The Corset

[Ernst]

I recently discovered this term being used for armor in the 13th century while researching cuirasses for one of the leather armor threads. Most online searches yield too many distracting image results.
In chronological order:

[m. 19] Civil pleas (extra coronam) continued


508. William de St. Denis 'armorer' of London complains of Walter Hervy that when William was at peace in his house in the parish of St. Pancras on Saturday after the close of Easter 51 Henry III [30 Apr. 1267] Walter, then bailiff of the City of London, went to his house and took a hauberk, a horsetrapper (coopertorium) of iron mail of Chaumbliz, a (? lance head) (fn. 47) of iron, an iron corset (corsetum), a steel hat (capellum acerenum) and a basnet (basinum) covered with white leather, worth 14 marks; he carried the goods off and kept them against the peace, whence he says that he has suffered loss and damage to the value of 100s. and brings suit.

From: 'Civil pleas 'extra coronam': (nos 470-523)', The London eyre of 1276 (1976), pp. 98-118. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report ... ery=corset Date accessed: 19 August 2012.

Watch and Ward at the City Gates.

25 Edward I. A.D. 1297. Letter-Book B. fol. xxxiii. old numeration. (Latin.)

It was ordered that every bedel shall make summons by day in his own Ward, upon view of two good men, for setting watch at the Gates;—and that those so summoned shall come to the Gates in the day-time, and in the morning, at day-light, shall depart therefrom. And such persons are to be properly armed with two pieces; namely, with haketon (fn. 11) and gambeson (fn. 12) , or else with haketon and corset (fn. 13) , or with haketon and plates.

From: 'Memorials: 1297', Memorials of London and London Life: In the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries (1868), pp. 33-36. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report ... ery=corset Date accessed: 19 August 2012.

Membr. 6 26 Feb. 1303-4

Wednesday after the Feast of St Mathias the Apostle[24 Feb.]

Judgment that Garsias be acquitted; and he was enjoined to stay within doors after curfew so long as he remained in the City, and forbidden to do any harm to anyone either by night or day, under penalty of imprisonment.

. . . . . was found armed with iron corset and cap and a sword in the Guildhall in the presence of the Mayor, Aldermen, and many citizens. He was adjudged to forfeit his arms and be committed to prison.

From: 'Calendar: Roll F: 12 May 1303 - 13 January 1305', Calendar of early mayor's court rolls: 1298-1307 (1924), pp. 142-169. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report ... ery=corset Date accessed: 19 August 2012.

Membr. 6 9 June 1306

Court of J. le Blound, Thursday before the Feast of St the Apostle [11 June]

Thomas, Rector of the Church of St Mary Wollechirchehawe, Guy le Clerk, and Richard le Coffrer, executors of the will of Thomas le Fleming, were summoned to answer Ralphde Wottone in a plea that they return to him one "gambeson" (fn. 1) ,one "aketoun," one "corset" (fn. 2) and one "banere," pledged with them for a loan of 13 marks, for which the plaintiff had paid 2 marks and a gambeson, value £10. Guy appeared and said he could not answer without his co-executors. Order was given to distrain them against the next Court.

From: 'Calendar: Roll H: 12 December 1305 - 12 November 1306', Calendar of early mayor's court rolls: 1298-1307 (1924), pp. 228-252. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report ... ery=corset Date accessed: 19 August 2012.

It seems clear the corset is a form of defensive arms, distinguishable from "plates" (coats of plate, pairs of plate), and is made of iron. Dan suggested it could be mail. I initially rejected this since documents from this period commonly use lorica, hauberk, or some variant of haubergeon for mail armors, but it is possible that corset could be used for something like a sleeveless mail vest. I have never seen such a thing depicted in late 13th or early 14th century sources. The use of some sort of solid plate breast also seems unlikly to me for this time. Could corset describe a short scale vest?

In Osprey's Warrior Series #25, Italian Militiaman 1260-1392, Nicolle cites on p.54 a Bolognese law of 1288 requiring city militia to be armed with "panceria or caschetto, corsetto and manica de ferro gauntlets, collare or gorgiera, gambiera and cervelliera of mail, ciroteca body armour of iron" and a shield. ("Panceria" is probably mail, while the "caschetto" or little casque is obviouly a type of helmet. Presumably the corset reinforces this. I'm not sure why he thinks the "cervelliera" are mail coifs instead of cervelliere helmets to wear with the gambeson. ."Ciroteca" are, in fact, gloves.)

The important part being that "corset" isn't an armor term strictly limited to England in the late 13th century.

Anyone else have other examples, noticed something I missed, or have an idea what a corset might look like if it's not a CoP?

[Gil-Galadh]

I am monitoring this thread.
Seriously it seems like pretty interesting stuff.

[Len Parker]

Because there is no mention of maille with the corset it probably is just maille.
However, there is something similar to a corset of iron mentioned in The King's Mirror 1250 "Above and next to the body he should Wear a soft gambison, which need not come lower than to the middle of, the thigh. Over this he must have a strong breastplate made of good iron covering the body from the nipples to the trousers belt".

