The Armour Archive

Egfroth

Well, I think I've finally found it - definitive evidence that separate coifs were used in the 11th/12th centuries. First, let's get the Bayeux Tapestry out of the way. Here's one of the clearest indications of a separate coif I've seen in it - but not by any means the only one. The guy under the wo...

Egfroth

Ernst, That's very interesting - I would think that he wears a scale cuirass, and a separate skirt of different scales hanging from the waist, like the Byzantine kremasmata mentioned in Tim Dawson's paper . I note the hook on his belt, too, for the crossbow. And a sugarloaf (????) That's quite wierd...

Egfroth

By all means. See you in the beer tent. Hope it's not as muddy this time . . . I'm hoping to put all my collection of contemporary armour pics up on the Net one day, so I'm not the only person who gets the benefit of them. Not only C11, but also c. 1180-1210, early C14 (first 2-3 decades) and Caroli...

Egfroth

Yes, the big difficulty is at the third row - the "flip" is just something you have to get used to and overcome (though the "hanging" idea might be helpful). Fear not - after the third row it gets easier . . . ------------------ Egfroth "I can hear the word money from a distance of fifty miles, if t...

Egfroth

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by grendal: I'm planning on making a lamellar breastplate and was wondering what els would go well with it (leg armour, arms, helm, ect)? I would also like to see pics of peopl...

Egfroth

No, no, NO!!! BAD dog!!! DOWN boy! A crossbow string isn't suposed to be elastic (well, not more than a little, anyway). It's the limbs of the BOW that are supposed to bend, that stores the energy, not an elastic string . . . Or did you already know that, and you were funnin' with us? --------------...

Egfroth

Ah, the enjoyment of the serve and riposte - this is what it's all about, isn't it? First, with respect to Anders, I am quite happy to concede that integral coifs did exist, and that the example he gives looks very much like one. However, that is from at least a 12th if not a 13th century context, g...

Egfroth

I take it these were reconstructions? You don't have to get too worried about "The Normans had two-piece helms" - as made by other reconstructors. As far a I can make out, there's evidence for all kinds of construction, including raising out of a single piece. In fact, two piece is one I haven't see...

Egfroth

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Anders Helseth: This is not an issue I have put very much time or effort into, but according to what hear from other knowledgeable people, I think you will be hard pressed ...

Egfroth

You might also try asking on the "75 Years" list at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/75years/ - nice people, might be able to help. . . ------------------ Egfroth "I can hear the word money from a distance of fifty miles, if the wind's in the right direction" Major Dennis Bloodnok, Queen's Forty-Third ...

Egfroth

Have a look at http://homepages.tesco.net/~tinyclanger/albini/albini_equipment_crossbows_lockbow.htm - it doesn't have plans, but I think the photos are clear enough to make the crossbow without them. Good luck with it. ------------------ Egfroth "I can hear the word money from a distance of fifty m...

Egfroth

Sersem, Where did the second pic come from? It's amazing! ------------------ Egfroth "I can hear the word money from a distance of fifty miles, if the wind's in the right direction" Major Dennis Bloodnok, Queen's Forty-Third Deserters (retd.) see my webpage at www.geocities.com/egfrothos [This messa...

Egfroth

I believe there was a group of landesknechts working for the King of France (???) called the Black Legion, but very little is know about them as far as I can make out. But MAYBE they wore black . . . ------------------ Egfroth "I can hear the word money from a distance of fifty miles, if the wind's ...

Egfroth

The best write-up I've ever seen was in a book called "The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England", which I believe is now out of print, but probably available in the better libraries. The authors go through the process used - with nice diagrams - and unusually for the time, actually went ahead and made their...

Egfroth

Sersem, Is that pic from the Manassa Codex, or somewhere else early C14? Can you give me a reference? BTW, I have a (very) early C14 pic of "William the Conqueror" who has a henchman in a kettle hat with a scale "hauberk". I can't post it to this forum, but you can see it at http://www.angelfire.com...

Egfroth

Yep. I haven't read these authors. Can you supply a reference? Yes, quite a few Carolingian armour illustrations could be taken either as scale or mail, particularly the Golden Psalter of St Gallen. The same applies to the Byzantine Skylitzes Chronicle. It comes down to a matter of interpretation, a...

Egfroth

I found an earlier email of mine contributing to a discussion on the "Hastings 2000+" list, on the subject of integral vs separate coifs, with references to specific scenes in the Tapestry, which you mght find useful for reference. I'm sorry, but I seem to have missed out on the arguments that le...

Egfroth

Interesting question, combining two separate factors - Scandinavian and conical helms. To be honest, the earliest conical helms I know of in a Scandinavian context are pretty well into thee Viking period - that carved reindeer antler, for example. All surviving helmets from the Vendel period (early-...

