THE SURCOATLESS PERIOD, 1410-1430
[Illustration: FIG. 242.--Helmet, _c._ 1415.]
[Illustration: FIG. 243.--Robert, Lord Ferrers of Chartley, 1407.
Merevale Abbey Church, Warwickshire.]
With the advent of this period we find the knightly defence consisting
essentially, for the first time in English history, of a complete suit
of plate with no textile covering whatever worn over it. Hence the
term “Surcoatless Period,” which distinguishes it from any preceding
or succeeding era. The camail was now finally abolished after being
in vogue in one fashion or another for over one hundred years. Its
great recommendation was mobility, as it enabled the wearer to move
his head easily in almost any direction, but the great detraction
was undoubtedly the weight. The bascinet itself was heavy, but when
the thick curtain of chain mail was added it must have been almost
insupportable, as practically the whole weight was borne by the head.
Now, however, a gorget of plate was substituted for the camail (Fig.
243), and in order to relieve the pressure upon the head still further,
the bascinet was so formed as to rest upon the gorget, to the upper
part of which it was affixed in such a manner that it allowed the
head to be turned right and left. Thus the defences for the head and
neck, instead of being supported by those parts, were transferred
to the shoulders. The bascinet, as it gradually developed into the
barbute type, became more globular in form, although still retaining
the pointed apex (Fig. 242); the lower portion which protected the
chin, and known as the _bavière_, was riveted to the upper, generally
near the temples. The breastplate, now visible for the first time, is
of globular form and provided with a backplate; from it one can easily
perceive how the knights of the Camail and Jupon Period obtained the
peculiar globose formation of the upper portion of the body. From the
waist, and connected with the breastplate, depended a row of plates
or lames of steel overlapping each other and made in various designs;
these were denominated the _taces_. To support them a lining of
leather or other strong material was used underneath, to which they
were firmly affixed. At first the skirt of the hauberk is generally
shown, similar to its former appearance under the jupon, but after a
time, probably about 1420, the hauberk was discarded, and the knight
relied for protection upon his plate armour and padded gambeson alone.
Round the taces the hip-belt was worn horizontally during the earlier
part of this period, with the sword and misericorde depending as in
the time of the camail and jupon; but subsequently the style was
modified, and innovations crept in which will be dealt with later.
Laminated epaulières were still in use to protect the shoulders,
but instead of the lames being prolonged in front to protect the
goussets (as shown in the Braunstone and d’Eresby brasses), a plate
of varying form, called a _palette_, was affixed to the cuirass by a
strap, which admitted of greater freedom for the arms. The brassarts
were often formed of lames of plate riveted together, though the
older form of front and back plates was in use. The coudières are
remarkable for the beautiful fan-like shape of the outer plate, which
was enlarged in order to afford extra protection to the elbow-joint,
and in some cases was of very large proportions. The vambraces show
no change. The gauntlets were larger in the cuffs than those of the
preceding period: they retained the gadlings and were often of most
elaborate workmanship; the fingers remained separate and conformed
to the natural shape, finger-nails being often engraved upon them to
complete the resemblance. The cuissarts, genouillières, grevières,
and sollerets, did not differ essentially from those of the Camail
Period, except in the richness of ornamentation which was at times
shown. One point, however, and an entirely new one, is exemplified upon
a few brasses--the protection of the back part of the knee-joint by
small lames of steel. The skilful and costly nature of this defence
prevented its general adoption; it was revived, however, at a later
period, during the early part of the sixteenth century, and became
fairly prevalent.
[Illustration: PLATE XVIII*
Armour made for the Infante, afterwards Philip III.
_A. F. Calvert_]
The sword was but slightly altered from its former shape, the chief
difference being the quillons, which were straight and of considerable
length, and the general elongation of the grip, whereby it developed
into more of a hand-and-a-half, or bastard sword, than formerly (Fig.
