THE CAMAIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 1360-1410
[Illustration: PLATE XVI*
Helmet of Philip II., by Wolf of Landshut, 1554
_A. F. Calvert_]
With the advent of the camail and jupon we enter upon a period which
presents a certain amount of uniformity, and is in marked contrast
to the tentative styles which preceded it. Throughout the Surcoat,
Cyclas, and Loose-skirted Jupon Periods, defensive armour was in a
state of transition; warriors sought to render themselves immune
by every conceivable expedient, discarding those which failed upon
trial, and augmenting those which proved efficacious. The cumbrous
mentonnières and gorgets of plate; the enormous visors; the great
globular bascinets; the multiplicity of garments in the Cyclas Period,
and the indiscriminate use of cuir-bouilli, horn, pourpointerie, chain,
and plate, in that which followed, were all in this period relegated
to the limbo of forgetfulness, and a uniformity of attire was adopted
which was the more striking when compared with those which immediately
preceded it. This similarity or prevalence in fashion in military dress
has lasted to the present time, for in all the different periods we
shall deal with after this uniformity commenced, we shall notice that
certain features are prominent, and that only minute deviations call
for our attention. As human knowledge is but the consolidated result
of experience, so we may attribute the Camail and Jupon Period to the
French wars of Edward III. and Philip of Valois, which for nearly
twenty years devastated France, and in which the two decisive battles
of Cressy, 1346, and Poictiers, 1356, are included. During that
long period the various defences underwent the fiery ordeal of actual
use, and only those which emerged triumphantly from the struggle were
retained.
[Illustration: FIG. 203.--Breastplate, Camail and Jupon Period. (Roy.
MS. 15, D. 3.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 204.--Sir Ralph de Knevynton, 1370. Aveley, Essex.]
To the student of armour and arms, this period is of exceptional
interest by reason of the unwonted facility with which it may be
studied, inasmuch as there is hardly a cathedral, or church of any
importance in the kingdom, which does not possess, in some manner,
details of military equipment relating to it. Brasses and monumental
effigies simply abound, stained glass is by no means uncommon, while
carvings in wood and stone exhibit details which are at times of great
importance. The wealth of technical matter thus preserved enables the
student to reconstruct the period with a fidelity which is wanting
in those earlier. It must not be supposed that the great and salient
features of the style were at once adopted; there was a transition
period of nearly twenty years, during which the old defences were in
part retained, and only discarded by degrees. Before pointing out these
exceptions, however, it may be as well to take the several features of
the equipment in order, as has been done in preceding styles.
[Illustration: FIG. 205.--Sir Robert Swynborne, 1391. Little Horkesley
Church, Essex.]
_The Jupon._--The jupon was a sleeveless outer garment reaching
from the neck to midway between the hips and the knees. It was
tight-fitting, as may readily be gleaned by inspection of brasses
and effigies, and no folds or creases can be observed in it. In
construction it consisted of several thicknesses of material sewn
through, thus becoming almost homogeneous, and upon this firm
sub-structure a layer of silk, velvet, or other rich material was
firmly fastened down, and bore in the great majority of cases the
armorial insignia of the wearer. There are exceptional cases in which
the jupon was stuffed and quilted. The arm-holes became decorated in
the later years of this style, but owing to the covering camail we have
no knowledge of any decorations upon the neck. The skirt was finished
with an enriched border of either escallops, or acanthus leaves, or
dags--dagging being a mode of ornamenting the hems of civilian garments
prevailing in the reigns of Edward III., Richard II., and the fourth
and fifth Henrys; it consisted in cutting out borders of sleeves,
skirts, &c., into open work of various devices. This rich and splendid
covering to the real body defences was always laced up at the sides,
occasionally only on one side, under the left arm.
[Illustration: FIG. 206.--Bascinet. St. Peter’s Church, St. Albans.]
[Illustration: FIG. 207.--Bascinet. St. Peter’s Church, St. Albans.]
[Illustration: FIG. 208.--Snout-faced bascinet.]
[Illustration: FIG. 209.--Bascinet. (Tower of London.)]
