Wellington Boot History :~

Over the last 10 years, Wellington Boots have become increasingly fashionable and have become a staple fashion necessity for festivals.

We all seem to have a vague knowledge that they were named after a Duke, Wellington of course; Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington actually. But he didn’t actually invent the Wellington Boot, he had the 18th Century Hessian boot re-designed it to suit his needs, ordering his shoemaker to make it fit closely around the leg and rise only to mid-calf. The result was a leather boot tough and resilient enough to wear in battle but nice and comfy for the evening. [hope he wiped them over first] Wellesley somehow made the boot popular and fashionable among the British aristocracy in the early 19th century and in his honour the boots were named
Wellingtons and the name remained the same until today.

In 1852 Hiram Hutchinson bought the patent to manufacture footwear from the vulcanization process of natural rubber and Wellington boots became a great success, especially amongst farmers, who were used to wearing wooden clogs. In World War 1 and 2, Wellington Boots were worn by soldiers in flooded trenches and by the end of the war, everybody was wearing them.
[Some information collected from www.wellingtonboots.org.uk Thank-you]

Jill