244). It should be explained that in wielding this weapon the right
hand only would be generally used, but upon occasion, in order to give
extra effect to a stroke, the left hand could be brought up to the
pommel, which was invariably pear-shaped in order to insure a firm
grip. The misericorde was suspended as usual upon the right side,
but the point of the blade is now directed towards the rear, and is
generally hidden in brasses by the body of the knight (Fig. 245). One
of the characteristics of this period should be specially noted, viz.
the mode of suspension of the sword by a narrow band passing diagonally
over the front of the body from the right hip to the left side, and
occasionally, but rarely, furnished with a buckle. The inception of
this style is shown upon the brass of a knight in Laughton Church which
exhibits both hip-belt and sword-belt worn over the jupon; it prevailed
in England for approximately sixty years (Fig. 241).
[Illustration: FIG. 244.--Knight, 1410. South Kelsey Church, Lincs.]
[Illustration: FIG. 245.--Sir Thomas Swynborne, 1412. Little Horkesley
Church, Essex.]
[Illustration: FIG. 246.--Sir Thomas de St. Quintin, _c._ 1420. Harpham
Church, Yorkshire.]
[Illustration: FIG. 247.--Coudière, Lord Camoys, 1424. Trotton Church,
Sussex.]
[Illustration: FIG. 248.--Coudière, Peter Halle, 1420. Herne Church,
Kent.]
One of the earliest examples in brasses of this period is that at
Great Tew Church, Oxfordshire, referred to on p. 192 as being of a
transition character, in consequence of the camail appearing beneath
the gorget. The bascinet and bavière are in one piece, and the whole
revolves upon the gorget, which is probably prolonged upwards inside
the headpiece. The placcates are oviform; the upper lame of the taces
covers the lower part of the breastplate; the hauberk and hip-belt are
in use, and the great heaume is shown under the head, to be worn as
usual over the bascinet. Robert, Lord Ferrers of Chartley, 1407 (Fig.
243), presents a very unornamental suit of this earlier portion of
the period, showing the globular helmet with the mentonnière riveted
to the upper portion and revolving within the gorget; it should be
compared with the Wylcotes brass. Sir Simon de Felbrygge, K.G., 1413,
is shown with the royal banner of King Richard II., and wears the
diagonal sword-belt; he is furnished with many lames in his epaulières
and has shield-shaped palettes, while the coudières show the fan-shaped
plates in their incipient stage. The Yorkshire St. Quintins appear to
have been eccentric in the style of their armour. We have referred to
peculiarities in respect of Sir John de St. Quintin and his brass,
1397 (_vide_ p. 191), and in that of Sir Thomas de St Quintin, in
Harpham Church, Yorkshire (Fig. 246), we have more characteristic
originalities. The orle round the bascinet is of very large
proportions, and ornamented with a brooch in front; the gorget consists
of three plates, the upper one of peculiar form, showing ridged
projections over the cheekplates of the bascinet, while the epaulières
are more of the nature of the pauldron of a subsequent period, in being
composed of a single piece. The arm openings are protected respectively
by a roundel and a shield-shaped palette, and roundels are also used at
the elbows, these being strongly reminiscent of the early camail days
(_vide_ Sir John de Argentine, 1360, p. 175).
[Illustration: FIG. 249.--Bascinet, Sir William Calthorpe, 1420.
Burnham Thorpe Ch., Norfolk.]
The hip-belt is among the latest examples of that fashion, having been
generally discarded by this date; it is very elaborate, and suggestive
in point of width of that of the brass of Sir John de St Quintin in
1397 (p. 191). The hem of the hauberk is wavy, and so also is that of
the gambeson showing beneath it; this is possibly the only example of
the gambeson being visible at this late period. But perhaps the chief
points to be observed are the laminated defences for the back parts
of the genouillières. If they are lames they probably represent the
earliest development of this nature; on the other hand the artist may
have intended to represent banded mail, and omitted the small vertical
lines. The development of the fan-shaped coudière may be well observed
in the brass of Lord Camoys, in Trotton Church, Sussex (Fig. 247),
where the defence, both inside and out, may be seen, but the strap or
other fastening joining the two sides of the opening is not shown. The
coudière may have been riveted to the brassarts and vambraces, in which
case it was not needed. A brass in which the fastening is apparent
is that of Peter Halle, _c._ 1420, in Herne Church, Kent (Fig. 248),
where the strap may be noticed crossing the mail. Upon the brass of
Sir William Calthorpe, 1420, in Burnham Thorpe Church, Norfolk, the
bascinet is shown very highly ornamented with a border; he also wears a
collar of Esses round the neck (Fig. 249).
