A spencer was a man's short, double-breasted overcoat without tails popular during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and named after Earl Spencer who popularised the coat. The spencer ended at the waist and was closed with buttons down the front. It had long sleeves that ended in cuffs. The neckline had a stand-fall collar. The spencer was worn outdoors over a frock or coat.
The term spencer later applied to a close-fitting jacket or bodice worn by women and children in the early 19th century.
A spencer was a woman's woollen bodice under-garment of the late 19th century worn during winter for extra warmth. Research Spencer
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Abbreviations
Costume
Research Spencer
