THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500
[Illustration: FIG. 267.--Tabard, William Fynderne, 1444. Childrey
Church, Berks.]
[Illustration: FIG. 268.--Tabard, Sir Ralph Shelton, 1423. Great
Snoring Church, Norfolk.]
The sources of information for this period are considerably enlarged
when compared with those preceding it, as, in addition to MSS.,
missals, brasses, and monumental effigies we may add paintings by
the old masters, crude woodcuts following upon the introduction of
printing, and, what is of still greater value, actual examples of
arms and armour in our public and private museums, churches, &c. The
fifteenth century probably saw a greater output of armour than any
other in English history: the stirring times in France under the Duke
of Bedford and other leaders at the end of the Hundred Years’ War was
followed almost immediately by the thirty years of intestine strife
of the Wars of the Roses. Under the stress of these conditions armour
continued to improve in defensive power until, in the reign of Richard
III. and the earlier part of that of Henry VII., it attained to its
maximum stage of efficiency in England. In the combat during this
century between the forgers of weapons of offence and the armour with
which to resist them we have the greatest struggle ever witnessed in
this country; so invulnerable did the plate become by completeness
of covering and dexterity in tempering that all the efforts of the
bowyer, fletcher, weapon-forger, and gunsmith had to be enlisted to
break down the solidarity of the defence, and it was not until the
succeeding century that the victory could be fairly claimed for the
attacking faction. The Tabard Period witnessed every device in armour
that the wit of man could evolve, and it was produced under those
circumstances which would best achieve the desired result, namely the
stress of urgent need. The name by which this age is known, that of
the Tabard Period, has been selected by reason of the tabard being
practically the only distinguishing feature which did not change, and
was fairly persistent throughout. It is also used in contradistinction
to the preceding Surcoatless Period. The tabard was a surcoat which
was generally long in the body (to mid-thigh), and had sleeves to the
elbow in the earlier portion of its existence; but in the later period
the sleeves were much shortened, and the tabard at times only reached
to the waist. It was split upon both sides, and the front and back
portions fastened together by points, drawn closely together or left
wide apart to show the armour beneath; occasionally no points whatever
were used, and the front and back hung loosely from the shoulders. It
served as a protection against sun and rain, and also as a means of
personal adornment, being generally emblazoned upon the body and also
on the sleeves with the armorial bearings of the wearer. It was of silk
or other material, sometimes padded so as to hang stiffly; in most
examples it depends in folds. An early brass showing this feature is
that of William Fynderne, 1444, at Childrey in Berkshire (Fig. 267),
where the armorial bearings are depicted upon the body and sleeves,
both of which are long. An early tabard is that shown upon the brass
of Sir Ralph Shelton, 1423, in Great Snoring Church (Fig. 268), which
fits tightly to the figure, and the tincture of the body of the tabard
has apparently been attempted by the engraver. Another early example
is that of John Wantele, 1424, at Amberley Church, Sussex, where the
arms are shown upon the body (which reaches almost to the knees) but
not on the sleeves. Later examples are those of Sir John Say, 1473, at
Broxbourne, Herts, and Piers Gerard, 1492, Winwick, Lancs. In the Roy.
MS. 18, E. V., is a very spirited drawing of Julius Cæsar crossing
the Rubicon, in which he is represented as wearing a tabard. A very
elaborate example, _c._ 1500, is on the brass in Ormskirk Church,
Lancashire, commemorating a former member of the Scarisbrick family
(Fig. 269). The figure in question wears sabbatons.
[Illustration: FIG. 269.--Brass in the Scarisbrick Chapel of Ormskirk
Church, co. Lancs., to a member of the Scarisbrick family of that name,
_c._ 1500.]
[Illustration: FIG. 270.--Bascinet of one of the Neville family,
Brancepeth, Durham.]
[Illustration: FIG. 271.--Bascinet and orle, Sir Humphrey Stafford,
1450.]
_The Helmet._--During the earlier part of the Tabard Period, until
about 1450, the helmet differed but slightly from those shown in the
Surcoatless, the modifications being chiefly in the form of the apex
and the addition of a close-fitting visor. In the example shown (Fig.
270) the visor was probably rapidly adjusted to the lower studs in time
of danger, or the heaume could be worn. The shape of the apex should be
noted, and this feature is also somewhat similar in the helmet of John,
Duke of Somerset, A.D. 1444. In those cases where the knight trusted
to the bascinet only, the bavière is raised considerably to guard the
face. This is well seen in the brass of Sir Humphrey Stafford, 1450
(Fig. 271), where the orle is a prominent feature. An example is given
here of a brass of a later period exhibiting armour of an earlier date,
an occurrence which at times causes confusion. Sir John de Harpedon’s
brass (Fig. 272) is well known in Westminster Abbey, and dates from
1457; the armour is most unusually simple for that period, and could
well be attributed to thirty years earlier, except in regard to the
gauntlets. There are no less than eleven lames in the taces.
[Illustration: FIG. 272.--The brass of Sir John de Harpedon.]
[Illustration: FIG. 273.--Chapelle-de-fer, _c._ 1485.]
About 1450 the Salade (Germ. _schallern_, from _schale_, a shell, or
Italian _celata_) was introduced into England, and for a considerable
time formed the headpiece of knights, men-at-arms, and archers. It
rested entirely upon the head, and was not affixed in any way to the
body armour. Its coolness was a great recommendation, as was also the
facility with which the head could be moved in all directions. There
appear to be two distinct head-pieces from which the salade could owe
its development; the chapelle-de-fer is one, and it probably suggested
the German shape. This was in use from the thirteenth to the fifteenth
centuries, and consisted of a light iron headpiece with a flat broad
brim turned down. In the earlier examples the brim projects equally
all round, but later it is much flatter at the front than at the back,
where it was drawn out to a point (see Fig. 273). The Italian _celata_
was the second model from which the salade could trace its evolution;
it was the helmet of barbute form referred to on p. 173, and which
was undoubtedly founded upon the Greek model. It gradually developed
in the fifteenth century into the shape shown in Fig. 274, losing its
pointed apex and swelling outwards at the back of the neck. Upon their
introduction into France, both German and Italian forms were classed
under the name Salade. The salade in its primitive form was a head
protection forged at first out of one piece of metal (Fig. 275 and
Fig. 276) with a comb upon the crest and an occularium, which was made
available by pulling down the front of the helmet until it rested level
with the eyes. This was superseded by one having a movable visor which
could be raised or lowered at pleasure, and generally when lowered
was locked with a spring catch (Fig. 277). A few examples occur in
which the long projection at the back is jointed after the form of the
lobster’s tail, and at times the salade measured as much as sixteen
or eighteen inches from front to back. An example weighing 5 lbs. is
in Case 25 at the Tower of London, dating from 1450: it is of German
make and still bright, though much pitted all over (Fig. 278). A very
interesting example is Fig. 279, in the Wallace Collection, dating from
about 1460, which was probably used by a mounted archer. As in the
Tower example, it is bright but pitted: the crown is without a ridge,
but becomes combed at the tail; the form of the salade enables it to
be thrown well back upon the head when not in use. The small holes
round the visor were probably intended for the sewing in of a lining,
and the pairs of holes at the sides show where the strong lining was
affixed which supported the helmet itself. Salades of this shape are
shown in contemporary paintings, those of Albert Dürer for example.