The brass of Sir John Lysle (Fig. 250) in Thruxton Church, Hampshire,
bears the date 1407, and if the effigy were executed at that time, or
approximately so, we have the earliest example of complete plate in
existence in England. There are, however, certain points about the
armour delineated which lend themselves to the supposition that the
brass was executed some ten or more years later, viz. the absence of
any hauberk; the development of the fan-shaped coudières; the position
of the misericorde and the sword-belt, &c. The distinction probably
belongs to the Ferrers brass.
The brass of Sir John de Leventhorpe, 1433, at Sawbridgeworth Church,
Herts (Fig. 251), is interesting as showing the development of the
lowermost tace into the subsequent tuilles of the Tabard Period. In
this effigy the lame in question is divided into two tuilles which
still have the same width, and partake of the nature of taces; each
tuille is suspended by two buckles. This is one of the earliest
representations of this feature in England.
[Illustration: FIG. 250.--Sir John Lysle, 1407. Thruxton Church, Hants.]
[Illustration: FIG. 251.--Sir John de Leventhorpe. 1433. Sawbridgeworth
Church, Herts.]
[Illustration: FIG. 252.--Shields. (Harl. MS., 4379.)]
The shields used in the Surcoatless Period were similar to those in
the preceding, but manifest infinitely greater varieties. They were
invariably small in size and notched for the lance, but as every knight
apparently designed his own, it is obviously impossible to enumerate
or illustrate them. They all, however, agreed in presenting a concave
surface to the opponents lance, whereby it was prevented from glancing
upwards or downwards and thus inflicting injury, while the general
tendency was to deflect the lance-point to the left, whereby it touched
neither horse nor rider. The examples here given are from one of the
Harleian MSS., No. 4379 (Fig. 252), and may be taken as a general type
of the knightly shield in this and also in the preceding period.
[Illustration: FIG. 253.--Richard de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, early
15th century. (From the Warwick Roll.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 254.--Billman, Richard II. (Roy. MS. 20, C. VII.)]
Remembering that there was no arbitrary law regulating the military
equipment and dress of the ordinary soldier at this period, it is
somewhat difficult to deal decisively with the subject, but a few
examples and some broad outlines may probably be sufficient to enable
the reader to grasp a general idea of the subject.
_The Man-at-arms_ in the middle of the fourteenth century was generally
armed with the lance, sword, and mace, the martel-de-fer or a military
pick at times supplanting the latter. The shield was heater-or
heart-shaped and notched, but sometimes circular, and of various sizes.
A hauberk or jacque reaching to the knees, and having sleeves to the
elbow, constructed of any of the numerous kinds of jazeraint work, or
of banded mail, covered his body; it was reinforced at the shoulders,
elbows, and knees with roundels, caps, or plates, while two mammelières
were in use to cover the chest and act more or less as breastplates.
Greaves and vambraces of leather strengthened with splints of iron,
with thick leather gauntlets and shoes, guarded the limbs, while a
skull-cap with banded camail or a thick leather gorget depending,
protected the head and neck. Either a gambeson or a leather tunic under
the jacque completed the equipment.
[Illustration: FIG. 255.--Cuir-bouilli headpiece. (Roy. MS. 20, C.
VII.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 256.--Soldier, _c._ 1400. (Roy. MS. 20, C. VII.)]
