Bewpers

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1893 text

Bewpers is the old name for bunting.

This text was written as a footnote in the 1893 Wheatley transcription of the diary, the same one that is used for the diary entries on this site.

N Pauline on Wed 15 Mar 2006, 04:27am

from L&M’s Large Glossary
v. 289 bunting, fabic used for flags; origin unknown (?Beaupreau, Fr. town) (elsewhere ‘blufers’ and other variants) 1592.
N Cum grano salis on Sat 6 Oct 2007, 03:21am

OED has no entry for Bewper[s]

flag …bunting\
a. ‘An open-made worsted stuff, used for making flags’ (Ure Dict. Arts); also in general, a flag, or flags collectively.

644 H. MANWAYRING Sea-mans Dict. s.v. Flaggs, At sea to lower or strike ones Flagg in fight is a token of yeelding, but otherwise of great obedience and respect.
N Cum grano salis on Sat 6 Oct 2007, 09:14pm

Errata: OED beaupers, bewpers

A fabric, apparently linen; used for flags.
1592 Wills & Inv. N.C. II. (1860) 211 Lawne cufes 3s.,peace of bowpres 16s. 1660 Act 12 Chas. II, iv. Sched., Beaupers the piece jl. vs.

1664 PEPYS Diary (1879) III. 56 Among the Linnen Wholesale Drapers..to see what can be done with them for the supplying our want of Bewpers for flaggs. Ibid. 16 June, Supplying us with bewpers from Norwich.

1720 Stow’s Surv. (1754) II. V. xviii. 382/2 Bolters and Bewpers the dozen pieces 1d.