The mentonnière was habitually used with the salade: it was a plate
fastened by one, two, or three screws or almayne (sliding) rivets to
the upper part of the breastplate, and was moulded so as to cover the
lower part of the face to the lips or nose and reach to the ears on
both sides (see Fig. 280). In use the visor of the salade when lowered
fell outside the mentonnière, thus effectually protecting the face
of the wearer. A plate cheek-guard or bavière was worn at times, and
this reinforcement is plainly seen in the salade, with crest, of the
Duke Ludwig of Bavaria, 1449 (Fig. 281). A salade of German pattern
with a very high crown is shown in Fig. 282; the general type of
armour prevailing upon the Continent in 1450 is here presented, the
laminated brassarts being a special feature. As a rule, however, a
collar or standard of mail was deemed to be a sufficient protection
under the mentonnière. An example of the mentonnière dating from about
1480 is No. 840 in the Wallace Collection; it has two plates, of which
the upper one is held in position by a spring catch; it suggests the
falling bufe of a later period. Fig. 283 represents a salade of the end
of the fifteenth century; it will be seen that a comb runs over the
crown, and that a sliding neck-guard is used in place of a rigid tail.
A magnificent example of Milanese workmanship is shown on Plate VII.*,
p. 60.
[Illustration: FIG. 274.--Italian celata.]
[Illustration: FIG. 275.--German salade, _c._ 1440.]
[Illustration: FIG. 276.--Early salade.]
[Illustration: FIG. 277.--Salade from Rhodes, _c._ 1470.]
[Illustration: FIG. 278.--Salade, 1450. (Tower of London.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 279.--Salade, _c._ 1460. (Wallace Collection.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 280.--Mentonnière, in Whissonsett Church, Norfolk.]
[Illustration: FIG. 281.--Schallern, with Crest of Bavaria (Duke Ludwig
of Bavaria, 1449).]
[Illustration: FIG. 282.--German type of salade and armour, 1450.]
[Illustration: FIG. 283.--German schallern, _c._ 1480.]
[Illustration: FIG. 284.--Early Italian armet, _c._ 1450.]
_The Armet._--Towards the end of the Tabard Period the armet was
introduced into England, and partially superseded the salade and other
forms of head-protection. The origin of this helmet and the derivation
of the name are equally involved in obscurity; but it probably
first saw the light in Italy, and gradually spread through Germany
into England. “Armet” may be derived from “elmetto” or “armetto,”
little helm, or “heaumet,” the diminutive of “heaume.” The essential
difference between the armet and all those head-pieces which antedated
it was that, while the older styles had been put on by lowering them
over the head and the weight had in nearly all cases been borne by
the head, the armet opened out in its lower part upon hinges, and
could thus be closed round the head and neck, while the weight was
transferred to the gorget and thence to the shoulders. It was in all
respects neater, lighter, and handier than either the salade or the
bascinet, while providing a fine defensive form for both head and neck.
The armets, like the bascinets, had in their earlier stages a camail
attached by a row of vervelles (Fig. 284) and a reinforcing piece
upon the forehead. The same pin and hinge arrangement peculiar to the
bascinet is used for affixing the visor, which latter, by falling,
secures the opening of the helmet in front, at the same time forming
the occularium by leaving a space between its upper edge and the lower
edge of the reinforcement covering the forehead. Under the hinges or
pivots of the visor are the upper parts of the two chin-pieces, hinged
to the crown, which overlap in front and are strapped together at
the chin. At the back occurs a tailpiece from which projects a short
stem to which is attached a flat disc, probably to protect the back
of the helmet, which was its weakest part. An example in the Wallace
Collection (Fig. 285), dating from 1470, has the stem remaining but not
the roundel, while the holes for attaching the camail are well seen.
The pivots for the visor are in the reinforcement in this case. Another
armet from the same collection has the pointed visor and bavière in
one plate, while the roundel is shown at the back (Fig. 286), and the
latter example shows the camail superseded by the laminated gorget with
which the armet articulated. Fig. 287 also has the disc in position; it
dates from 1480, is without any reinforcing piece upon the forehead,
and the occularium is contained in the visor. No. 46 suit of armour in
the Wallace Collection has an armet dating probably from 1490, with
pointed visor and bavière in one piece; the neck portion is furnished
with a hollow roping running round it, which fits upon and grips the
upper lame of the gorget, which being perfectly circular, like the neck
of the gorget, allows the head to be turned right and left. This was a
feature of the close helmets of the succeeding century.
[Illustration: FIG. 285.--Armet, _c._ 1470. (Wallace Collection.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 286.--Armet, probably Italian, _c._ 1480.]
[Illustration: FIG. 287.--Armet, _c._ 1480. (Wallace Collection.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 288.--_Cap-á-pie_ suit of Gothic armour, _c._ 1470.
(Wallace Collection.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 289.--Breastplate, _c._ 1490. (Tower of London.)]
_Body Armour; the Breastplate._--The breastplate from approximately
1430 to 1450 remained of the same globular form which had characterised
it in the Surcoatless Period, but after that date we often find it
reinforced by another plate, called a demi-placcate, springing upwards
from the waist, the upper part as a rule being moulded into a graceful
system of cusps. In some cases, a second reinforcing plate is added
over the first, but it is doubtful if these plates reached to the waist
in any single case. By the system of introducing almayne rivets the
breastplate could be given a certain amount of mobility, and adapt
itself to the movements of the wearer. The goussets at the arm-holes
were ridged or roped and sometimes turned back upon the breastplate.
The backplates, also, about 1450, were made in several pieces, in
order to obtain freedom of movement; the well-known _cap-à-pie_ suit
(Fig. 316) in the Wallace Collection has no less than five pieces in
the backplate. Towards the end of the century, the breastplate was
reinforced with goussets of plate adapted to the movement of the arms
by judiciously-placed rivets. This is shown in Fig. 289; in the Tower
Collection, _c._ 1490 or 1500, in Case 48; it shows a roped border in
the upper part, holes for affixing the lance-rest, one in the centre
for the screw of the gorget or mentonnière, and an articulated lame of
the taces at the lower part. The section is shown with it. The suit of
armour, No. 10 in the Wallace Collection, has the breastplate fitted
with plate goussets; it dates from 1470. A demi-placcate of one plate
is well delineated in Fig. 291 from Roy. MS. 18, E. V., 1473, being a
portion of the defence of “Goliath of Gath” in that manuscript.
[Illustration: FIG. 290.--Palette suspended from pauldron, _c._ 1470.
(Wallace Collection.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 291.--Demi-placcate, &c. (Roy. MS. 18, E. V.)]
_Arm Defences._--These were of great variety and, as the century
progressed, of the most original and complicated description,
giving to this period the most characteristic forms by which it
can be identified. Soon after 1440, and perhaps before that time,
the defences of the right and left arms in England began to be of
different construction, similar to changes which had already become
well advanced upon the Continent in the same direction. The right
arm was encased in steel which, compared with other portions, was
comparatively thin, light, and capable of the greatest flexibility
and mobility; this was occasioned by the need of extreme quickness of
sword-play in combat after the lance had been shivered in the charge.
Laminated epaulières and laminated brassarts were accordingly lavishly
used upon the right arm as affording the maximum amount of movement,
these being strengthened by a few extra defences of plate adapted so
that they would not hinder the flexibility so obtained. A brass at
Swaffham, 1470, illustrates the use of lames upon the right arm (Fig.
