I Want To Be a Border Reiver

[robstout]

I like the book "Border Fury: England and Scotland at War 1296-1568" by John Sadler. It's been a while since I read it, but it gives a good overview of the major battles between England and Scotland during the time. Won't help with the ALexander Home 3rd reserach though.

Another good book is the Steel Bonnets by George Macdonald Fraser. A very good gook going over the Border Reiver period.

Robert The Stout

[Konstantin the Red]

Edit . . . Just realized they're Venetians/Plunderhosen . . .

Ooooo, I so love Plunder-hosen. You can stuff soooo many looted cans of Spam in them before you ride off into the gloomy gloaming! (You better ride; the cans' corners pretty much beat up your legs if you're walking. In the gloomy gloaming your garron may be surer-footed than yuirsel', ony road.) Or a very small sheep -- or a smallish Border collie -- if you're careful. And would like to stay warmer.

Pluderhosen, well, you can sew hip pockets into those and be extremely up to late-sixteenth date for not a lot of labor nor cost.

[C.O. Butcher]

I have a question. I've noticed that almost everyone has been mentioning venetians as the pants to be worn for a reiver persona. Most of the art work that I have been able to find though seems to be showing trunk hose as being what was commonly worn - I'm looking at around 1580 or so just to be clear. This even goes for men wearing armor such as Sir Edward Hoby, here -- https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... y_1583.jpg and "Man of the Shurley family" -- here http://portraittimeline.com/1580s%20Por ... age059.jpg and Warden of the March Sir Robert Carey (who's biography is a good read if you have the time) here -- https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/73 ... f7f23.jpg.

Am I just seeing this wrong or are trunk hose actually more popular for that time?

Another thing that I have noticed is that everyone says how backwards the Borderers were when it came to fashion. I don't know if I agree with that especially because there was a story listed in, I believe, Fraser's Steel Bonnets, about a reiver that was arrested for breaking the Scottish Sumptuary laws and executed for the crime by King James IV. The English wardens were well dressed as well. In Sir Robert Carey's biography he tells about how he was welcomed at court. Now conjecture on my part, if the English wardens were well dressed during a time when the clothes really did make the man wouldn't their Scottish counterparts be at least as well dressed for when the met during their scheduled meetings at least?

[robstout]

I think its a preference thing. I prefer venetians because they cover the leg more (both for modesty, and eventually hiding leg armor underneath. You can get away with either.

[C.O. Butcher]

Another good book to read for various reasons is The border papers. Calender of letters and papers relating to the affairs of the borders of England and Scotland, preserved in Her Majesty's Public Record Office, London. It's filled with some amazing information about the Border during the reign of Elizabeth.

[C.O. Butcher]

I think its a preference thing. I prefer venetians because they cover the leg more (both for modesty, and eventually hiding leg armor underneath. You can get away with either.

Totally agree.

I was just pointing out that there seems to be a lot more evidence for trunk hose or at least that the evidence that I've been able to find anyway.

[robstout]

It's also really hard to tell in the paintings (at least the first two. The third link gives me a 404 error), since they stop at lower hip/upper thigh regions

[Samwell Langdon]

I just put this together for my rapier/cut and thrust kit. the fabric is prequilted from Joann's backed with canvas. If you wanted to mod it for heavy it would be really easy to add interior pockets like a modern plate carrier for a kevlar vest.

[robstout]

Nice!

I finally started my new jack of plates. Will need to cut out a whole lot more. To be honest, the project is intimidating me.

[Samwell Langdon]

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater

First 2 rows of my Jack of Plates project. Surprisingly quick to do once you get the pattern down.

[Konstantin the Red]

The weight of it is not beginning to be alarming, is it?

[Samwell Langdon]

I'm pretty sure it's going to be a heavy piece of armour, but not as bad as I was afraid it was. I'm hoping the fit will help distribute the weight fairly well too.

[robstout]

Nice! I pretty much have started mine over. I made the cloth pieces way too big. I'm in the process of mocking it up again to confirm the fit. At least I only had 1 side piece laced up wiht plates before I checked the fit.