The Armour Archive

I'm a DJ, and I found this tidbit in my morning show prep today...

Archaeologists have discovered a piece of flexible armor used by Jamestown, Virginia, colonists to protect themselves against Indian attacks. The jack of plate is what the armor is called, and is a tight-fitting, vest-like garment of overlapping armor plates that would have been covered in quilted canvas on both sides. Archaeologists previously have found loose plates at Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America. But this latest discovery will allow historians to study how the jack of plate was made. The piece of armor, weighing an estimated 175 pounds, was discovered Friday during excavation of a trash pit. The piece appears to date back to the settlement's early years, before 1610.

No source is ever given in my show prep material, so I can't tell you where this came from.

What do you think they've found? If it's a Jack, then I can't imagine it weighing 175 pounds. Who could wear it? Is this an example of non-professionals misquoting archaeologists?

Yes... it is...

It's know fact that the Jamestown colony was sent outdated jacks to use.

There are jacks in the UK from the same era so they do know how they were made...

If my memory serves me right tonight, a standard jack of plates weighs about 25 pounds... not 175...

Cheers,

DT

Story I read shows no mention of weight.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/local/dp ... ocal-final

175 pounds would be like wearing an anvil on your back. Not something I would enjoy.

I'd guess it's a typo for 17.5 pounds, or something like that...

Interesting, though! I never think of European settlers in America as having more Medieval/Reniassance style arms and armor, because our US history books generally begin during the 18th century!

Very cool.

-Gregory-

In the quoted article above, the Jack has been removed along with the soil underneath it.

Perhaps that's the weight of the find, dirt and all?

Gregory J. Liebau wrote:Interesting, though! I never think of European settlers in America as having more Medieval/Reniassance style arms and armor, because our US history books generally begin during the 18th century!

Very cool.

-Gregory-

A good book, if you can get your hands on it, is "Arms and Armor in Colonial America 1526-1783" by Harold Peterson. He goes through all of the types of armour and other gear that was used by all the different nationalities in the new world. Although it might be a bit dated here and there.

On the off-topic forum, they quoted this article as well.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2005/04/12/national/a145222D46.DTL

It lists the 175 lbs. weight.

It'll be interesting to learn how the Jamestown settlers built new Jacks from old steel/used armor, if their suppositions are true.

Jason Grimes wrote:A good book, if you can get your hands on it, is "Arms and Armor in Colonial America 1526-1783" by Harold Peterson. He goes through all of the types of armour and other gear that was used by all the different nationalities in the new world. Although it might be a bit dated here and there.

One of the very neat things about the book is that it talks about the development and manufacture of our 20thC helmets, and other forms of body armor.

It isn't a coincidence that many European helmets looked like salets or kettle hats.

You can see new finds here: http://www.historicjamestowne.org/the_dig/

Although they haven't updated in a while. I attended the field school there last summer. There have been some finds that appear to be breastplate remnants - presumably from being re-made into jacks. This is interesting - we know that they were shipped jacks but there is some evidence that they were making their own from breastplates - either a jack or a brig. It wasn't uncommon to find a diamond shaped piece of rust, about an inch along the longest axis, with a brass/bronze/copper rivet in the center.

There have also been several basket hilts, or pieces thereof, found. Some musket parts. A nearly complete breastplate and helm that were recovered from a well. Check out the site above - there's some good info there.

It's common practice to excavate finds like this as a "block" where you take out the artifact and surrounding soil for removal to a lab where it can be excavated in controlled conditions. I'm going to guess that's where the 175lb weight comes from, as somebody else has speculated. It's a pretty hefty block. Man, wish I were working there now!

Some of the Jamestown armor can be seen on the APVA site:

http://www.apva.org/ngex/things.html

While researching an Appomattox River find, I found Bly Straube to be responsive to specific questions. The Martin's Hundred site also produced a number of close helmets.

jopasm wrote:You can see new finds here: http://www.historicjamestowne.org/the_dig/

Although they haven't updated in a while. I attended the field school there last summer. There have been some finds that appear to be breastplate remnants - presumably from being re-made into jacks. This is interesting - we know that they were shipped jacks but there is some evidence that they were making their own from breastplates - either a jack or a brig. It wasn't uncommon to find a diamond shaped piece of rust, about an inch along the longest axis, with a brass/bronze/copper rivet in the center.

There have also been several basket hilts, or pieces thereof, found. Some musket parts. A nearly complete breastplate and helm that were recovered from a well. Check out the site above - there's some good info there.

It's common practice to excavate finds like this as a "block" where you take out the artifact and surrounding soil for removal to a lab where it can be excavated in controlled conditions. I'm going to guess that's where the 175lb weight comes from, as somebody else has speculated. It's a pretty hefty block. Man, wish I were working there now!

Hi, I've got a question regarding this bit about the jacks perhaps having been made in the Colony. I made mention on the thread on the off topics page.

Why is the assumption the jacks were being made up out of brigandines and breastplates in Colony? As a student of arms and armour, and being familiar with the pattern of shipments of arms to the Jamestown colony (as detailed in the dated but useful work by Peterson), there is a lot - and I mean substantial - evidence for Old Armour in the Tower Armoury to be regulary cut up for use in jacks "For Sea-Service", or the like, both in Henry VIII Reign, and continuing through Elizabeths reign. The other most recent excavation of a jack of plates was in the 1980's, at Beeston Castle, in a Civil War context, where it likewise had been discarded as useless. Quite a few of the plates making up that jack were cut up out of 15th century brigandines, as well as using fresh metal in the typical hexagonal plate pattern.