292). The left or bridle arm, on the contrary, was guarded by extra
strong and thick plate defences and reinforcements of all descriptions,
shapes, and sizes; in fact the general idea was to render the whole
of the left side of the knight impenetrable to the weapons then in
use. Probably this was occasioned by the partial or total disuse of
the shield in warfare, as being an encumbrance whose disadvantages
more than counterbalanced any possible benefits which might have been
derived from it. It can be readily seen that in combat with an ordinary
right-handed swordsman the left side of the body would be liable to
receive more hurts, both in number and intensity, than the right, hence
this extraordinary strengthening of the defences upon that side.
[Illustration: FIG. 292.--Brass at Swaffham illustrating use of lames
on right arm, 1470.]
[Illustration: FIG. 293.--Development of the coudière.]
[Illustration: FIG. 294.--Development of palette.]
[Illustration: FIG. 295.--Pauldron of Walter, Lord Hungerford, 1459.
Salisbury Cathedral.]
[Illustration: FIG. 296.--Laminated pauldron.(Cott. MS., Julius, E.
IV.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 297.--Pauldron, &c., Sir Miles Stapleton, 1466.
Ingham Church, Norfolk.]
_Pauldrons._--The defence known as the Pauldron was introduced in
England about 1430, and may be looked upon as a development of the
palette, which, becoming larger and larger, finally ended by covering
the epaulières. This enlargement may be readily seen from the
accompanying Fig. 294, where the palette is seen to have reached the
shoulder. The right arm defences of Walter, Lord Hungerford, 1459, from
his effigy in Salisbury Cathedral (Fig. 295), afford us an example of
the pauldron in its early stage; it is plain and of small proportions,
just sufficient to fit upon the lames beneath. The peculiar shape of
the coudière with its flutings should be noticed. A pauldron consisting
of long lames of plate is shown in Cott. MS., Julius, E. IV. (Fig.
296), and also on the Staunton brass; it, however, invariably consisted
of a strong and rigid plate, which is well exemplified in the brass of
Sir Miles Stapleton in Ingham Church, Norfolk, 1466 (Fig. 297), where
the defence, beautifully ornamented by curves and cusps, is not only
designed as a protection to the shoulder and upper arm but also to a
certain extent for the neck, which is also encircled by a standard
of interlinked chain mail. In this ridging for neck defence occurred
the first idea of passe-gardes or pike-guards, an innovation which in
different forms was in vogue during the latter part of the fifteenth
and nearly the whole of the sixteenth centuries. It is still further
indicated in the brass to Thomas Colt, Armiger, 1475 (Fig. 298), at
Roydon, Essex, where a serrated ridge is shown traversing a large part
of the pauldron with the evident object of arresting a sword-cut.
The pauldron is of large dimensions, and projects well over the
breastplate. William Yelverton, 1481, whose brass is shown at Rougham
in Norfolk, has the passe-garde well developed and rising in a high
ridge on the left side of the neck; the pauldron is of fair dimensions,
but strange to note does not cover the left gousset (Fig. 299). It
is probable that the wearer bore a shield. The pauldron and its
passe-garde or pike-guard is well shown upon a suit of Gothic armour
in the Wallace Collection, dating from about 1490 (Fig. 300); here the
great difference in the sizes of the two pauldrons is shown, the small
one upon the right shoulder necessitating a palette in the form of a
roundel being introduced to guard the gousset of the right arm.
[Illustration: FIG. 298.--Pauldron, Thomas Colt, 1475. Roydon, Essex.]
[Illustration: FIG. 299.--Pauldron, William Yelverton, 1481. Rougham,
Norfolk.]
[Illustration: FIG. 300.--Pauldrons, &c., 1490. (Wallace Collection.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 301.--Coudière, &c., Thomas Playters, 1479.]
_The Coudières._--Until about 1450 the coudières were of normal sizes
and proportions, but when the shield was discarded and the left side
of the knight was strengthened, the left coudière became of supreme
importance in the warding off of a blow, and hence underwent changes
which in some cases can only be termed monstrous and extravagant.
Probably the brass of Sir Robert Staunton, 1458, in Castle Donington
Church, Leicestershire, furnishes the maximum example of immensity
in coudières, though the peculiarity of having both of the same size
and pattern should not be overlooked. Another and later brass, that
of Thomas Playters, 1479, in Sollerley Church, shows a coudière of a
peculiar shape and of great size, reproduced in Fig. 301. A secondary
defence was introduced about the middle of the century to protect the
inside bend of the left arm, called the garde-de-bras, well seen upon
the brass of Sir John Peryent the younger, 1450, at Digswell, Herts
(Fig. 302); in the accompanying Fig. 303 is shown an example of a left
coudière from the Wallace Collection (No. 46), dating from about 1490.
[Illustration: FIG. 302.--The brass of Sir John Peryent the younger.]
_The Taces, Tuilles, and Tuillettes._--The taces introduced into armour
during the Surcoatless Period reached approximately to the mid-thigh
of the wearer, and during that period short lames were attached in
front at times, making the skirt of plate even longer. As the Tabard
Period progressed, however, the taces showed a tendency to decrease in
number, thereby shortening the skirt of plate and permitting more of
the thigh to be uncovered. In order to remedy this, separate plates,
rounded so as to encircle the limb to a certain extent, were affixed to
the lowermost tace by straps in front of each thigh, and as the taces
contracted the “tuilles,” as they were termed, grew longer and broader.
An excellent example is that of Henry Parice in Hildersham Church,
Cambridgeshire, 1465 (Fig. 304), who has tuilles, genouillières, and
elbow-pieces of extravagant size; the tuilles are here shown suspended
by straps to the lowermost of three taces. Incidentally the skirt of
the gambeson is disclosed in this figure, and apparently the edge
of some defence of mail worn under the taces. A precisely similar
example occurs at Roydon, Essex, upon the brass of Robert Colt, 1475.
Towards the end of the century the taces had so far contracted that
they reached only to the hips, as shown in the brass of Sir Anthony de
Grey, 1480, in St. Albans Abbey Church (Fig. 326), but another mode
was sometimes adopted, as seen in the brass of Sir Robert Harcourt at
Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire (Fig. 305), where the tuille was not
attached to the lowest tace but to a higher one, the intermediate
space being filled up with short lames and mail. Other smaller plates
were at times added to protect the outer part of the thighs, called
“tuillettes.” If the front tuilles are themselves composed of several
plates, or jointed, then the term “tuillette” is also applied to them.
[Illustration: FIG. 303.--Garde-de-bras, _c._ 1490. (Wallace
Collection.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 304.--Tuilles, &c., Henry Parice, 1465. Hildersham
Church, Cambs.]
[Illustration: FIG. 305.--Sir Robert Harcourt, _c._ 1472. Stanton
Harcourt, Oxon.]
_Leg Defences._--These did not undergo such decided transformations as
the remaining portions of the armour, but a few innovations deserve
attention. Until 1450 there was no decided change from the style
prevailing in the Surcoatless Period, with perhaps the exception that
the reinforcing plate of the genouillière protecting the grevière
had a tendency to lengthen, but was still cut off square. After the
above date we find that it is generally pointed in the lower part
and laminated, while reinforcing plates begin to appear above the
genouillière protecting the thigh and often overlapping each other. An
unusual reinforcement for the genouillière is shown in Fig. 306; it is
of chain mail and occurs upon a suit in the Wallace Collection dated
1470. The actual cap covering the knee did not undergo much change,
except that it was often prominent and ridged, but one innovation, and
a marked one, is exhibited upon a few brasses (in the Grey brass, St.
