Spencers meaning : A short double-breasted men's overcoat worn in the 18th and 19th centuries. A short, close-fitting jacket primarily worn by women and children in the early 19th century. A (usually woollen) vest worn by women and girls for extra warmth. A large loose-fitted gaffsail on a square-rigger or barque, used from the nineteenth century onwards. One who works in a spence or buttery.