[Ernst]

Len,
Both the King's Mirror and Guillaume le Breton's Phillipide (in the joust between Richard I and William of Barres, Dan Howard cites it as Guillaume le Breton, Philippide, Lib III, lines 494-8) mention an iron plate worn beneath mail. The hauberks are also specially reinforced, thoraca trilicem, thrice-woven per John France's interpretation. These early 13th century sources clearly can't be verified using visual media. If city militia are using such defenses (corsets?) over aketons without mail, are we looking at some sort of strapped plates, like the Indo-Persian 4-mirrors armor?

[Len Parker]

I've been looking around for armour just for the torso but haven't found much.
Not sure of the date on this, but this looks like it could be plates riveted to the outside of a surcoat (pic 2) http://tgorod.ru/index.php?topgroupid=2 ... tentid=294 They're calling it lamellar but I'm not sure about that. Maybe it's like an armoured surcoat in reverse? I know it's not what you're looking for, but It does show that they were wearing plates just around the waist.
OT, The swedish lamellar in fig.4 from Broddetorp is interesting.

Later than what your looking for, but wisby18 is made like a corset around the waist
As far as men wearing plate without maille, Randall Moffett Posted this "In the 1330s Edward III in the Close Rolls lists the reqs for men at arms and hauberks and habergeons are unlisted but basinets with aventail, COPs, iron gaunts are." From this thread viewtopic.php?f=14&t=125508


Also, Chretien de Troyes mentions triple woven maille made of silver in Erec and Enide. He says that it was so fine it was like wearing a silk jacket. So triple woven couldn't mean triple layers, at least not here. I think triple woven might mean 6 in 1 because each row of rings goes through 3 rings on either side. Just a theory.

[Ernst]

The Skibby Church mural in North Zealand, Denmark is interesting.

Skibby Church.jpg (59.77 KiB) Viewed 3030 times

In some of the "non-armor" uses of corset in the early 14th century, we find cloth money belts. It seems possible that that the construction could be similar to a coat of plates, but the coverage was less comprehensive. We distinguish hauberks from haubergeons based on coverage rather than construction, so it's quite possible that "plates" and "corsets" were distinguished, not by construction, but by coverage. Though later, Wisby 18 seems to be an excellent example of the concept.

[Kilian_the_warlike]

Just my two cents, but I have also read of small armours of scale, maille and maille/plate being refered to as corsellets, and that they were popular in Greece and Italy in the 15thC. There are some minor Italian writings referring to out-of-work mercenaries as "Corselletto" in the same manner as the term "Brigand" has to do with "Brigandine". Anyone have anymore information? This style of armor has alway interested me.

Pic related: a corsellet of maille of maille in plate, either 15th or 16thC

http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h37 ... 530343.jpg

[Russ Mitchell]

Yeah, Kilian, my initial impression was "somebody goofed their paleaography," and I was curious about corset/corselet as well. But it's poppping up too often to be that sort of error.

As a side note, what's the provenance of that piece?

[Ernst]

Looks like it's a Phillipine Moro mail and plates using buffalo horn for the plates.

Perhaps Wisby 18 isn't such a good thing to rely on, since the archaeology is very fragmentary, any reconstruction is highly subjective.

Corselets or corslets appear quite a lot in 16th century sources, and seem to refer to breast and backs without arms or tassets. It does bring up an interesting issue of etymology. Most English dictionaries give the root as OF through Latin from corpus-body. In modern English we have corpse and corps evolve from this, leaving us to wonder if the corset is a body armor, or an armor used by bodies of men.

[Russ Mitchell]

Or possibly the helm-->helmet thing, and it referring to something providing only partial body coverage. I like your coverage argument in general.

[Kilian_the_warlike]

As a side note, what's the provenance of that piece?

Looks like it's a Phillipine Moro mail and plates using buffalo horn for the plates.

I have it in my computer as 16th century Spanish from the Royal Armoury, and the plates are gilded bronze. The outer plates are shiny, but if you look in the neck, you can clearly see them ungilt.

Might be wrong though.

[Ernst]

Christies 2003, 19th century Moro:
http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/ ... d=&page=13
For comparison, some Moro armours, some with brass plates:
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s206_full.html
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6221633

[Kilian_the_warlike]

Wow. Really? Live and learn!

[Ernst]

http://openlibrary.org/books/OL6083120M ... di_Bologna.

I'll have to look for Nicolle's corsetto in Bologna after I get some rest.

[Ernst]

Because there is no mention of maille with the corset it probably is just maille.
However, there is something similar to a corset of iron mentioned in The King's Mirror 1250 "Above and next to the body he should Wear a soft gambison, which need not come lower than to the middle of, the thigh. Over this he must have a strong breastplate made of good iron covering the body from the nipples to the trousers belt".

I found examples which may fit the description and prove Len & Dan correct that the corset is a mail armor. Never say never.