Albans, for example), where the usual outer guard is prolonged round
the back of the knee in order to protect the gousset generally shown
there. A peculiar variety of genouillière is delineated in Fig. 307,
where a spike is seen projecting from the guard, and a considerable
number of lames and reinforcements are shown. It is difficult to see
the possible use of this spike, and one can only suppose that it was
so placed to annoy the horse of an antagonist when at close quarters.
It is from Roy. MS. 18, E. IV. The sollerets remain pointed, and
were often of extravagant length, but with less lames as a rule than
in the early part of the century; towards the end, about 1490, they
disappeared and became extinct, the broad-toed “sabbatons” taking their
place. Those of Piers Gerard, 1492, Winwick, Lancashire, are early
examples of this fashion (Fig. 308).
[Illustration: FIG. 306.--Reinforcement to genouillière, _c._ 1470
(Wallace Collection.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 307.--Spiked genouillière. (Roy. MS. 18, E. IV.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 308.--Sabbaton of Piers Gerard, 1492. Winwick,
Lancs.]
[Illustration: PLATE XX*
Armour of King Sebastian (Backplate)
_A. F. Calvert_]
[Illustration: FIG. 309.--Lance-rest, 1480. (Wallace Collection.)]
Until about the year 1460 the sword was worn at the left side suspended
by a narrow band passing over the right hip, as in the Surcoatless
Period, but after the above date it appears upon brasses and monumental
effigies in front of the body, with the point slightly inclined to
the left as a rule, but sometimes hanging perpendicularly. It has a
singularly short and ill-proportioned hilt, with a much-swollen grip
and a pommel pear-shaped or circular, while the quillons are straight,
with a slight droop at the ends towards the blade. The lance-rest was
added in the latter half of the century, and is shown projecting from
the breastplate in many brasses. Upon some existing suits of the period
and later the rest is capable of being folded up when not in use, and
kept in place in both positions by a spring. The lance-rest shown in
Fig. 309 dates from 1480, and has a strut or support beneath it to aid
in bearing the weight of the lance.
[Illustration: FIG. 310.--German tilting armour, 1480, from the
Collection in the Museum at Vienna.]
_Tilting Armour._--From the very earliest times since man bore arms
he has engaged in friendly contest with others, not only as a means
of recreation and engendering mutual respect, but it was readily
recognised that the only way to obtain skill in deadly combat was to
constantly practise the art of war in the time of peace. It was also
natural and proper that these friendly combats should be governed by
rules and regulations whereby the minimum of risk should be run, and
so avoid the possibility of turning a manly pastime from a source of
enjoyment into a combat of deadly earnestness. Although history records
that the latter result really occurred at times, it was the exception
that proved the rule, and tilting was part and parcel of a knight’s
everyday life, and the glories of the tournament the hoped-for goal.
During the early part of the Middle Ages single encounters, and also
the mêlée, were fought in the usual harness which the knight was in
the habit of wearing in battle, and no other precautions were taken
excepting the use of blunted spears and restricting the use of the
sword to the edge only. As time advanced, however, and armour became
heavier and more cumbersome, the being hurled out of the saddle by
a dexterous thrust of an opponent’s lance was a matter of moment,
seriously endangering life and limb, whereas it had formerly been
deemed comparatively trivial when the defences were of mail or textile
fabrics. Hence as time progressed it became necessary to have special
armour for the tilt, or to add such extra defences to the fighting
armour that the increased weight promised security in the saddle, and
the multiplicity of plates between himself and the weapons of his
opponent practically guaranteed immunity from harm. This idea, once
established, eventually led to the result that a knight armed for the
joust could not mount to the saddle, but had prominent portions of
this armour fitted when mounted. He became an apparently impregnable
tower of steel, immovably fixed in a huge saddle. The student of armour
must carefully discriminate between these tilting suits and actual war
harness; the former were never used upon the field of battle, although
at times we know that certain of the tilt defences were borrowed in
order to reinforce the usual harness. The fifteenth century witnessed
the inception and almost the culmination of the idea, and a few of
the tilting suits of the latter part of that era are still extant.
Fig. 310 represents the upper portion of a suit of tilting armour from
the collection in the Museum in Vienna; it dates from 1480, and is
eminently typical of the period. The half-suit, No. 21 (Fig. 418) in
the Wallace Collection, is very similar to the suit illustrated. The
great tilting heaume is composed of three plates of varying thickness,
ranging from nearly half an inch in the principal portions of the
front to an eighth of an inch in the back. A comb, convex in section,
runs down the centre of the crown, and radiating flutings are seen
to ornament the back. The neck of the heaume is firmly fixed to the
backplate, and three screws serve the same purpose in front for the
breastplate. The occularium, formed by the aperture between the crown
plate and the front, appears somewhat large when seen in this position,
but remembering that the lance is held considerably lower than the
heaume it is possible that an opening half an inch or even less would
be presented to it. It was quite possible to have comparative freedom
of movement for the head inside the heaume, which was invariably
furnished with a quilted lining.
[Illustration: PLATE XXI*
War Armour, early Seventeenth Century, Milanese make
Armour of Prince Philip II., German make, 1549
_A. F. Calvert_]
[Illustration: FIG. 311.--Queue. (Wallace Collection.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 312.--Queue, vamplate, and lance. (Tower of
London.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 313.--Polder mitten. (Tower of London.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 314.--Garde-de-bras. (Wallace Collection.)]
The specimen in the Wallace Collection weighs twenty pounds. The
breastplate is globular in form, and flattened upon the right side to
allow of the queue (Fig. 311) being affixed; this singular addition
consists of a bar of steel rectangular in section and screwed firmly
into the breastplate, bearing at the rear extremity a turned down hook
which resisted the upward pressure of the butt of the lance. The
front portion of the queue has another hook turned upwards, in which
the lance rested, and behind which it was gripped by the hand. This
hook was omitted when the lance-rest was separate and affixed to the
right side of the breastplate, as seen in the figure, where it appears
to be forged in one piece and secured by two screws. An excellent
example demonstrating in a practical manner the use of the queue is
exhibited in the Tower Collection, where the lance is seen in position,
and a large vamplate of curious design is affixed for the protection
of the hand and arm (see Fig. 312). In order to admit of the free
passage of the lance the large palette protecting the right armpit is
slightly hollowed at its lowest part; the Wallace suit has a companion
palette protecting the left arm. Upon the shoulders are pauldrons of
two plates, decorated with radiating fluting, and upon these in the
Wallace suit are two upright iron pins or projections to which were
attached the flowing ends of the lambrequin, contoise, or mantling,
depending from the crest. In the example from Vienna eyelets occur upon
the pauldrons for the same purpose. The brassarts are laminated and
overlap each other downwards. Upon the right arm appears the Polder
mitten (a corruption of _épaule de mouton_, so named from its shape),
an additional reinforcing piece which is screwed to the vambrace and
protects a large portion of the arm. It has fine flutings radiating
from the bend. No gauntlet is seen, the vamplate generally affording
a sufficient protection for the hand. A similar reinforcement for
the right arm is upon the Wallace suit, which differs only in a few
details, whilst a very fine example of this reinforcement, but dating
from a later period, is preserved in the Tower (No. 371, Case 25) (Fig.