_The Breastplate._--This was worn underneath the jupon and over the
hauberk to which it was affixed, and gave the swelling, globular
appearance to the knights so characteristic of the period; its
termination at the waist imparted a contour of body almost wasp-like
at times. We are unaware of the form of this defence, and also as to
whether or not it possessed a companion backplate, so as to form a
complete cuirass; however, the appearance of the back of many effigies
of this period leads to the supposition that a similar plate was
used to protect that part of the body. In the MS. Roy. 15, D. 3, a
foreign knight is shown wearing his breastplate upon his jupon, and it
is of the form depicted in Fig. 203; it may perhaps be taken as the
general shape of this defence. Upon a sculptured effigy of the year
1370 in Bamberg Cathedral, a copy of which is reproduced in Boutell’s
“Monumental Brasses,” a heart-shaped breastplate is shown, but there
are no British examples of the exposed defence. In the Bamberg
effigy chains are shown depending from staples in the breastplate for
attachment to the sword-hilt and misericorde, and the brass of Sir
Ralph de Knevynton at Aveley, Essex, 1370, also has this feature (Fig.
204.)
_The Hauberk._--During the earlier portion of the Camail and Jupon
Period the hauberk was invariably constructed of banded mail, but
towards the end of the century it was superseded by linked chain mail,
although late examples of the banded may be found, such as that of Lord
Berkeley, 1392, at Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, and Sir Nicholas
Hawberk, 1407, Cobham Church, Kent. The defence reached to about the
middle of the thigh, and subsequently to 1380 became sleeveless. The
lower edge appears as a rule about two inches below that of the jupon,
and is, in some cases, made ornamental by pendent rings, as in the case
of Sir Robert Swynborne. Under the hauberk the quilted gambeson, or
haqueton, was worn as usual, but no portion of it appears in brasses or
effigies.
[Illustration: FIG. 210.--Snout-faced bascinet, _c._ 1400. (Wallace
Collection.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 211.--Visored bascinet from Roy. MS. 20, C. 7.]
[Illustration: FIG. 212.--Knight. (Richard II. MS., in Bibliothèque du
Roi.)]
_The Bascinet._--The bascinet was very tall at the commencement of
the period and acutely pointed at the apex; it gradually lessened
in height as time advanced. It descended on both sides well over
the ears, and was carried round to the back of the neck, as a rule,
in a straight line. The apex was not over the centre of the head,
but more towards the rear; when the knight couched his lance and
bent forward in the saddle the point was thus brought forward to a
perpendicular position. This detail cannot be perceived in brasses, but
is very apparent in monumental effigies, and is shown on the opposite
page (Fig. 206), taken from a stained-glass window in St. Peter’s
Church, St. Albans, and approximately of the date 1380. The visor is
represented in gold-coloured glass, and this feature of gold gilding
is by no means uncommon in MSS. of the early part of this period,
from which it is possible to infer that the visors were either of
cuir-bouilli, latten, or were enriched by gilding. At first the visors
were removable at will, being merely hung on projecting knobs at the
sides; but afterwards, when the snout-faced variety came into vogue,
they were invariably fixed, and could only be raised or lowered. An
earlier form of bascinet is shown in the windows of the same church
which has a close-fitting visor, very similar to those which marked the
advent of the pot-helm in the thirteenth century (Fig. 207). Towards
the close of the fourteenth century the adoption of the “snout-faced,”
or “pig-faced” visor (Fig. 208) became universal, eliciting much
uncomplimentary criticisms from contemporary writers and being the
subject of many caricatures in carvings of the period. In the Tower of
London a bascinet weighing 5¼ lbs. is preserved (Fig. 209); the visor
or ventaille, which weighs 1 lb., originally hinged up to a pivot in
the centre of the skull. In the Wallace Collection, Fig. 210 shows a
beautiful example which was formerly in the Meyrick Collection; it is
French, and dates from _c._ 1400. An early example of this form of
visor bascinet is preserved in the collection at Parham dating from
1365, which shows the ventaille partly covering the neck, and this
form is common in the Roy. MS. 20, C. 7, in the British Museum, dating
from 1400 to 1415 (Fig. 211). Here, however, the feature is made of
such huge dimensions, reaching doubtless as far as the collar-bones,
that a feeling is engendered of disproportion, or of caricature; but as
the examples are very numerous, and all appear the same, the thought
is perforce dispelled. Huge visors are also depicted in a History of
Richard II. of England preserved in the Bibliothèque du Roi (a figure
from which is here shown, Fig. 212), which must have provided a large
amount of breathing space and also acted to some extent as a gorget.
