72 The History of the Spur 



From time to time the fashion varies as to the length 

 of the neck. Some years ago the necks were three inches long, 

 and occasionally even more ; more recently the fashion of very 

 short necks came in. But these are the only changes in 

 hunting spurs ; the sides and the studs have remained 

 practically the same since the days of George II. 



In military spurs there have been many changes in the 

 last hundred years. At the period of the battle of Waterloo 

 the British Cavalry, with the exception of the Life Guards, 

 wore overalls, and the spurs of that period took the form of 

 box spurs, fastened to the heel of the boot only, and not 

 embracing the foot. The spur shown on Plate 44, Fig. i, is 

 typical of the military spur universally worn during the first 

 part of the nineteenth century. A short spike in the centre 

 of the spur was driven into the leather of the heel of the 

 boot, and at the ends of the sides, which embraced the heel 

 only, screws were inserted into the heel to give an additional 

 hold. Consequently these spurs were seldom taken off the 

 boot. Soon after the period of Waterloo, Mr. Henry Maxwell, 

 the then head of the firm of spur makers, invented the box 

 spur, as used at the present day. A small brass box is 

 embedded in the heel of the boot, having a small steel trap- 

 door flush with the heel of the boot, controlled by a spring, 

 which closes the opening when the spur is withdrawn, and 

 prevents the entrance of dirt, etc. An additional spring in 

 the interior of the box serves to retain the plug firmly in 

 its place, thus doing away with the necessity of side screws, 

 and enabling the spur to be attached and withdrawn with 