313), which exhibits excellent workmanship. The elbow-joint of the left
arm is protected by a _garde-de-bras_ similar in form to that upon the
right arm; this is riveted to a manifere (or _main-de-fer_) of one
plate protecting the bridle hand, and decorated with flutings radiating
from the wrist. The protection for the left arm in the Wallace suit
is represented in Fig. 314; it is a large and finely fluted piece
secured to the vamplate by three screws. A small oak shield covered
with leather and painted is secured by a guige passing through two
holes in the left upper part of the breastplate; it is not connected
in any way with the arm, but simply hangs in position. This is the
Stechtarsche. In Fig. 310, no armour is shown below the waist, but the
Wallace suit is furnished with taces of four plates, to the lowest of
which are fixed the tuilles; while the breastplate is reinforced by
a placcate. Judging from the deep grooves and indentations upon the
heaume and palettes this suit has been donned at times in the combat
_à outrance_, when the war spear was employed, as the lance-head or
coronal customarily used in the Joustes of Peace would not effect
such damage. The Joustes in question were conducted upon the original
methods, namely, in the open lists or field and without any obstruction
between the combatants; the system of running with a barrier between
the horses was termed the Italian course, and was not used generally
in Europe until the sixteenth century. This Italian course is known
as _Über die Pallia_ (over the barriers), or _Welsches Gestech_, in
contradistinction to the open course or _Das Deutsche Stechen_. The
Wallace suit, including the heaume, weighs 96 lbs., and bears the
Augsburg guild mark. A few extra tilting pieces which came into vogue
upon the Continent in this period will be dealt with in a subsequent
chapter.
A fine suit of Gothic armour to which reference has been previously
made is in the Wallace Collection (Fig. 288) which dates from 1470. The
salade is of fine covering form and is fitted with a lifting visor; the
mentonnière has one plate which falls if required. The breastplate is
reinforced with a large placcate and has laminated goussets protected
by fluted roundels. The taces are of three plates, to which the
tuillettes (so called because they consist of more than one plate) are
suspended. Espalier pauldrons of very fine workmanship protect the
shoulders and upper arms; the coudières are peculiar to the period,
while mitten gauntlets with long cuffs and demi-vambraces are also
used. Demi-cuissarts of three plates have the genouillières fixed to
them, while the jambarts are complete. The sollerets and a few other
parts of the suit are restorations. The chain-mail reinforcements to
the jambarts are of rare occurrence.
[Illustration: FIG. 315.--Gothic armour from the Tower of London]
A suit of armour in the Tower of London deserves special mention
by reason of its being the oldest _cap-à-pie_ suit of plate in the
collection. It is shown in Fig. 315, and probably dates from the
middle of the fifteenth century, having practically no decorations
of any importance. It is furnished with a visorless salade having a
long tailpiece, and a gorget with a roped border which is probably of
a later date. The epaulières consist of five laminated plates; the
coudières are small, while demi-brassarts and complete vambraces cover
the upper and lower arms respectively. The gauntlets are of overlapping
plates with large cuffs. The breastplate has two demi-placcates
reinforcing it, and the backplate is of three pieces. The taces
are three in number, to which tuilles of one plate are affixed.
Demi-cuissarts, plain small genouillières with fan-shaped guards, and
grevières of complete plate (probably recent) protect the lower limbs.
There are no sollerets. The figure is equipped with a pole-axe of an
original pattern, the shaft being partially sheathed in iron. Another
suit, No. 26, probably dates from the last years of the fifteenth
century, as it is furnished with a chain-mail skirt. The breastplate
has a demi-placcate strengthening it; the gauntlets are very elaborate
with fine gadlyngs and cuffs (probably the cuffs only are original);
the cuissarts have four lames upon the upper parts, while the sollerets
are of beautiful construction but recent workmanship. The backplate is
of two plates, and a garde-de-rein is affixed below. The suit has
been much restored.
[Illustration: PLATE XXII*
Half-suit, Pamplona Armour, Philip III.
_A. F. Calvert_]
The finest example of complete war harness for man and horse to be seen
in London, and probably in England, of the very early period of 1460 is
that which occupies such a prominent position in the Wallace Collection
(Fig. 316). It was formerly in the famous collection of the Count de
Nieuwerkerke, who purchased it from M. E. Juste, of Paris, for £1200,
but probably if it came under the hammer now it would bring in four to
six times that sum. As one might expect, it has had to be made up in
a few parts to its present complete condition, but nothing whatever
has been done to the armour for the lower limbs, which is original and
well preserved. This is the more to be wondered at inasmuch as those
are the parts more liable to suffer injury and need replacement than
any others. The salade is of fine form and furnished with a visor, the
occularium being formed between the upper part of the visor and the
lower edge of the crown-piece. The mentonnière is attached by a screw
to the breastplate, and is in two parts, the upper one falling if
required, similar to the buffe of a later period, while a demi-placcate
is affixed by an almayne rivet to reinforce the breastplate. The
backplate is in five plates, all riveted in such a manner as to afford
the maximum of movement for the back. A garde-de-rein of four plates
is affixed below. The left coudière is of a graceful form and large
proportions; the right differs in pattern, and has a garde-de-bras
riveted to the vambrace protecting the inner bend of the arm. The
cuissarts, composed of a number of plates, are of a most ingenious
design, whereby tuilles are rendered superfluous. But perhaps the chief
point of interest is centred in the sollerets, which have extreme
lengths of pointed toe-caps; to these are attached the spurs, the necks
of which are ten inches in length. At a period when it was necessary
to cut the straps of sollerets when fighting on foot, and so remove
the projecting point as to enable the knight to walk, it is curious to
find in this suit that no provision is made for such a contingency,
and that the long, pointed toe is riveted on. The genouillières are of
latten, and below them deep pointed plates extend, to which are affixed
the grevières, which fasten by spring catches on the inside. The whole
of the armour is of a most graceful form, and the eye, accustomed
to mediæval representations of contemporary equipment, dwells with
delight upon this beautiful example of art from the Middle Ages. The
use of latten as a means of adornment for the edges of various plates
gives a rich contrast to the dull grey of the steel. Another fine
suit of _cap-à-pie_ armour dating from the fifteenth century, in the
Wallace Collection, is No. 46, which may be of German origin, and
dates from about 1490. The head is protected by an armet of very fine
proportions, opening down the centre of the chin-piece, and having a
bavière and visor in a single plate. The breastplate is very globose,
and is an example of the mediæval fashion of engraving mottoes, texts,
invocations to the saints, &c., upon armour, as it bears a prominent
inscription. It is furnished with sabbatons, and partakes in many
characteristics of the nature of armour of the succeeding century.
[Illustration: FIG. 316.--Equestrian figure. (Wallace Collection.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 317.--Thomas de St. Quintin, 1445. Harpham Church,
Yorks.]
The second half of the fifteenth century saw armour not only in
its highest development, but also of the most beautiful form, for
nothing can exceed the graceful lines and excellence of workmanship
characterising the Gothic style, as it is usually called. It was made
to fit the human form and to adapt itself to the movements of the
wearer. One of the most valuable relics we possess, illustrating its
features, is the absolutely unique effigy of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of
Warwick, in the Beauchamp Chapel, St. Mary’s Church, Warwick, _temp._
1454 (the earl died in 1439). It is of latten, gilded, and in perfect
preservation: every feature, turn, and curve of the original copy is
faithfully reproduced not only upon the front part or upper surface,
but also upon the back; it was turned over some time since in order to
be copied, and was found to be as carefully and accurately finished
there as in the parts usually visible. Every detail is represented
except the mentonnière, which is usually absent in effigies, though
the catch for its attachment is shown. The points calling for special
notice are the passe-guards or pike-guards upon the pauldrons which
constitute a very early example of this adjunct, and also the presence
of two large tuilles and two smaller tuillettes. The coudières are
large and of the beautiful butterfly pattern, covering the inner bend
of the arm; they are both equal in size and of the same pattern.
