Hammer Cloth. [A corruption of hamper cloth] In early English days when coaches were first introduced, frugal Englishmen who lived in the country used to load their carriages with provisions for the family when they came to London. The wooden box which held the provisions was called a hamper, and thus, covered with a cloth, was a convenient seat for coachman. Hammer cloth is, therefore, a corruption of hamper cloth. At present it is the cloth which covers the driver's seat in some kinds of carriages, usually falling in pleats on all four sides.