This boat cloak, although quite faded, is an extremely rare survival of protective or outdoor clothing from the early part of the 19th century. It is made of a hard wearing, coarse weave green wool and lined with a similar brown wool. The cloak, which is quite voluminous, gathers into a stand or fall collar and fastens with a small Royal Naval button at the neck. The cloak, with its deep hood, would have provided excellent protection against the elements. Its length would have also served to protect stockings and shoes in addition to clothing, all of which would have been expensive to replace.