Egfroth

(Blush) Saverio, you say the nicest things! OK, my article on the "bib" (and other things) is at http://www.geocities.com/egfrothos/Bib1.html - it's 2 pages long; don't miss the link to the 2nd page. Regarding the "integral" vs "separate" coif debate, though there seems to be a lot of opinion suppor...

Egfroth

Well, yes, actually. But 've put together quite a few links at http://www.geocities.com/egfroth1/Wacky.html?1026424880530 which include quite a few from the 13th century. I'd also recommend http://www.callisto.si.usherb.ca/~croisade/IMAGES/Webimages.htm which has quite a few C13 pics, though as far ...

Egfroth

Um, I think you're confusing the Britons with the Angles. The Britons were a Celtic race who inhabited Britain before the Romans invaded, and became subject to the Romans (Boudicca/Boadicea was one)and part of the Empire. The Angles were one of the Germanic tribes, that were hired as mercenaries by ...

Egfroth

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Russ Mitchell: It seems clear to me that the Carolingian brunia is a scale garment Thanks again.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Russ, can you let me know what you base this on...

Egfroth

There are sugarloafs in several of the pictures at this site. Worth a look. ------------------ Egfroth "I can hear the word money from a distance of fifty miles, if the wind's in the right direction" Major Dennis Bloodnok, Queen's Forty-Third Deserters (retd.) see my webpage at www.geocities.com/egf...

Egfroth

Yes, bronze is ok. But you'd better make it thick enough to take a blow. Probably about 1/8" would do it, but test on a bit of scrap first & see if it bends when you hit it. Or give it a steel backing. The "Wenceslaus" helm has a sort of cross-shaped nasal. The top bar of the cross comes to a sort o...

Egfroth

The book "The Bayeux Tapestry" by Wilhelm(?)Grape, about 1990 as I recall, makes a very good case that the "scale" worn by Guy/Wido/Guido is in fact an upper-class civilian garment made of figured fabric, and includes a photo of another example in a purely civilian context. These garments appear thr...

Egfroth

You've got it pretty right. The traditional authority on the subject is the venerable Bede (Baeda, actually), an 8th century AD Anglo-Saxon monk at Jarrow monastery on the east coast of England, who wrote a History of England. He was the one who talked about the Angles, Saxons and Jutes. He said tha...

Egfroth

Overall a very nice helmet, but I notice a few minor inequalities in the dishing. A bit of careful planishing after the main dishing will solve that - but do it on your next helmet, not his one. Any attempt to fix it at this stage would be lots of time and trouble for a relatively minor improvement....

Egfroth

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by StudBuckle: I have seen viking reenactors use a little cast metal hook fastener to secure the free end at the top of the wrap----very spiff! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Yes...

Egfroth

Not in my view . . . Yay Aleksandr Nevski!

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Egfroth

"I can hear the word money from a distance of fifty miles, if the wind's in the right direction"

Major Dennis Bloodnok, Queen's Forty-Third Deserters (retd.)

see my webpage at www.geocities.com/egfrothos

Egfroth

Exactly; and they pronounced it all differently in the Middle Ages anyway. ------------------ Egfroth "I can hear the word money from a distance of fifty miles, if the wind's in the right direction" Major Dennis Bloodnok, Queen's Forty-Third Deserters (retd.) see my webpage at www.geocities.com/egfr...

Egfroth

I'd reduce that nasal to about 70 or 80% of the size shown. It just seems a bit out of proportion, though the shape looks good. ------------------ Egfroth "I can hear the word money from a distance of fifty miles, if the wind's in the right direction" Major Dennis Bloodnok, Queen's Forty-Third Deser...

Egfroth

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Edwin: I am trying to portray an Anglo-Saxon that took service in Byznantium following Hastings. Well, a little after Hastings. So my armor is mostly patterned off of my Byz...

Egfroth

Here are a few wierd pole-arms from quite a bit earlier - but they reinforce rather than disprove Chef's contention that halberds really didn't start to be used till the 14th century at the earliest. ------------------ Egfroth "I can hear the word money from a distance of fifty miles, if the wind's...

Egfroth

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by reliccrazy: Thats the helmet I was talking about. would that helmet also work for the first or 2 crusades? Also apart from the sword and spear what other kind of weapon was com...

Egfroth

And any number of real pointy helms have been found from the right time period, though not, unfortunately, in Scandinavia or England or Normandy. Bulgaria, Poland, Russia, Czechoslovakia, you name it. Apart from the so-called "Great Polish" style of Spangenhelm in which the plates are rivetted direc...