Fitzwilliam Girth: 5 in Web With Four Buckles and an Ordinary Girth Through Two Loops (Hasluck, Saddlery, 1904)

"A Fitzwilliam girth is made of web 5 in. wide, the ends being bound with leather and a chape and buckle placed on each side—that is, in each corner, two at each end of the girth."

Cut the 5 in web to the length of girth needed (he gives no length). Bind both ends with leather, and put a chape and girth buckle in each corner: two at each end, four in all.

Put a 1 in loop across the girth 5 in from the end, at each end. Stitch each loop across twice at each end, leaving an opening in the middle for an ordinary girth to pass. Make a single ordinary girth (see the web saddle girth) and put one end through each of the loops; the Fitzwilliam girth is then complete.

From **Saddlery**, edited by Paul N. Hasluck, David McKay, 1904 (archive.org saddlery00hasl), chapter V, Fitzwilliam girth, p. 48; read on the scan. He gives no length for the 5 in web and has no figure of this girth, so the picture is our own diagram from his text. He adds that chape punches cut chapes at one stroke, or a head knife can cut partly round or cornered patterns. The thread, tools and metric figures are ours.