The Armour Archive

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Hi Chris, In your neck of the woods are about 6 members of Men of Warwick - The Neville household. It is actually a fairly large War of the Roses group, mustering close to 40 people when they get everybody together. They also do a heck of a lot of other eras, and they are a bunch of nice, friendly p...

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Oh yes, I would reccomend point closure for the garment, as I think buttons provide something to grind into your body, and the only clear picture we have of a 15th century arming doublet shows this method of closure.

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Bob R.

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Hi Destichado, I would beware the "period patterns" patterns, as the ones I have seen and tried to use are dreadfully confusing - and this with having an experienced seamstress looking them over. Also, the documentation of some of the patterns is 'questionable'. An arming doublet or coat is not thic...

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Hi All, My suggestion is similar to one already put forward for covering plastic armour. I would suggest you provide this link http://www.bnf.fr/enluminures/aaccueil.htm In your kingdom newsletter, along with a basic article about covering articulated plastic armour with either a solid primary colou...

chef de chambre

Hi Edric, In brief before I run to the stables, yes - willow was one of the most common basket woven materials, used not for just baskets, but in addition for making the wattle walls of houses & byres, fencing, etc. I don't have a lot of research for the item, because it is not one of my areas of in...

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Hi All, There is one piece of 14th century cuir bolli armour in the Royal armouries. It existed in Western Europe and was used plentifuly from the 13th century up into the 1370's but seems to have dropped rapidly out of use past that date. Be wary of Ffoulks, much of the speculation he made regardin...

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Looks very good Thaddeus, You know, you should chat with Matthew Amt, I would be surprised if he doesn't have connections to get a pattern for a Late Roman military boot, to go with the rest of your impression. Of course, if you are interested in turnshoes, Craig has a pattern. Then we could get you...

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I've appreciated it too Ernst. You are right, we all tend to read in emotion not necessarily intended by the poster. One of my buttons is "documentation - what it consists of", and I tend to perhaps overstress the definition as understood professionaly, due to my background. I have unfairly labled t...

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Hi Ancient, Fiori de Liberi is full of effective armoured techniques utilizing a very complete harness, and taking into account the restrictions of same, using a variety of weapons, including large swords on foot. It might not work with good reproductions and your current greatsword technique, but i...

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Ummmm...... I think Wade Allen, who many would consider an expert, and who deals in real armour already posted his opinion, and I think it was affirmitive - this is likely to be a real piece, although he cannot definitively say so without handling it. I've also gotten to handle and be close to a fai...

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Hi Ian, The same fellow could get the same price for a well made reproduction pair, why take the extra effort to "distress" it? (More work for the same money). Also, I went and looked at other auctions of his regarding items of 19th century militaria that I am more intimately familiar with, and the ...

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Hi Ernst, 15th century means the years 1401 - 1500 inclusive. 1500's is 16th century.I.E. there is no year 0 on the calander, the "first century" ran from the year 1 - 100. The Trebant alarpiece is @ from the year 1400, give or take. It is therefore probably 15th century. There are currently NO exam...

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Hi Cheval,

I should have clarified, a bargrill of this form that would withstand the abuse.

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Bob R.

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I've seen a fragment of a bronze saw blade offered at a reputable Antiquarians, that I believe was dated to be Roman.

I have no solid documentation though.

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Bob R.

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Hi Cheval, I don't think it is disingenuous of me at all. I think that making that form the way it is depicted would be very difficult, especialy at the apex of the cone. I hope someone can make a speculative reconstruction, it wouldn't be the first time I was wrong. That they could make a functiona...

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Well, it could be a modern fake. The methods of modern forgers are more advanced than their Victorian forbearers. I would doubt it a Victorian fake for the reasons previously described. But why fake a comparitively low valued piece of armour? Were I a top notch modern forger, I'd give a 14th century...

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Hi All, Chomping at the bit to actually post a picture of the type of "spaghetti strainer" visor that I am trying to describe, those of you who have AAoMK check out the Henry VIII suit for foot combat that wasn't used at the cloth of gold tourney - the alleged suit NASA studied for a hard suit.Look ...

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Hi Roderic, Considering the diameter of the extant medieval grill barwork, the comparative thiness of the visor frame (going by the thickness of extant houndskul visors), the fact that a hook and staple or spring pin would not be holding that visor ridged to the bowl of the helmet (absolutely no evi...