The bascinet termed the Barbute is essentially Italian, and does
not occur upon any English brass or effigy; it appears to have been
prevalent on the Continent, and some of the head-pieces shown upon
the common soldiery in English MSS. partake of the character of this
defence. It was worn without any visor, but a portion of the camail,
adapted for the purpose, was lifted in order to cover almost entirely
the small opening left in front, being fastened to the staples with
which these helmets are almost always provided. The Barbute in the
Wallace Collection (Fig. 214) shows this feature very distinctly, as
it is provided with two staples for the purpose, while the nasal thus
formed by the camail is well shown in the effigy of Ulrich Landschaden,
1369, in Neckarsteinach (Fig. 215), which, however, is defended by
the ordinary bascinet, though strange to note, the figure is entirely
without any visible plate armour for the limbs. A bascinet with an iron
nasal of rigid form is shown in the MS. Roy. 14, E. 4, and depicted
in Fig. 216. It will be seen by the various figures illustrating the
Camail and Jupon Period that the height of the bascinet became less
towards the end of the time when it prevailed, and showed a distinct
tendency to merge into the globular form of the succeeding period.
The bascinet of Sir William Burgate, 1409, in Burgate Church, Suffolk
(Fig. 217), is remarkable for its high comb or apex, and is probably of
foreign origin.
[Illustration: FIG. 213.--Snout-faced helmet, _c._ 1400.]
[Illustration: FIG. 214.--Barbute, _c._ 1400. (Wallace Collection.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 215.--Effigy at Neckarsteinach, 1369, showing
nasal.]
[Illustration: FIG. 216.--Nasal from Roy. MS. 14, E. 4]
[Illustration: FIG. 217.--Bascinet. Sir William Burgate, 1409.]
_The Camail._--The term camail is said to be a derivative of
“cap-mail,” though one authority deduces it from “curtain-mail.” As we
have seen in the preceding chapters, this protection for the neck had
been used for centuries, but at no time did it attain the dimensions
and efficiency which distinguished it during the period under
discussion. It is probable that a gorget of plate of some description
was worn underneath it, to which we shall refer when speaking of the
epaulières. The well-known representation from Nero, D. 7, in the
British Museum, representing the Black Prince receiving a grant of
Aquitaine from his father, shows the prince with his helmet and its
depending camail doffed, but no gorget, however, is disclosed. At first
the lower portion of the camail fell almost perpendicularly to the
shoulders, and covered but a small portion of them, as may be seen in
the brasses of Sir John de Argentine, 1360, Horsheath Church, Cambridge
(Fig. 218); Sir John de Paletoot, 1361, Watton Church, Herts (Fig.
224); and Sir John de Cobham, 1375, Cobham, Kent; but as the period
progressed, the mail expanded so as to cover not only the shoulders,
but the upper part of the arm. At first banded mail was universally
employed, and examples may be found of its use even as late as 1405, on
the brass of Sir Thomas Massyngberde, but by the year 1380, chain mail
of varying patterns had become popular. The links were arranged either
in horizontal lines or vertically, and examples may be found where
they vary in size from that of a coarse dog chain down to extremely
fine links. For examples, see brasses of Sir John Wingfield, 1400,
Letheringham Church, Suffolk (Fig. 219); Sir John Hanley; Sir John
Bettesthorne, Mere Church, Wiltshire; Sir George Felbrigge (Fig. 220);
the painting of the Black Prince in St. Stephen’s Chapel, Westminster,
&c.
[Illustration: FIG. 218.--Sir John de Argentine, 1360. Horsheath
Church, Cambridge.]
[Illustration: FIG. 219.--Sir John Wingfield, _c._ 1400. Letheringham
Church, Suffolk.]
