The History Of Herringbone

A quintessential symbol of heritage and history, the herringbone pattern is one of the most popular weaves for custom tweed tailoring, as it is so striking that it is often seen as both texture and pattern.

Also known as broken twill weave due to how it resembles a broken zigzag as well as a herring fish skeleton, herringbone weave is hard-wearing and has seen near-constant use in shooting apparel for the better part of two centuries at the very least.

Whilst it is most commonly associated with tweed, a variation of twill weave first named in 1826, the herringbone weave is much older and potentially has its origins in classical antiquity.

From The Alps To Pompeii

It can be difficult to find significant examples of ancient clothing for obvious reasons, as they are often badly damaged or have decomposed over thousands of years.

Despite this, there are several examples of herringbone weave fabric that have been found that may place its origins around the time of the early Roman Kingdom, with examples from the Roman Empire as well.

The earliest known example of herringbone is believed to have been found in the Alps near Northern Italy, featuring a 2:2 weave that has been dated to some point between 800 BC and 500 BC.

This would place it right at the start of the Roman Republic at its latest, although given that the Republic would not expand that far until the third century BC, it does not necessarily mean that the Romans invented it themselves.

Herringbone as a pattern had even been used in Ancient Egypt for jewellery before this, and would become a foundational part of Roman roads as a pavement pattern, but in terms of clothing, the oldest known example dates to 800 BC.

There are also other examples throughout the Roman Empire, with the Shroud of Turin being made from a herringbone twill, suggesting that even if they did not invent it, they certainly used it and spread it widely again due to the durability of the stitching and fabric.

There was also herringbone found in the ruins of Pompeii, which highlights that it was used throughout the history of the Roman Empire.

The earliest known example of tartan, the Falkirk Tartan, also used a herringbone pattern, suggesting that this might have been the route that tweed would eventually reach England, Ireland and Scotland.

It would eventually see a revival in the Renaissance, a period where many inventions and developments from classical antiquity would be revived and reused, and the term itself would start to see use in Scotland alongside the development of tweed.

Believed to originate in the Outer Hebrides, herringbone tweed was exceptionally hard-wearing and resisted the often brutal winter conditions seen in Northern Scotland. By the 1830s it had started to become adopted by the aristocracy and became the twill weave of choice for the refined gentleman, aristocrats and royalty.

It has since become one of the most popular types of cloth used for hunting outerwear as well as suits expected to be used in harsher conditions.