Although the work was executed by an Englishman, William Austin, the
armour is undoubtedly of Milanese manufacture, and may be ascribed
to the Missaglias. An early example, foreshadowing the changes which
occurred in defensive armour in the second half of the fifteenth
century, is that of Thomas de St. Quintin, 1445, in Harpham Church,
Yorkshire (Fig. 317). The figure is represented in pointed bascinet and
mentonnière, beneath which the laminated epaulières are partly visible.
These are almost covered by two palettes of singularly large size, that
upon the left being the greater; the reinforcement to the breastplate
appears below. Upon the right coudière is an additional plate termed
the garde-de-bras, and another of larger proportions and different form
covers the left. The breastplate is of the short form, and necessitates
the addition of six taces, to which are appended the tuilles. The
figure shows the sword and misericorde being worn as in the Surcoatless
Period. The effigy of Sir Richard Vernon, 1452, at Tong Church,
Shropshire, is an excellent example of mediæval Gothic armour, and as
portrayed in “Shaw’s Dresses and Decorations” is simply magnificent.
Our frontispiece is adapted from the illustration. The orle surrounding
the bascinet is gorgeous with chased work and pearls; the head rests
upon a ponderous heaume, shaped for the shoulders, and bearing crest
and mantling. The mentonnière is here in place: the breastplate is
reinforced by a demi-placcate, and there are eight lames of taces with
short tuilles. The genouillières have only a lower reinforcement,
and the sollerets are comparatively short. A very late example of
the hip-belt is shown, from which the misericorde is suspended, the
sword-belt being quite distinct. The pauldrons are dissimilar, the
right being the smaller and hollowed for the lance; while the upper
parts of both are fluted. The coudières are distinctly beautiful, with
radiating flutings upon the butterfly shape, which is folded inwards
over the goussets.
[Illustration: FIG. 318.--Walter Green, 1450. Hayes, Middlesex.]
[Illustration: FIG. 319.--John Gaynesford, 1460. Crowhurst Church,
Surrey.]
Of the same date as the Beauchamp effigy is the well-known brass of
John Daundelyon at Margate, 1455, whose breastplate is of the short
character, as shown in the effigy; the bascinet is very pointed
at the apex, and the mentonnière appears of singularly graceful
form. The palettes are large and dissimilar, the left covering a
considerable portion of the breastplate; upon the left arm is a
circular garde-de-bras attached to the coudière, while an extremely
large coudière is shown upon the left arm which may be regarded as a
second garde-de-bras: the gauntlets are characterised by long pointed
cuffs. Walter Green, 1450, whose brass occurs at Hayes, Middlesex,
is represented without any bascinet, but with the head resting on a
visored tilting helm (Fig. 318). The epaulières consist of a number of
lames which extend upwards to the neck, where they are confined by a
band, and over these are two symmetrical pauldrons of plain pattern.
His armour bears a remarkable resemblance to that of John Gaynesford,
1460, in Crowhurst Church, Surrey, even to the plain gauntlets of four
plates covering the hands. In both examples the taces are numerous
and worked into broad escallops, tuilles being omitted (Fig. 319).
An early example of the garde-de-bras is that represented upon the
memorial effigy of Sir John Verney, Albury, 1452, where a small
garde is attached to the coudière of the right arm and an enlarged
one of peculiar shape to the left (Fig. 320). Upon the same effigy
also occurs a complicated genouillière, which, fitting closely to
the knee, is provided with two reinforcements above and below, the
extreme plates being worked into highly ornamental forms (Fig. 321).
A coudière of large size and graceful form is shown upon the brass
of Henry Parice, 1464, at Hildersham, Cambridge, where arming points
are seen attaching it to the brassart and vambrace: it is serrated
in the upper extension, and the same decoration is repeated upon the
pike-guard of the pauldron. In this figure the lance-rest is shown
affixed to the breastplate (Fig. 322). Upon the same brass there is an
example of extravagant tuilles attached to the lowest of three taces
by straps, while the rare occurrence of the skirt of the haqueton with
the edge of a defence of mail (possibly a hauberk) is shown, another
instance being that at Roydon, Essex, upon the brass of Robert Colt,
1475. Sir Robert Staunton’s brass, 1458, in Castle Donington Church,
Leicestershire (Fig. 323), affords us the best example of extravagant
coudières, and is also remarkable for showing the salade, which is of
extreme rarity upon brasses and effigies. The latter is represented
very wide in form, with a falling visor having the occularium in it,
and guided by a prolongation which apparently runs backwards and
forwards upon a hidden comb. The gorget is of plate, over which the
laminated epaulières are shown, apparently meeting over the chest:
other details of the arms are hidden by the enormous coudières, which,
strange to say, are of similar size and form. They are cusped and
fluted in the upper parts. Upon viewing these arm defences the reason
may readily be perceived why the knights deemed the shield superfluous.
A demi-placcate is added to the breastplate. The armour shown upon
the brass of Sir Robert del Bothe, 1460, in Wilmslow Church, Cheshire
(Fig. 324), is characterised by excessive singularity of contour,
suggesting an origin in one of the northern continental countries.
No headpiece is shown, but the knight probably wore the salade: a
mentonnière of several plates covers the upper part of the breastplate,
which apparently is not reinforced. The massive pauldrons are almost
similar in outline, and each is provided with a projecting ridge upon
the shoulder in addition to a low pike-guard. The chain mail gousset
is very apparent where the pauldron has been cut away to permit of
the lance being held. The coudières are strange, almost grotesque,
in form. The right arm in wielding the sword, mace, and lance, would
be almost always in an extended position, hence the small latitude
allowed in the coudière for bending it: the left, or bridle arm,
would necessarily be bent more. The awkward position of the arms may
be explained by stating that on the brass the knight is holding the
right hand of his lady with his own. The long form of breastplate
necessitates only three taces, which are escalloped, and two large
tuilles, vieing in size with those of Henry Parice, are appended. The
genouillières are remarkable for the excessive development of the
guard-plate protecting the gousset at the back of the knees; this guard
is seen upon many effigies but few brasses, and where it occurs in
the latter might easily be overlooked--see the brass of Sir Anthony
de Grey for example. Upon the brass of Sir Thomas Grene in Grene’s
Norton Church, Northamptonshire (Fig. 325), the knee-guards are, if
anything, larger than those upon the Bothe brass, while Henry Green,
in Luffwick Church, Northamptonshire, 1467, who wears a tabard, has
similar guards. Sir Robert del Bothe is among the first, or is the
first, to exemplify the wearing of the sword in front of the body
sloping from right to left: this fashion was introduced about 1460,
and is one of the clues used in identifying the chronology of a brass.
[Illustration: FIG. 320.--Right and left coudière, Sir John Verney,
Albury, _c._ 1452.]
[Illustration: FIG. 321.--Genouillière, &c., Sir John Verney, Albury
Church, _c._ 1452.]
[Illustration: FIG. 322.--Coudière, &c., Henry Parice, 1464.
Hildersham, Cambs.]