[Illustration: FIG. 220.--Sir George Felbrigge, 1400. Playford Church,
Suffolk.]
The method of attaching the camail to the bascinet was by a lace
running through staples termed vervelles, which were visible until
about the year 1387, when the fashion was introduced of covering
them with a more or less enriched border. To the student this forms
a valuable clue to the date when inspecting a brass or monument, but
must of course be used in conjunction with other characteristics. The
brass of Sir William de Echingham, 1387, is one of the latest showing
this feature (see Fig. 221). Towards the latter part of the period
mixed mail and plate made their appearance (see Fig. 222, knight of the
d’Eresby family).
[Illustration: FIG. 221.--Sir William de Echingham, 1387. Etchingham
Church, Sussex.]
[Illustration: FIG. 222.--Knight of the d’Eresby family, 1410. Spilsby
Church, Lincs.]
[Illustration: FIG. 223.--Gauntlet, late fourteenth century. (Wallace
Collection.)]
_Plate Defences._--One of the features of this period was the enclosure
of the limbs in plate defences which conformed generally to the natural
curves, and present a striking contrast to the distortions which
appeared during the greater part of the fifteenth century. Upon the
shoulders laminated epaulières occur, the upper plates of which are
habitually hidden by the camail and jupon, but were probably affixed
to or depended from the gorget of plate before mentioned. Brassarts
of plate enclosed the upper arms, while coudières of a close-fitting
pattern protected the bend of the arm. There was no distinct fashion
during this period for the outer projecting plate of the coudière; at
first a roundel appeared as in the case of Sir John de Argentine (Fig.
218), and Sir John de Paletoot (Fig. 224), but the general form was
that exhibited in the brasses of Sir John Wingfield (Fig. 219) and
Sir George Felbrigge (Fig. 220). Cylindrical vambraces of one plate
guarded the forearms to the wrist, where they were covered partly by
the cuffs of the gauntlets. The latter during this period attained to
a higher degree of perfection than had previously been the case, and
great attention was paid to detail and careful fitting. The fingers
and thumbs were distinct and articulated; a plate covered the back
of the hand and another was formed into a cuff. The introduction of
gadlings, or spikes of steel upon the knuckles and joints, occurred at
this time, not solely for ornament but for actual weapons of offence
when other means had failed. In a trial by combat fought before Edward
III., one of the combatants gained the advantage by striking the
gadlings of his gauntlet into the face of his adversary. At times they
are shown of great size, projecting a considerable distance from the
knuckles. Towards the close of the fourteenth century the terminal
parts of the finger-guards are shown with imitation finger-nails, and
many of the gauntlets seen upon the effigies are richly decorated. A
most interesting specimen, unique in England and of great rarity, is
Fig. 223, in the Wallace Collection, dating from the latter half of the
fourteenth century and of French make. The plates for the fingers are
missing; the covering for the back of the hand and the cuff is formed
of one piece, with the exception of a small plate, which, however, is
not movable. The decorations are bands of latten. The gauntlets of
the Black Prince hanging over the tomb in Canterbury Cathedral are
often referred to; they are of the same period as those in the Wallace
Collection, but made of latten, gilded, and cannot vie with them in
workmanship. The gadlings are well seen upon the various brasses of
this period, those of Sir George Felbrigge being perhaps one of the
most prominent (Fig. 220).
[Illustration: FIG. 223A.--Brass in St. Michael’s Church, St. Albans.]
[Illustration: FIG. 224.--Sir John de Paletoot, 1361. Watton Church,
Herts.]
The mail defences for the lower limbs have the same characteristic
of following the outline closely, and of being what may be termed
skin-tight. The thighs were enclosed in cuissarts of steel, back
and front plates hinging upon the outside of the legs and buckled
between the thighs, thus differing from the Splinted Armour Period,
when front plates only were invariably used. The knees were guarded by
genouillières of plate, which at first were of simple construction,
and consisted of a single plate (_vide_ Sir John de Argentine, Fig.