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Hi Mad Mat, The bulk of the collection is late 16th & 17th century stuff. They have a couple of Maximilian bits, and some oriental armour. They have an important piece from the Rhodes find, one of the few probable Flemish sallets, or of Italian make for that market. It is in hard shape though, like ...

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Hi All, I think it is real. I think it is a mid - late 17th century cuirassiers gauntlet. It was obviously wrapped in fabric for some time, as the texture of the cloth it was wrapped in is impregnated into the rust near the cuff. I'm not surprised to see the leather gauntlet intact, many leather ite...

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Hi Alcyoneus, I don't think it arrogant of me to say what could or could not be done, because I have taken the time to study the real thing. Comparing this drawing to extant examples I have seen up close, or have looked at clear pictures of - There are NO extant visors even remotely similar, stop an...

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Scabbard parts - the metal 'dealies' Throat - not all Medieval scabbards have metal throats - many if not most apparently did not have them. The ones that have them (mid 15th c. & later, usually) have a ring or hook either side to secure a leather from the front, and back of the sword belt respectiv...

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Hi Roderick, You are missing the point entirely. Nobody is arguing that bargrills were never used. The discussion is when they came into use, and under what circumstances. The earliest bar grills that can be absolutely identified as having existed, and not being a possible artistic fancy are bar gri...

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Hi All, A "spagetti strainer" visor is NOT a normal visor for a houndskull visored great bascinet - I think you misunderstand what I am talking about. Two examples of a very early armet, and a great bascinet with this style of visor reside in the collection of the MET. I am intimately familiar with ...

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Hi Guys, Look - not to be a downer, but those visors can be reasonably interpreted in a number of different ways. Yo my eye, they closely resemble the "spagetti strainer" visor commonly found on great bascinets, of which there are a number of surviving examples. The ones from this time surviving hav...

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Me, I'm for donation. It is a donation from all the armour lovers on this board to a private museum often strapped for funds. We can send them a nice check, and a list with all your names on it, and Wolfe Argents and Red Company's. We weren't doing this for money, but rather as a one time deal to ha...

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Having had this conversation with Mac back in May..... His idea is that if we are English, we ought to pronounce it as they would have in English. Armet = Ar-met (and in Italian Elmetti, so there is precedence for the hard E) Sallet = Sal - et Bascinet = bass in et Gorget = gorge - et Excetra, so on...

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Hi Captain Jamie, I believe it is in one of Violet le Duc's books, as I think he found it when restoring Carcassone, or one of his other projects. It may have been in the 1963 Higgins Museum Catalog. Last time I saw the picture I was a kid. I only got to hold the piece a couple of months back. Looks...

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Man Clay!

I see this title about 'banners', and I think your talking about silk ones, with gold leaf and paint or brocade - what a Gype!

It looks fine.

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Bob R.

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Hi Steiner, It does indeed sound like a pavise. They did come in a number of sizes and weights, and an early biography of Maximilian shows him fighting another fellow on foot in full harness with sword weilding one like a shield (both are). It is an oddity that I've seen exclusively in the eastern r...

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You can call yourself a knight, you can get the accolade, you can have a white belt long enough to trip over........ If you can't do more than fight, if you are not courteous off and on the field, and unless chivalry is a way of life rather than a concept lip-service is paid to, you are not a knight...

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Hi !

Very nicely done. 200% improvement of the stuff you first posted several years back. Maybe ytou should get the "most improved armourers" award.

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Bob R.

chef de chambre

Hi All, Michael Lacy's book has a workable brigandine pattern in it. As Sinric mentioned, you couldn't do a mass order due to the number of varying plate sizes. Also, a brigandine is as much a tailored garment as a gothic breastplate - it has to be tailored to the individual, so a pattern that worke...

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Hi Randall, You heard right, even after 50 years, Blair's book is the standard by which others are measured. That said, full of good info, but weak on pictures. I sort of presume that people won't be interested if it isn't full of photos, but I shouldn't make that presumption. Nothing on English spe...

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Hi Joseph, No, there is not. Just to clarify terminology, a gambeson is a 14th century defence, thigh to knee length, with large long sleeves, worn by any numer of classes of soldier, either as armour itself, or in addition to other armour. this is typified by vertical stitching, and being stuffed w...