The first example is from a Bible, Toulouse Bib. Mun. MS.01 fo.284v, 1251-1300, Italy.
http://www.enluminures.culture.fr/Wave/ ... 5049-p.jpg

ToulouseBM MS.01 fo284v-dtl.jpg (91.07 KiB) Viewed 2830 times

My first thought on seeing this was that it was an artistic error. I'd never seen a surcoat with hood or a mail hauberk or haubergeon with hood and without sleeves. Then there's this second Italian example:

From an in situ wall painting, Massacre of the Holy Innocents, Church of Santa Maria di Ronzano, early 13th century, Castel Castagna, Abruzzi, Italy:
http://foto.inabruzzo.it/provincia%20Te ... oABS08.jpg

Santa Maria di Ronzano-2.jpg (71.25 KiB) Viewed 2830 times

Dr. Nicolle lists this in Arms & Armour of the Crusading Era 1050-1350 as Fig.606. He speculates that this might represent scale, due to the lack of sleeves and Abruzzi being "backward and isolated". I personally see little difference in the depiction of mail in other examples at the church. It's not unusual for mail to be drawn in several formats in the same scene in 13th century art.
http://foto.inabruzzo.it/provincia%20Te ... oABS03.jpg

Santa Maria di Ronzano-1-dtl.jpg (97.38 KiB) Viewed 2830 times

Perhaps the lack of sleeves made the mail more affordable?
So, has anybody seen another "sleeveless" mail-armor with hood?

[Signo]

Well, the hood could be a camail, there is a faint darker line that could indicate a separation between hood and maille.
About the sleeves, I've heard of sleeveless maille in venetian area, I will ask my friend if he has documentation about them.

[Ernst]

Thanks Signo. I rechecked the Toulouse information, and the manuscript is suspected to be from Genoa, so the trend isn't limited to one area.

[Len Parker]

I have definitely seen a sleeveless maille shirt on display with 15th century plate, but I can't find it at the moment.
Here is Laking mentioning some sleeveless shirts in the Tower of London Armoury and one in Woolwich (near bottom p.179) http://www.archive.org/stream/recordofe ... 8/mode/2up

[Ernst]

Since all the written evidence seems to be for a 13th- or very early-14th century armor, I've tried limiting my image searches to that period. It may well be that sleeveless mail vests exist from the 15th-century. but not certain that they are referred to as a corset or corsetto.

[Dan Howard]

Also, Chretien de Troyes mentions triple woven maille made of silver in Erec and Enide. He says that it was so fine it was like wearing a silk jacket. So triple woven couldn't mean triple layers, at least not here. I think triple woven might mean 6 in 1 because each row of rings goes through 3 rings on either side. Just a theory.

The usual translation is "thrice woven". At the time the phrase could often have nothing to do with the number three. If something was "thrice made" or done "three times" it simply meant that it was well done or well made. "Thrice-woven mail" probably just means that it was a particularly finely-made mail hauberk.

[Len Parker]

That makes sense Dan, a 6 in 1 weave and fine don't seem to go together.

[Dan Howard]

A century too late but the Ordinance of St. Maximin de Treves (Oct, 1473) talks about wearing a sleeveless mail shirt under a jack. No hood though.

"... The mounted archer must possess a horse worth not less than six francs, and should wear a visorless sallet, a bevor [or possibly a mail standard], a brigandine, or a sleeveless mail shirt under a ten layer jack..."

[Ernst]

I don't suppose the French for "sleeveless mail shirt" is a variety of "corset"?

[Signo]

In italian, corsaletto, (originating from french corsalet) refers to a kind of armor that protect only the torso, in later period described a kind of plate armour, but I'm unable to find online when the word first appear.

[Bertus Brokamp]

In Middle-Dutch accounts of the 14th c. sometimes a 'lijfijser' is mentioned, literally a 'body-iron'.
I have suspected for some time now that this is a sleeveless short maille shirt.

[Ernst]

In italian, corsaletto, (originating from french corsalet) refers to a kind of armor that protect only the torso, in later period described a kind of plate armour, but I'm unable to find online when the word first appear.

In the initial post, I noted Nicolle citing corsetto in Bologna in 1288.

[Dan Howard]

The next question should be whether there is a difference between a corsetto and a corsaletto

[Ernst]

http://www.myetymology.com/french/corsalet.html

the French word corsalet
>derived from the Old French word corset
>>derived from the Old French word cors
>>>derived from the Classical Latin word corpus

[Signo]

The roughly same steps are in italian language.

[Dan Howard]

So corselet and corset mean the same thing.

[Mac]

So corselet and corset mean the same thing.

Dan,

They clearly mean the same thing in the sense that they both mean "little body", but they do not necessarily always refer to the same piece of armor.

It seems probably that at any given time, and in any given place, there is a word which is the diminutive of body, and an armor type that corresponds to it. The correspondence between the word and the armor are likely to change with time and may be quite different from place to place at any given time.

Mac

[Dan Howard]

Is there a text where both terms are used?

[Signo]

This italian english vocabulary of 1611, simply say this (sorry)
http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/florio/141.html

[Dan Howard]

Excellent. Many thanks

[Ernst]

And a bump for this topic, as I've found numerous miniatures of sleeveless mail "corsets" (although I have no evidence for the terminology for the 1430s) in a Hagenau manuscript at Darmstadt. It seems to be hung from a mail collar.
http://tudigit.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/show ... 056/thumbs