218), but eventually these were reinforced by lames of steel above
and below. Steel grevières protected the shins and calves, and a
small plate depending from the genouillière, or from one of its lower
reinforcements, gave an additional protection to the front plate. The
sollerets were invariably of plate jointed, like the epaulières, after
the manner of a lobster’s tail; they were long and pointed, and gave
rise to the fashion which prevailed until sabbatons were introduced, of
pointing the toe downwards through the stirrup when riding. At the back
of the knee-joints, and also at the joints of the shoulders, elbows,
and ankles, small pieces of mail were introduced called goussets or
gussets, being fixed generally upon the garment worn underneath the
plate, but at times to the inside parts of the plate itself. They
served as reinforcements to the hauberk.
[Illustration: FIG. 225.--Misericorde, John Cray, 1380.]
One of the peculiarities of the Camail and Jupon Period is the
magnificent hip-belt, of far more elaborate workmanship and finish than
in any preceding or following age. It generally consisted of raised
square or oblong brooches, veritable triumphs of the goldsmith’s art,
and occasionally studded with jewels, linked to each other to form a
continuous band, and fastened in front by an enriched morse or clasp.
At times roundels were used, and occasionally a running pattern in gold
or embroidery. In the early figures it is shown with a buckle and a
loop, a piece of pendent belt passing through and fastened like the
Order of the Garter. A brass exemplifying very plainly the loop and
buckle lies in St. Michael’s Church, St. Albans, and dates from _c._
1370 (Fig. 223A). (It is remarkable for showing two tabs of leather
or plate upon each shoulder, issuing from beneath the camail; we may
have here a replica of the French fashion of epaulière at the period,
which generally was encircled by tabs of cuir-bouilli.) See also Fig.
218, Argentine, and Paletoot, Fig. 224. This seldom occurs upon late
examples. The general method of wearing it was horizontally round the
hips, but a few exceptions will be found upon searching the engraved
figures. This fashion was copied by the ladies of the period, who wore
hip-belts, showing beneath the super côte-hardi, of equal richness to
their lords.
[Illustration: FIG. 226.--Shield, 1375.]
_The Sword_ was attached to the belt at the uppermost part of the
scabbard, and hung perpendicularly at the left side. It generally had
a wheel pommel and a swelling grip, with quillons either straight or
drooping slightly towards the blade. The latter was about an inch and
a half broad at the hilt, thirty inches in length, and tapered to the
point, while the section was either of a flattened or a lozenge shape.
It was double-edged, and had a grip of varying dimensions, ranging from
four inches in length to an extent which, in some examples, almost
suggest a two-handed weapon, or the hand-and-a-half or bastard sword
of a later period (compare the d’Eresby and Felbrigge brasses). The
pommel, grip, and scabbard were at times elaborately enriched with a
profusion of ornament. A new weapon was introduced at this period,
the misericorde or dagger of mercy, used for despatching a fallen foe
whose wounds were beyond all surgical aid, in the combat _à outrance_,
or in the field; or as a last resource for defence when other weapons
had failed. It was a straight dagger with no guard as a rule, and
having both the hilt and scabbard curiously ornamented; the blade had
but one edge, the section being triangular. From its occurrence upon
many monumental effigies, we gather that as a rule the misericorde
was attached to the belt by a chain, but this feature is not as a
rule shown upon brasses. The curious brass to Sir Ralph de Knevynton,
however, exemplifies it, though the chains for attachment of both
sword and misericorde are affixed to the breastplate (see Fig. 204).
The misericorde of John Cray, 1380 (Fig. 225), shows it depending at
an angle from the belt, while towards the close of the reign of King
Richard II. the knights have the weapon slung hilt downwards to the
front, though this curious fashion was soon discarded.
[Illustration: FIG. 227.--Shield, Hereford Cathedral, 1375.]
[Illustration: FIG. 228.--Heaume of Thomas de Mowbray, Earl of
Nottingham, and Earl Marshal. (From a drawing of his seal, 1389: MS.
Cott., Julius, C. vii.)]