_Billman, Pikeman, or Foot Soldier._--The pikeman of the period was
equipped with a more elaborate defence than is generally credited,
and consequently his comparative immunity from hurt by the lethal
weapons of the time goes far to explain the determined resistance
made by the infantry. The very fact that there was no uniformity in
his accoutrement rendered him a formidable foe to the knight, who
naturally directed his lance to that portion of an enemy’s person
possessing the least defensive equipment; but it required more than
human divination in the excitement of a contest to discern the weak
points in the equipment of men all armed in a different manner. The
broad rule respecting the armour of the infantry in mediæval times was
that the knightly defence of one period became the soldiers salvation
in the succeeding period. At the same time many a contemporary piece of
equipment was obtained from the field of battle and used to augment the
personal defence. The figure (Fig. 254) (taken from the British Museum
MS. Roy. 20, C. VII.) may be taken as a general type of the billman
of the reigns of Edward III., Richard II., and possibly Henry IV. and
V. Upon the head he wears a skull cap composed of two pieces of iron
riveted together with reinforcing strips of metal; from this depends
a camail of banded mail which is strengthened by a plate defending
the cheeks, chin, and throat, in imitation of the bavière then coming
into vogue with the knightly class. Possibly this piece was home-made,
and the village blacksmith had a hand in its fabrication. The body
is protected by a leathern jacque having roundels at the shoulders
with crude brassarts, coudières, and vambraces, possibly of leather.
A tegulated skirt of pieces of leather, horn, or iron plates reaches
to the knees, which are defended by metal genouillières, from which
depend grevières of metal or cuir-bouilli. Indications of cuissarts
are apparent, and the legs are covered with chausses of banded mail
in addition. It will thus be seen that the billman’s equipment for
defence was but little inferior to that of the knight. No sword or
mace is shown, but these were in common use. The fauchard he wields
is nine feet in length, with cutting edges upon both sides, a sharp
pike-point at the end, and a hook with which to dismount a horseman.
A second example from the same MS. (Fig. 255) shows a head-covering
of cuir-bouilli in the form of overlapping leaves or scales, while
the camail is of soft pliable leather. In this cut the small badge is
delineated upon the left breast that denoted the leader under whom the
soldier fought. Another soldier with a circular shield and armed only
with a sword, is taken from the MS. above named (Roy. 20, C. VII.); he
wears a piece of tegulated defence, probably leather, over a leathern
jerkin, while his sleeves appear to be of a stuffed and quilted nature,
similar to a gambeson. He has demi-plate upon the legs and is furnished
with a bascinet (Fig. 256). A soldier is also shown wearing the high
bascinet so characteristic of the knight of the early Camail Period;
it had doubtless formed part of some loot, and the wearer added to
the defence a large bavière which also partially served the function
of a breastplate, while a tippet of banded mail covers the shoulders
(Fig. 257). Some of the foot soldiers carried a small circular shield
or buckler about 9 inches to 12 inches in diameter and furnished with
a boss in the centre; the left hand would be able to grasp both it
and the pike as well.
[Illustration: FIG. 257.--Soldier with plate gorget, _temp._ Richard
II. (Roy. MS. 20, C. VII.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 258.--Spearman, _c._ 1400. (Roy. MS. 20, C. VII.)]
Towards the end of the reign of Richard II. the fashion of wearing a
houppelande over the armour came in vogue both for knights and common
soldiery, thus preventing the armour from being seen, except the lower
parts of the legs (see Fig. 258). With this incongruous habit appeared
also the snout-faced or pig-faced visor of alarming proportions,
serving as a visor, gorget, and pectoral combined. The annexed cut is
taken from a group of combatants in Roy MS. 20, C. VII., who are all
defended in the same ungainly manner. With the advent of the reign of
King Henry IV. this visor became of less size and different shape,
while reinforcements to the bascinet were added to compensate. In
Fig. 259, from Roy. MS. 15, D. III., a soldier is shown with bascinet
and neck-guard affixed; to protect the throat an extra plate is used
swinging upon pivots on either side of the helmet--a crude bavière.
Another foot soldier is shown with a similar defence (Fig. 260), but
his bascinet is globular at the top and furnished with a projecting
neck-guard, in which we cannot fail to see the salade in its early
stage. We may refer this to the reign of Henry V., as well as that
shown in Fig. 259. Another bascinet of the same period is given in Fig.
