneesocks became less common after World war II, especially by the 1960s. Even so, they were still very commonly worn for school. In fact they were commonly called school socks. I am not sure when the term "school socks" began to be used. It may have been in the post-War era when boys stoped wearing kneesocks for everyday wear, but cntinuedcwearing them to school. By the 1970s you rarely see boys wearing kneesocks except for school. There were a few exceptions such as Cubs or sports wear--especially soccer. But mostly you only saw boys wearing kneesocks to school, usuallu but not always as part of a school uniform. This has continued into the 200s although there are now fewer schools with short pants uniforms. And some schools change from kneesocls to ankle socks during the summer term. Other schools switch from short to long troisers during the winter term.

Colors

Boys wearing shorts generally wore grey knee socks, or turn-over-top socks as the British might say. We have noted one image of an English boyweaing red kneesocks, but believe that this was unusual. Almost all boys wore grey kneesocks of various shades. I am not sure why grey was so common. Probably like grey shirts and shorts, it was a color that did not show dirt and matched the grey shorts and shirts. While there was little differce in the color of the kneesocks worn by English boys, there was some differentiation in the turn-over-tops. Many schools employed stripes or band in the school colors. It was mostly private scholls that employed the school colors on the turn-over-top cuffs. British boys of any age never wore white socks with shorts, except for sports. English boys never wore white socks, except for cricket, as white socks, both ankle and knee socks, were generally worn by girls and thus seen as girls' socks.

Gender

Both boys and girls wore knesocks.

Seasonality

English schoolboys very commonly wore kneesocks. Some school pemitted ankle socks (or sandals and no socks) during the summer. Most schools, even in the summer term, still had kneesocks as part of the school uniform.

Colors

The most common color was grey, espeially for the boys. Many were plain grey. The basic colour of the socks was (and is) usually grey, although beige or other colours occasionally occurred. Some had bands or colors in the school colors. School socks generally followed the form with the colours restricted to the turn-over tops, the rings being in one or more school colours; those incorporating three such colours - black, red, and white, for example - can be very striking. Occasionally a complete turn-over of a single colour has been adopted instead. Many schools have permitted plain grey (or another colour) to be worn as an alternative to those with school colours. Many schools had socks with the school colors in stripes or a solid bar at the top. This was usually the kneesocks, but a few schools even had ankle socks with colored trim. Many boys wore plain grey knee socks as they were less expensive. Some Scottish schools had colored knee socks.

Patterened Kneesocks

We note British boys in the 1920s, 30s, and early 40s wearing kneesocks with paterened turn-over-tops. We have never seen these paterened top kneesocks as part of a proscribed school uniform. We have noted, however, many boys wearing them both to school and as part of their ordinary clothes. At schools without a compulsory uniform, socks with other designs, for example a pattern of lozenge shapes, were sometimes worn.

Weight and Material

School stockings were at first, again like those worn for sports, of fairly heavy wool, although later they became lighter. Today, where worn at all, they are mostly of artificial fibres or of wool and artificial-fibre mix.

Keeping the Socks Up

Garters were needed to keep the socks up. One English reader reports, "When I was at school in the 1960s, we all wore shorts up to the age of 13 and most boys had elastic garters to keep our socks up. The garters would leave a visible inprint on your legs." Some boys would wear kneesocks with visible colored flashes. This was, oever, not common. The tab or flashed were often worn withthe Cub uniform, but wer not common with scool uniforms. The Cub flashes ere nrmally green. School would use different colors. Boys being boys, some sometimes neglected to keep their socks up, resulting in the socks slipping down to the ankles: Jennings' 'socks were hanging concertina-fashion about his ankles' (Anthony Buckeridge, Jennings' Diary, London and Glasgow, 1953, 60), a theme which appears also in other Jennings books. It gave rise to the expression, 'Pull your socks up' for 'improve', and this could lead to jokes by taking the expression literally, as in another of the Jennings stories: '"That means you've got just twenty-four hours to pull your socks up",' says Mr Carter, and then has to add: '"No, no, you silly little boy - I didn't mean it literally. Leave your socks alone when I'm talking to you"' (Anthony Buckeridge, Jennings' Little Hut, London and Glasgow, 1951, 197). The same misunderstanding occurs in Jack Rosenthal's television play P'tang, Yang, Kipperbang, written many years later but set in 1948 (available in story form in Jack Rosenthal, ed., First Love, London, 1984, 32-3). During the 1930s 'Lastex' yarn had been introduced in an attempt to make the socks self-supporting; but it did not stand up well to repeated washing and garters were still usually necessary. This was something of a boon to schoolboys, if not to their teachers, since garters had an alternative use - as catapults, as in one of the most good humoured of preparatory school stories ('Klaxon' [that is, John Graham Bower and Barbara Bower], Aloysius Let Loose, London, 1950,100). Alternatively, the garters - preferably first dipped in water - could be 'pinged' at other boys, as in a crime novel by Josephine Bell (Death at Half-Term, London, 1939, re-issued London, 1987, 120, 121). Nowadays the sock-tops usually incorporate elastic to make them self-supporting.

Sources

Created: September 2, 2000
Last updated: 5:36 AM 6/27/2008