_The Shield_ in use at this period is but rarely shown, and never upon
brasses. Upon the tomb of Robert Wyvill, Bishop of Salisbury, 1375
(Fig. 226), a shield occurs which has a central boss riveted on and is
concave to the person; a projection is shown at the upper part, upon
the back of which the guige is apparently fixed. In the “Pilgrimage
of Human Life” in the French National Library we have represented the
discarded habiliments of a knight who is departing upon a pilgrimage:
the shield is small, notched in the right-hand corner for the lance
rest, and presents a concave surface to the front. The snout-faced
visor upon the bascinet shows it to be of the period now dealt with. A
sculptured effigy in Bamberg Cathedral, dating from 1370, has a shield
which is notched in the corner and also concave to the front; while
another shield from Hereford Cathedral affords us an example of an
English pattern dating from 1375, which also is concave to the front
(Fig. 227). It occurs upon the tomb of Sir Richard Pembridge. For the
emblazoning of arms the heater-shaped shield is invariably used.
[Illustration: PLATE XVII
Heaume, Crest, and Shield of the Black Prince in Canterbury Cathedral]
[Illustration: FIG. 229 and 230.--The Pembridge heaume, Hereford
Cathedral.]
[Illustration: FIG. 231.--Panache of Wm. de Latimer, 1372.]
[Illustration: FIG. 232.--Panache, Edward Courtenay, 1400.]
_The Heaume._--During the period under consideration the great heaume
was in use for tilting purposes, the visored bascinet being reserved
for warfare. The heaume retained its conical crown in order to fit
over the bascinet, but the lower rim was still too high above the
shoulders for the latter to afford any support to it, and the curve as
shown is not adapted (Fig. 228); we must therefore infer that the whole
weight was borne by the bascinet, and that the inside of the heaume
was padded in order to make it fit securely. In the lower part of the
front a hole or staple is generally found, by which it could be fixed
securely by a thong or chain to the cuirass. It is doubtful whether
any great heaumes are in existence which date back to the thirteenth
century, and there are only a few authentic examples of the fourteenth.
One of them is the heaume of the Black Prince in Canterbury Cathedral
(Plate XVII.), the upper part of which is covered by the chapeau or cap
of dignity bearing the heraldic lion. No breathing-holes are shown,
and the occularium is extremely narrow. As weight was apparently of no
object at this period, a secondary defence was often introduced in the
form of a large plate of iron covering the whole of the left part of
the face, hinged at the termination of the occularium upon that side,
and falling lower than the rim of the heaume, to which it was further
affixed by bolts and nuts. This _pièce de renfort_ may be viewed as
the prototype of the “grande garde” of the succeeding century: an
excellent example is preserved in the collection of Lord Zouche at
Parham. It will be observed that the lower or cylindrical portion of
the Black Prince heaume consists of two pieces riveted together, and
this was the usual method at the time. In the heaume of Sir Richard
Pembridge, Hereford Cathedral (Figs. 229, 230), however, the three
pieces (cylinder, truncated cone, and crown) are welded together, and
the rivets are more for ornament than for increased strength; the metal
is thickened round the occularium, and the lower edge is roped so as
not to present a cutting edge. There are a number of holes in the
upper portions to permit the aglets of the laces to be passed through,
by which the crest and lambrequins could be attached to the heaume.
In the lower front portion are the two holes in cruciform shape to
allow passage for a T-bolt appended to the chain for securing to the
breastplate.
[Illustration: FIG. 233.--Pranker heaume.]
[Illustration: FIG. 234.--Heaume, Sir Edward de Thorpe, _c._ 1410.]
A very rare example of the great heaume, which may date from the early
part of the fourteenth century, is one preserved in the Rotunda at
Woolwich. The crown is conical; the visor hinges on the left side,
and closes with a spring on the right, and numerous small holes are
pierced in it for air. The occularium is a narrow slit above the
visor and below the crown. It is much corroded, and probably when
new weighed more than at the present time (9½ lbs.) (Plate XXXIX.,
p. 364). During the studded and splinted style of English armour,
heraldic crests had been introduced as we have seen, following upon the
fan-shaped decorations of an earlier period: in the latter part of the
fourteenth century all warriors of distinction adopted the fashion, and
subsequently all men of knightly rank. These crests were invariably
made of cuir-bouilli, which material allowed itself to be moulded into
any desired shape, and had the advantage of being unaffected by the
weather, besides affording some protection from a sword-cut. Crests
of all shapes, sizes, and degrees of grotesqueness sprang into being,
some tending to enormous proportions and thus forestalling the mantling
of extravagant size so characteristic of the fifteenth century. The
contoise or flowing scarf invariably accompanied the crest. A panache
of feathers was a favourite form of crest, by reason presumably of its
lightness and gracefulness; that of Sir Wm. de Latimer, 1372, and of
Edward Courtenay, 1400, are reproduced as examples (Figs. 231, 232).