In the brass at Grene’s Norton, mentioned above, however, a curious
modification occurs; the misericorde, which is of huge dimensions and
like an anelace in some respects, is slung perpendicularly in front,
and the sword suspended on the left side. The brass of Sir John Say,
1473, at Broxbourne, Herts, is habited in a tabard blazoned with his
armorial bearings, and exhibits the hausse-col or standard of mail
then commonly worn round the throat when the tilting helm alone was
used as a protection for head and neck. The memorial brass to Sir
Anthony de Grey, 1480, in St. Albans Abbey Church, Herts, exemplifies
the armour known as the Richard III. style in every particular (Fig.
326). Round the neck is a hausse-col or standard; the head rests
upon a tilting helm, the occularium and projection beneath it being
visible over the right shoulder, while the staple for affixing it to
the breastplate appears with the mantling over the left. The pauldrons
are large, and apparently reinforced by a secondary plate beneath;
they are symmetrical in shape and have no pike-guards. The coudières
are large and of peculiar shape while long cuffs are appended to
the shell-gauntlets. This form of pauldron was fairly prevalent at
the time, and also during the early part of the next century. Two
demi-placcates appear upon the breastplate: the taces are only three
in number, and short tuilles appear in front with tuillettes covering
the hips: the genouillières appear with reinforcements extending well
up the thigh and a guard-plate passes behind the goussets. The sword
is slung in the prevailing mode, but the misericorde is in an almost
horizontal position at the back. Similar armour in its broad outlines
is used upon the figures in the Warwick Roll of John Rouse, written and
illustrated in the reign of Richard III., of which we give examples.
Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, is represented in a salade with an
unusual knob upon the summit (Fig. 327); the short taces and dependent
tuilles are here exemplified, as are also the shell gauntlets. The
shield with its bouche at the corner is concave to the front, and the
sword is shown with a disproportionately short grip and much swollen,
similar to that in the De Grey brass. The figure of King Richard III.
(Fig. 328) habited in a tabard also occurs in the Roll; the coudières
are peculiarly spiked, but otherwise the armour has the usual Yorkist
characteristics.
[Illustration: FIG. 323.--Sir Robert Staunton, 1458. Castle Donington
Church, Leicestershire.]
[Illustration: FIG. 324.--Sir Robert del Bothe, 1460. Wilmslow Church,
Cheshire.]
[Illustration: FIG. 325.--Sir Thomas Grene, 1462. Grene’s Norton
Church, Northants.]
[Illustration: FIG. 326.--The brass of Sir Anthony de Grey, 1480, in
St. Albans Abbey Church, Herts.]
[Illustration: FIG. 327.--Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, from
Warwick Roll.]
[Illustration: FIG. 328.--Richard III., from Warwick Roll.]
Among the most interesting pieces of armour in the British Isles we
must include the Rhodes armour preserved in the Rotunda at Woolwich.
The Knights of St. John of Jerusalem occupied Rhodes after their
expulsion from the Holy Land, and subsequently migrated to Malta. In
the early part of Queen Victoria’s reign General Sir J. H. Lefroy was
sent by the British Government to Turkey, and while there secured the
Dardanelles cannon described elsewhere, and also the Rhodes armour,
left behind by the Knights. This is one of the most valuable of
late “finds,” and the whole of it is in the Rotunda. Much is in bad
condition and would not bear cleaning, but one suit has been made up
and is illustrated in Plate IX., p. 72. The salade is of a very deep
form with a large visor; there is a lobster-tail neck-guard of two
lames. The mentonnière is more of the nature of a gorget, and is not
affixed to the breastplate. The pauldrons are laminated and continuous
with the brassarts, which have turners, while the coudières are of the
sixteenth century. The vambraces are late fifteenth century, as are
also the gauntlets. The breastplate is globose and furnished with a
placcate, while the backplate has been provided with a garde-de-rein
from the Tower. The cuissarts and genouillières are late fifteenth
century, but the jambarts are of a still later date. In order to
complete the figure a chain-mail hauberk has been lent from the Tower,
and the tuilles and sollerets have been made. The two-handed sword is a
fine example, dating from _c._ 1510. The whole suit may be looked upon
as an example of the style prevailing _c._ 1490.
[Illustration: FIG. 329.--Bowman, 1473.]
[Illustration: FIG. 330.--Arbalestier, _temp._ Edward IV. (Harl. MS.,
4379.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 331.--Arbalestier, early fifteenth century.]
[Illustration: FIG. 332.--Chapelle-de-fer, _c._ 1490. (Tower of
London.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 333.--Chapelle-de-fer, _temp._ Edward IV. (Roy. MS.
14, E. IV.)]
The period under discussion, from 1430 to 1500, saw the common foot
soldier, whether bowman, arbalestier, billman, petardier, or cannonier,
much better equipped, and in every way more carefully provided for,
than in any preceding age. It had early been perceived in England that
the native infantry was as effective in battle as the flower of foreign
chivalry, and instead of being jealous of this fact, as were the
foreign nobles as a rule of their own foot soldiers, the knights of our
own country sought by every possible means to add to the deadly prowess
of the soldier, and to defend him by every artifice that wit could
devise. It came to be recognised as an article of military knowledge
that a charge of cavalry against English archers armed with the
long-bow resulted, under ordinary conditions, in disaster, and that no
good result was to be obtained by it, but on the contrary it was simply
to court destruction. The lessons of Creçy and of Poictiers had been
well learnt, and it was remembered that the French chivalry, although
encased in steel and the horses defended by bardings, simply melted
away before the deadly sleet of arrows emanating from the English
position, and in spite of their most strenuous efforts only managed
to reach the archers in such a disorganised form that an effective
charge was out of the question. So long as the bowmen stood firmly in
their position and preserved order and discipline they had nothing to
fear from the most determined charge of cavalry. The secret of this
undoubtedly was that although the knight himself was impervious to the
arrow so long as it did not strike a gousset or the junction or joint
between two plates, his horse was by no means equally well protected,
and it is well known that the arrow was in most cases directed towards
the unfortunate steed in preference to the invulnerable rider. It thus
became a custom for the knights and heavily-accoutred men-at-arms to
dismount and advance on foot to the charge, in imitation doubtless of
the example set by the Black Prince at Poictiers. But the slow progress
of such a mass of heavily-armed men against a body of archers gave the
latter plenty of time to select their opponents, and with unerring aim
to challenge the weak points of their adversaries’ defences with the
deadly cloth-yard shaft. The invariable result was that the archer
came off victorious, and the discomfited mail-clad knight thus found
himself unable to reach the enemy with whom he desired to close either
on horseback or on foot. In this dilemma the invention of the pavise
came to his help, and for a time the archer was to a certain extent
nonplussed. This was at first an upright wicker-work defence, square
in form and plane of surface, sufficiently large to cover the knight
and also the page or squire who bore it. The knight also carried his
own shield as an additional defence, and thus effectually protected
from arrows could advance to close quarters, or if necessary, take
post behind his own archers in order to repel a charge of cavalry. The
pavise, once introduced, was quickly improved upon, and soon developed
into a convex shield of wood faced with leather or other protective
material, and resting upon the ground. Some of these were elaborately
decorated, being painted with designs of more or less merit, some
of which have been preserved to the present age and form remarkable
instances of mediæval art. In the Wallace Collection is a pavise
of parchment upon a foundation of wood, with a semi-circular ridge
down the centre, upon which occurs a representation of a castle and
background. It is of German origin, and dates from about 1490; another
in the same museum of about the year 1500 has a similar ridge down the
centre, is of the same materials, and is painted black. The arms of
Nuremberg in colours are upon the left-hand top corner. The examples
are only sufficiently large to cover one man, and might therefore have
been used by archers, arbalestiers, cannoniers, &c., for these were
alert to seize upon the new defence, and quickly adopted it. During
the siege of a town or fortress the pavise was in constant use, and
in MSS. of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries it is common to note
in the illuminations how they are employed to cover every type of
combatant. In Cotton MS., Julius, E. IV., many examples are delineated,
bodies of pavisiers being shown in combat with each other. Fig. 329
is a representation of a mediæval long bowman of the year 1473, in
which he is shown with a hat and gorget of banded mail and a hauberk
of overlapping scales of leather covered by a brigandine of leather.
