The Armour Archive

I found an article stating that gambesons were sometimes worn OVER armor. It was at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Labyrinth/4213/thirteenth.html
Is this at all legit? I am exploring different ideas...Might give the look I want for c.1300 England

Yes, gambesons/lentners were worn over other armour during the late 14th century, though i can't say for sure whether it was popular in England or not. Between 1370 and 1400 there are an awful lot of German effigies that show padded, gambeson-like garments worn over the hauberk and arm harness, with a breastplate worn over the top of the gambeson.



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Bruce S.

Take it or leave it, but a depiction of a 14th century man-at arms in Osprey's Henry V and the Conquest of France shows a fellow in plate limbs, a mail hauberk/haubergeon, and a gambeson over the mail. The same book shows archers wearing jacks over mail.

Neither has attribution to any illustration or effigy, so this may be one of the errors which folks poo-poo Osprey about.

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Jehan de Pelham

Brotherhood of the Gauntlet
"Ultima Ratio Regem"
http://www.brotherhoodofthegauntlet.org/index.html
"Plasti-Bigot" (And trying *real hard* to be nice about it)

Perhaps as padding was added, it was easier to put it on the outside as opposed to altering the maille? Cheaper and easier to repair/replace cloth than maille after battle, too.

Many sources show gambeson/lentner worn over all of the body armour in the late 14th cent.

In addition the Magecowski(sp) Bible shows gambesons over mail from about 1250.