As a foreign specimen of the great heaume of the Camail Period we
may refer to the example preserved in the Historical Court Museum at
Vienna, dating from about _c._ 1360, and known locally as the “Pranker
heaume” (Fig. 233). It is made of four strong hammered-iron plates
with smaller reinforcements, and weighs about twelve pounds, being
probably used only for tournaments. The crest, two golden horns with
silver combs, is of the usual cuir-bouilli, and weighs about three
pounds. A late heaume of this period, dating from _c._ 1410, is that
of Sir Edward de Thorpe, which is of sufficient height to rest upon
the shoulders (Fig. 234). A panache surmounts the elaborate coronet;
the occularium is very high, and could hardly allow of a bascinet being
worn underneath. The usual ring for affixing it to the breastplate is
shown at the base.
[Illustration: FIG. 235.--Sir Miles de Stapleton, 1364. Formerly in
Ingham Church, Norfolk.]
[Illustration: FIG. 236.--Genouillière, Sir Thomas Cheyne, 1368.]
The orle or wreath is of the greatest rarity upon monumental brasses
of the Camail and Jupon Period; Sir Reginald de Cobham, 1403, has a
small jewelled orle, however, and one of the same character is shown
on the brass of a knight of the d’Eresby family, 1410 (see Fig. 222).
This piece of ornament originated in the band of cloth, silk, or velvet
placed round the bascinet to support, and act as pad to, the heaume,
and subsequently, when the latter was discarded, remained to be a
foundation for the crest.
[Illustration: FIG. 237.--Sir Humphrey Littlebury, Holbeach, Lincs.]
The earlier effigies and brasses of this period are in many of
their details exemplifications of the studded and splinted style of
defence, and are in fact of greater use in that respect than the few
contemporary brasses and effigies which remain and are generally used
as examples. The lost brass of Sir Miles de Stapleton, 1364 (Fig. 235),
once in Ingham Church, Norfolk, is, for instance, an excellent example,
probably the best; he has a studded jupon fitting tightly to the figure
and escalloped at the hem, with haut-de-chausses or cuissarts of the
same material. His genouillières are of single plates with two rows of
reinforcing cuir-bouilli tabs depending below, while the jambarts are
of metal splints affixed by rivets to the cuir-bouilli beneath. The
long pendent tab of the belt should be noticed. The remarkable brass
of Sir Ralph de Knevynton, 1370 (see Fig. 204), at Aveley, Essex, may
also be quoted as showing the same features respecting the jupon and
cuissarts; but the shape and position of the belt, the great length
of the misericorde, its quillons, the crude genouillières, the long
hauberk pointed in front, the pose and shape of the figure, and the
chains depending from the breastplate, make this brass, which is of
Flemish workmanship, one of the most singular of its kind. Sir John
de Argentine, 1360 (Fig. 218) and Sir John de Paletoot, 1361, have
cuissarts of studded material and pendent belts; Sir Thomas Cheyne,
1368, also has studded cuissarts, and jambarts of studded splints
similar to those of Sir Miles de Stapleton, but his genouillières
are most remarkable and quite unique. They appear to be constructed
entirely of cuir-bouilli with pendent tabs of singular form reinforcing
the jambarts (Fig. 236). The Cheynes appear to have been a family
addicted to peculiarities, as Sir William Cheyne, 1375, has laminated
sollerets of remarkable construction and also quite unique (see Fig.
197). Sir Humphrey Littlebury, Holbeach Church, Lincolnshire (Fig.