262, where the small holes for fixing the lining are shown, and also
those round the lower edge and opening for the face, for the camail.
This bascinet still further suggests the salade, as does also the one
in the British Museum (Fig. 263).
[Illustration: FIG. 259. (Roy. MS. 15, D. III.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 260. (Roy. MS. 15, D. III.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 261.--Soldier, Richard II., gorget over camail.
(Roy. MS. 20, C. VII.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 262.--Bascinet, _temp._ Henry V.]
[Illustration: FIG. 263.--Bascinet from Brit. Mus.]
[Illustration: FIG. 264.--Quivers and scimitar. (Roy. MS. 14, E. IV.)]
_The Archer._--The equipment of the archer was essentially of a lighter
nature than that of the billman. A pot-de-fer upon the head, with
coif-de-mailles or camail; a brigandine or jacque of pourpointerie,
covering at times a small plastron-de-fer; upon the left arm a bracer,
otherwise legs and arms in cloth stockings and sleeves; a girdle with
axe, sword, or scimitar depending therefrom; a quiver at the right
hip with its burden of goose-or pigeon-feathered arrows, and the long
yellow bow slung at the back in company with a small round target--such
was the war dress of the mediæval bowman. At times a stake sharpened
at both ends was carried to hinder a charge of cavalry, but this was
generally improvised upon the spot. In Roy. MS. 14, E. IV., the quivers
at this period are shown to be of an elongated bag form, and quite
different to the late fifteenth-century style. A very favourite weapon
with archers, judging by the number of men represented wearing it in
all MSS. of the time, is the scimitar, which is invariably of the shape
shown in Fig. 264. The curious guard for the fingers, springing from
the pommel, is very characteristic.
[Illustration: FIG. 265.--Weapons from Roy. MS. 20, C. VII. Nos. (left
to right)--7. Pole-axe (the voulge); 2. Pole-axe; 4. Pike; 1. Pike; 3.
Pike; 5. Pole-axe (bardiche); 6. Fauchard (guisarme).]
The weapons used by the billmen of this period are well shown in
Roy. MS. 20, C. VII., and are reproduced in Fig. 265. No. 1 is
shown in use by a soldier whose left hand is guarded by the circular
projection, which, together with the long point, was made of steel.
The shaft of this formidable pike or partisan was about five feet in
length, the point three feet, and it depended for its efficacy upon
its armour-piercing qualities. Nos. 2, 5, 7 are the pole-axe with
varying modifications, the total length, including shaft, being about
eight feet; it was apparently a favourite weapon, and is many times
represented, No. 5, the bardiche, however, being somewhat uncommon.
Nos. 3 and 4 are simple forms of pikes, with a cross-guard in one
case, and an armour-piercing spike in the other. No. 6 is the deadly
fauchard, a variety of the guisarme, evolved originally from the
scythe; it was a common weapon in the Middle Ages, but inflicted such
ghastly wounds with its razor-like edges back and front, that its use
in Christian warfare was often deplored. Its total length was usually
about eight feet.
[Illustration: FIG. 266.--Combat with pole-axes between Earl of Warwick
and Sir P. Malacat. (Cott. MS., Julius, E. IV.)]
The antiquary, John Rouse, of Warwick, has left us some excellent
drawings of military equipment of the fifteenth century, which are
preserved in the Cottonian MS., Julius, E. IV. They illustrate the
romantic adventures of Richard de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, and one
of these spirited sketches is introduced here (Fig. 266). It represents
a combat with pole-axes between the earl and Sir Pandulf Malacat at
Verona, when Sir Pandulf was badly wounded upon the left shoulder,
and would probably have fared worse had not the combat been stopped.
We gain an excellent idea from this sketch of the mode in which the
gorget was adjusted, which is difficult to realise from a brass. The
misericorde is suspended as in the later days of Richard II., and a
central prolongation of the front taces is represented, which occurs
upon several English brasses. The shape and character of the formidable
weapons are well delineated in the sketch.
[Illustration: PLATE XIX*
Armour of Philip III., made by Lucio Picinino of Milan
_A. F. Calvert_]