The only plate defence is a corselet. The quiver is slung at the back
and a sword in front. The arbalestier shown in Plate XL., p. 366,
is habited in a very graceful salade, a brigandine of the fifteenth
century partly covered by demi-breast and backplates, or placcates,
and wears a knee-piece upon the left leg. The arbalestier of the time
of Edward IV. is represented in the Harleian MS. No. 4379 (Fig. 330)
as possessing a complete defensive equipment, consisting of bascinet,
camail, brigandine of jazeraint work, tuilles of leather plates, and
complete plate for the legs. In addition he has a corselet of plate.
The peculiarly-shaped quiver for the bolts is characteristic of the
period. That arbalestiers were as an established rule better provided
with defences we have already seen: a further confirmation is afforded
by the accompanying Fig. 331 of an arbalestier of the earlier part of
the fifteenth century, before the dagged houppelande of Richard II.
and Henry IV.’s reign had gone out of fashion: he is represented as
being clothed in it, whereby the defences of the body and arms are
hidden, but the legs are in plate, with sollerets for the feet, and
a chapelle-de-fer, or plain skull-cap, covers the head. It is taken
from Sloane MS. 2433.
[Illustration: FIG. 334.--Archers’ salades, _temp._ Edward IV. (Roy.
MS. 14, E. IV.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 335.--Salades, _temp._ Henry VI.]
The chapelle-de-fer was a common headpiece for the soldier of the
fifteenth century; an example dating from _c._ 1490 is preserved in the
Tower (Fig. 332) which shows a point in front, and numerous holes round
the brim for a padded lining. Another representation is from Roy. MS.
14, E. IV. (Fig. 333), which is simply a pot-de-fer with the addition
of a turned-down brim. The soldier also wears a coif-de-mailles.
It must not be supposed that salades were entirely confined to the
knightly orders; they are seen upon horse and foot soldiers of all
grades; three are delineated here which are very common, and are
represented freely in MSS. (Fig. 334), while others of different forms
appear in this chapter (Fig. 335). In MS. No. 6984 of the Bibliothèque
Nationale, Paris, a work of the late fifteenth century, a reputed
knight is shown opening a door. He is copied in Fig. 336, and is
undoubtedly a leader of arquebusiers, pikemen, or arbalestiers, and
not of the knightly order. The extra protection of a roundel at the
side of the salade was very common upon the Continent, while leather is
used for taces as in Fig. 330. The limbs are in plate, and a corselet
is shown. The tabs at the neck, shoulders, and knees are of frequent
occurrence in illuminations.
[Illustration: FIG. 336.--(No. 6984 Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.)
Late fifteenth century leather and plate defences.]
[Illustration: FIG. 337.--Petardier and swordsman, fifteenth century.
(Roy. MS. 18, E. V.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 338.--Hand-gun man, _c._ 1473. (Roy. MS. 18, E. 5.)]
The petardier of the fifteenth century, who hurled small bombs, or
else pots filled with Greek fire, into the ranks of the enemy, was
also clothed in plate, sometimes from head to heel. He was considered
of great importance, and consequently rendered as impervious as
possible to the weapons with which he might be assailed. The thrower
of the fire-pot represented in Fig. 337 (from Roy. MS. 18, E. V.) is
protected thus, even to roundels covering the goussets, unless these
are mammelières, which are of very frequent appearance. Opposing him
is a foot soldier wielding a bastard sword and protecting himself with
a small buckler; he wears a visored salade with camail and a gorget,
a close-fitting brigandine over a hauberk of mail, and his arms are
protected by plate. As is the case in the majority of representations
of soldiers of this period, the legs are entirely undefended. From the
same MS., which dates from 1473, we reproduce an interesting figure
(No. 338) of a hand-gun man discharging one of the crude pieces of that
period, whose picturesque appearance it would be difficult to excel.
The salade is especially enriched with an enlargement of the customary
roundels, while two demi-placcates reinforce his breastplate, which is
probably of leather. Only genouillières appear upon his legs, a system
of defence which was much in vogue at that time. A hand-gun man of 1470
is depicted in Fig. 339. Among the mercenaries introduced into England
during the Wars of the Roses were “Burgundenses” or Burgundian hand-gun
men. Warwick had a body of these at the second battle of St. Albans in
1461, and in Fig. 340 we have in all probability a representation of
their accoutrement. Upon the body the defences are a padded jacque,
similar in nature of material to the gambeson, combined with chain mail
and pourpointerie. The visor upon the salade is apparently fixed, while
the legs are encased in mail chausses covered with demi-cuissarts and
jambarts. The cannonier of the period was usually without any defensive
equipment whatever. A small illustration is appended from the Sloane
MS. No. 2433 of the fifteenth century, from which it will be perceived
that he is dressed in ordinary civilian garments (Fig. 341). It was
probably deemed unnecessary to clothe him in armour by reason of the
distance which separated him from the contest.
[Illustration: FIG. 339.-Hand-gun man, 1470.]
[Illustration: FIG. 340.--Hand-gun man, _c._ 1470.]
Javelin men are represented in many MSS. of this period, but invariably
in those of a foreign origin. The soldier delineated in Fig. 342 is
taken from Harl. MS. 4374, and is remarkable for the cap-à-pie defences
he wears. The size and shape of the shield is also worthy of notice.
[Illustration: FIG. 341.--Cannonier, fifteenth century. (Sloane MS.
2433.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 342.--Javelin man, 1480. (Harl. MS. 4374.)]
Two brigandines as used in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries are
preserved in the Tower of London; details of their structure are given
in Figs. 343 and 344, both being drawn the exact size of the originals.
In Fig. 343, A is a square sheet of thin iron, rounded at the corners
and with a hole in the centre. In B it is placed between two coverings
of canvas and fastened by strings, three of which pass through the
centre; the loose ends are continued to pass over and through four more
plates which surround B and practically touch it on all sides. This is
a common and inexpensive form of jazeraint.
[Illustration: FIG. 343.--Details of brigandines, fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries. (Tower of London.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 344.--Details of studded Brigandine, fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries. (Tower of London.)]
Fig. 344 is more complicated. A represents a small plate of iron,
thinner than that used in the preceding example. The heads of six
studs, which are screwed or otherwise fastened into the plate, are
shown side by side. In B the plate is shown edgewise and one of the
studs also. C represents this plate and four others placed between
two layers of canvas, cloth, or other material with the stud heads
perforating one of the layers and the plates overlapping like slates
upon a roof. D represents the appearance of the face of the brigandine
when finished. It will readily be perceived that such a garment would
be very pliable, and yet offer considerable resistance to an arrow, or
bolt, or a sword-cut.