237), has cuissarts of cuir-bouilli with studs of an ornamental form;
his genouillières are crude and of single plates, but the hem of his
jupon is remarkable for graceful beauty, being deeply dagged into
acanthus-leaf form. A rich hip-belt has a pendent tab at the side, but,
strange to note, the sword is not suspended by it, but has a separate
belt passing diagonally round the waist. This second belt is not
unfrequently found in sculptured effigies but seldom upon brasses. The
brass of Robert Albyn, _c._ 1400 (Fig. 238), Hemel Hempstead, Herts,
where two belts are shown, has the sword suspended from both belts.
Sir John de Cobham, 1375, the founder of Cobham College, has studded
cuissarts and genouillières reminiscent of those of Sir Thomas Cheyne.
The brass of Sir John de St. Quintin, 1397 (Fig. 239), in Brandsburton
Church, Yorkshire, is remarkable for the very wide and elaborate
hip-belt, which is fixed higher than is usual upon a shortened jupon,
necessitating a small subsidiary belt from which to suspend the sword,
and also an extra length of hauberk, which is curiously bent round
the limbs. The coudières are larger than usual, and together with the
genouillières are ornamented. After 1380, many jupons are shown with
fur round the arm openings, as in the brass of Sir Nicholas Dagworth,
1401, where the great length of the sword-grip, ornamentation of the
armour, great height of the bascinet, and elaborate hem to the jupon
are special features.
[Illustration: FIG. 238.--Robert Albyn, 1400. Hemel Hempstead Church,
Herts.]
The years between 1400 and 1410 must be looked upon as a transition
period, inasmuch as features distinctive of the Camail and Jupon and
of the Surcoatless overlap each other. For example, the brass of Sir
Thomas Braunstone, Constable of Wisbeach Castle, in Wisbeach Church,
Cambridgeshire, dating from 1401 (Fig. 240), has taces, apparently five
in number, although his neck is camailed, the jupon being dispensed
with; whilst Sir John Hanley, who, together with his two wives, is
shown upon a brass in Dartmouth Church, dated 1403, has five or six
taces and a shortened jupon, edged with fur round the arm-holes, but
with a camailed neck.
[Illustration: FIG. 239.--Sir John de St. Quintin, 1397. Brandsburton
Church, Yorkshire.]
[Illustration: FIG. 240.--Sir Thomas Braunstone, 1401, Constable of
Wisbeach Castle. Wisbeach Church, Cambridgeshire.]
[Illustration: FIG. 241.--A knight, _c._ 1405. Laughton Church,
Lincolnshire.]
Sir John Wylcotes in Great Tew Church, Oxfordshire, although wearing
camail, has a reinforcing gorget of plate superposed upon it. The
latter example is a strange mixture of old and new styles; high pointed
bascinet and camail being blended with palettes and taces. Lady
Wylcotes, who is shown upon the same brass, wears the nebule head-dress
which went out of fashion thirty years previously. A knight of the
d’Eresby family, 1410 (see Fig. 222), exemplifies a strange mixture of
transition styles. The orle has been previously noted, but the bascinet
is provided with a bavière which is placed upon the camail. The
laminated epaulières are curiously brought forward in order to cover
the goussets, over which they form protecting arches. Round the waist
is seen the ornamental belt worn by all knights of that period round
the hips; it carries no sword or misericorde and is therefore purely
ornamental, and, if we may say so, entirely superfluous. The sword-belt
across the body from the right hip is the fashion of the Surcoatless
Period. (A knight in Laughton Church, _c._ 1405 (Fig. 241), also
exhibits this feature of the sword-belt, though otherwise he conforms
to the period.) A waved fringe of mail appears below the five taces;
the genouillières have prominent projections over the knee-caps and are
very ornamental, while the sollerets have a decorative gousset of chain
mail. Altogether the armour is eccentric, and probably both the wearer
and his wife were of the same character, inasmuch as the lady is shown
in a reticulated head-dress without the veil and the high-waisted gown
then only prevailing on the Continent. The knight’s suit is beautifully
enriched with a design which imparts a very characteristic aspect to
the entire figure.