The Armour Archive

Glen K

Primary sources on Anglo-Norman warfare:

Cool Stuff

And even some stuff on crappy topics:

Crap stuff

from the best source for medieval military history on the web:

http://www.deremilitari.org

Glen K

super-shameless

Glen K

I hate vikings, and even I would come up to see that! I'd even be a target on the shore for all four ships chock full o' archers to shoot at.

Unless, of course, the reason all those ships were together was to carry a bunch o' greedy Norman bastards across the channel.....

Glen K

Fyrdraca...

Yrsa...

Why can't you guys come up with any good names, like "Mora"...

Glen K

I haven't heard anything from anybody.

And, speaking of perpetuating a "Dark Age", from the two-paragraph description of what's going to happen, I have to wonder if anyone involved understands what "living history" actually is.

Glen K

...but what you don't see is the gap when it closes or the gaps in the sides, or the way it never sits quite flat That might have as much to do with your raw material as with your skills... the great thing about pine is that it's pretty cheap and can be butchered and learned on; the bad thing is th...

Glen K

Very good, especially for a first effort! I'm particularly interested in those hinges, how did you do those?

Glen K

There Is None.

Glen K

None.

Glen K

...or are you fighting with us Normans?

Sorry, Alan, but Halvgrim doesn't have that much class OR talent.

Glen K

He started asking questions one day on our group list and then walked into one of our events with perfect kit! You are a liar. It is well-known that it is impossible to expect a new member to show up to their first event with good kit, much less authentically constructed from proper materials. Putt...

Glen K

Duncan: Then don't complain about what the SCA could be since you've made your choice and claim to be happy with it. I'm not remotely complaining. I'm commenting. As I've said NUMEROUS times, I've got no problem with the SCA until they (or some of their members) take up the 'interpretation' role and...

Glen K

An excellent looking kit! You've picked a very sweet period. Kudos to you, too, for wearing a fully-enclosed helm.

Glen K

Every group would look better if they raised their "minimum" standards. Lots of groups look great with the standards they ALREADY have, because they've set them high (i.e. "as close as possible"). That's why they're so small, but you sacrifice size for authenticity.... again (and again... and again...

Glen K

I've seen some high quality kits at SCA events that would rival some of the nicest LH kits I have seen. I agree, but I hear this argument alot especially to justify the "levels of authenticity" within the SCA. The bottom line is taking the groups as a whole. Now, granted, the good LH-focused groups...

Glen K

Because there are more chicks at SCA events.

Once again, I'll have to say it comes down to "quality, not quantity".

Glen K

Here's an estimate for this kit Inar - $8 Trews - $12 Belt - $3 Pin - $5 Shoes - $10 Spear - $45 Shield - $35 Axe - $20 ___________ $138 Wanna know what's REALLY cool? Without doing a 5000 word paper on it, I'd bet that the relative cost proportions between the individual pieces of that kit are pre...

Glen K

Any thoughts? criticism? Yes, actually: I'm sure a lot of people are getting tired of you completely blowing the "LH quality kit is too expensive" line of argument. You always do a great job with your research and construction, and have been for the last several years. You're an inspiration to the ...

Glen K

This is (well, was) a pretty good thread until folks decided to make the topic Brent's particular personality quirks. Oh well, I guess derailing is OK as long as you're pointing out the impoliteness of others... even when I "impolitely" move completely off-topic posts away from an incredibly product...

Glen K

Effingham, If you're interested, and haven't gotten/read them yet, the two books by Malcolm Barber ( The New Knighthood and Trial of the Templars ) are actual, good, sensible and well-written history. He completely eschews any speculation about all the crap, instead just writing good history about t...

Glen K

Wulfe wrote: What little experience I have had with LH was ... too much concern with being accurate and not enough concern with "being there", called "Living the Dream" in the SCA. Erm...for many LH folks and groups, "being there" is of utmost concern, and "being accurate" is essential to "being th...

Glen K

Glen, First, thanks for your compliment. Heck, I mean it! As a matter of fact, the Crusader outfit that I halfway got done looks almost identical to yours, down to the color scheme! You'rs looks way cooler than mine ever did, though. I've been meaning to redo my shield and get a comlete set of mail...

Glen K

As a side note, let me say that the one time I've worn pattens was up at Pastonpalooza, and DANG what a difference they made, especially in that weather. With the ground (and my shoes) soaked, and it being relatively cold, the pattens made a huge difference in how warm and dry my feet got. I really ...

Glen K

Corby is cool because he has an awesome-looking SCA kit. When I'm Matt's squire, that's how I'm gonna look. On another note, I wonder: has anyone made/used a shield with such an extreme curve in it as is shown in many of the 12th century illustrations, the ones that look like a comlete half-cylinder...

Glen K

You know, now that I think about it, as soon as the SCA starts allowing Vikings NA-style steel fighting at it's events, I'll be a paid go-to-every-event member.... you Board Members/Kings/knights work on that for me, will ya?

Glen K

Wow! Is there anything the Templars CAN'T do/cover up????

One of the hardest things back when we were trying to do a Templar group was fighting all the crap that gets perpetuated by books like this.

Glen K

No public... I really don't have an interest in talking to people.... I just want to do my own thing in the corner. Kudos to you for admitting that, because there isn't a damn thing wrong with that mindset. I sometimes wonder if a lot of folks don't have the same opinion you do, but since they have...

Glen K

Were you just speaking only of medieval period activities? I'm taking an educated guess that large ACW re-enactments (such as the Battle of Gettysburgh) have been known to field the total amount of attendees to Pennsic! You beat me to it, Mr. Finkas! And that's just counting North America... there ...

Glen K

That is a beautiful thing, Rev.

It seems to me, though, that such beads are very much a c. 1300+ thing... I know there is some evidence for 11th century use of them, but from what I gather it's pretty scant. I wonder when they actually became commonly popular?

Glen K

the UK is usually so good at preserving their history That purely depends if it is overwhelmingly important and marketable in its own right, ancient battlefields are now motorways and other developments. Touche, Grimstone. What I should have qualified it with was "compared to the US". But don't eve...

Glen K

m Final fight to save 1066 battlefield By Paul Stokes (Filed: 12/06/2006) The final push in a long-running fight to save the site of the "other battle of 1066" will begin tomorrow. Campaigners will be appealing against a housing development on a water meadow near the scene of the Battle of Fulford, ...

Glen K

I'll add my voice to the chorus of those calling for linen... it's accurate, it looks "right", and it's much more comfortable than the other two.

Glen K

These folks contacted me at the museum about a year ago; they actually travel these things, and some others as well. They wanted to know if we would be a venue..... You have no idea how hard I argued for it, and you have no idea the looks and the "it's not remotely within our mission" excuses I got....

Glen K

I remember a 15th century painting (Memling???) where a portmantau (for lack of a period word), or something exactly like it, is on the back of a saddle being ridden; this is the only (well, earliest and it is rare) illustration I've seen of baggage being carried on an animal at the same time it's b...

Glen K

Gwen, 1) I sincerely doubt that anyone would yell 'farb' at that. They'll mutter something about "elitists", "rich bastards", and other drivel, but not "farb". 2) Maybe it's the attitude/thick skin I've developed over the years, but I would answer: who cares what other people infer??? Be passionate ...

Norman warfare sources

Fulford Battlefield in Mortal Danger