Just pointing out that because the jack was made up out of old armour it is not safe to assume that it must have been some sort of emergency shift by the colonists - the jack could have been made up out of old armour up to 40 years prior to it being shipped to Jamestown, when the jack was brand new, and put into storage in the tower.

Gregory J. Liebau wrote:I'd guess it's a typo for 17.5 pounds, or something like that...

Interesting, though! I never think of European settlers in America as having more Medieval/Reniassance style arms and armor, because our US history books generally begin during the 18th century!

Very cool.

-Gregory-

From what I've read, the most common firearm in the New World during the early period of colonization was the matchlock.

chef de chambre wrote:Why is the assumption the jacks were being made up out of brigandines and breastplates in Colony? As a student of arms and armour, and being familiar with the pattern of shipments of arms to the Jamestown colony (as detailed in the dated but useful work by Peterson), there is a lot - and I mean substantial - evidence for Old Armour in the Tower Armoury to be regulary cut up for use in jacks "For Sea-Service", or the like, both in Henry VIII Reign, and continuing through Elizabeths reign. The other most recent excavation of a jack of plates was in the 1980's, at Beeston Castle, in a Civil War context, where it likewise had been discarded as useless. Quite a few of the plates making up that jack were cut up out of 15th century brigandines, as well as using fresh metal in the typical hexagonal plate pattern.

Just pointing out that because the jack was made up out of old armour it is not safe to assume that it must have been some sort of emergency shift by the colonists - the jack could have been made up out of old armour up to 40 years prior to it being shipped to Jamestown, when the jack was brand new, and put into storage in the tower.

I don't have my books and such in front of me but the assumption that there was <i>some</i> manufacturing of jacks going on is based on finds such as breastplates that have been basically cut apart, at least partially. It appears there was some conversion going on in the colony. Bear in mind I'm going strictly from memory here.

I don't think anybody is making the argument that breastplates where shipped to the colony for the express purpose of being converted. Rather, while awaiting a shipment of new arms/armor there appears to have been some work done with materials already in the colony - ie they cut up some breastplates for jack plates while they were waiting for the next supply ship.

I thought there was a photo of a piece such as I'm talking about on the web site but I can't find it. When I get a chance I'll look through the books I have and see what I can find.

jopasm wrote:

chef de chambre wrote:Why is the assumption the jacks were being made up out of brigandines and breastplates in Colony? As a student of arms and armour, and being familiar with the pattern of shipments of arms to the Jamestown colony (as detailed in the dated but useful work by Peterson), there is a lot - and I mean substantial - evidence for Old Armour in the Tower Armoury to be regulary cut up for use in jacks "For Sea-Service", or the like, both in Henry VIII Reign, and continuing through Elizabeths reign. The other most recent excavation of a jack of plates was in the 1980's, at Beeston Castle, in a Civil War context, where it likewise had been discarded as useless. Quite a few of the plates making up that jack were cut up out of 15th century brigandines, as well as using fresh metal in the typical hexagonal plate pattern.

Just pointing out that because the jack was made up out of old armour it is not safe to assume that it must have been some sort of emergency shift by the colonists - the jack could have been made up out of old armour up to 40 years prior to it being shipped to Jamestown, when the jack was brand new, and put into storage in the tower.

I don't have my books and such in front of me but the assumption that there was <i>some</i> manufacturing of jacks going on is based on finds such as breastplates that have been basically cut apart, at least partially. It appears there was some conversion going on in the colony. Bear in mind I'm going strictly from memory here.

I don't think anybody is making the argument that breastplates where shipped to the colony for the express purpose of being converted. Rather, while awaiting a shipment of new arms/armor there appears to have been some work done with materials already in the colony - ie they cut up some breastplates for jack plates while they were waiting for the next supply ship.

I thought there was a photo of a piece such as I'm talking about on the web site but I can't find it. When I get a chance I'll look through the books I have and see what I can find.

Cool. I'd be interested to find out.

On the other hand, they could have been cutting up the breastplates to make lock plates for chests or the like, or to repair or replace lockplates of muskets. Cut up breastplates do not automatically equate to use as further armour, and lock plates was a common usage for old armour made of good or reasonable quality metal.

One of the reasons I was dubious is that the colonists in their letter of complaint at the arms shipped them was the jacks being old and useless. I was not surprised that it was found in the context of a pre-1610 trash pit. Thise sorts of jacks must have worn out quickly, from the method of construction having edges abraiding cloth in use.

There is an excellent book on the excavation of Martins Hundred - a small Virginia settlement wiped out during an indian uprising. There are several chapters devoted to armor and weapons found at the site
It should be available at the library, or
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... 02-5061416

chef de chambre wrote:Cool. I'd be interested to find out.

On the other hand, they could have been cutting up the breastplates to make lock plates for chests or the like, or to repair or replace lockplates of muskets. Cut up breastplates do not automatically equate to use as further armour, and lock plates was a common usage for old armour made of good or reasonable quality metal.

Finally had time to go through some of my references. In "Jamestown Rediscovery 1994-2004" by William M. Kelso and Beveryly Straube on page 186 there is a photograph of a small segment of breastplate that has 1 small square plate partially cut out. In addition there are a couple of loose jack plates that match the size/shape of the partially cut one. The text on that page talks about recycling armor and mentions a breastplate that has been reshaped into a sort of bucket or possibly a cooking pot. It then mentions that there appears to have been some manufacturing of jacks.

I wish it had a little more information. The size of the pieces that were recovered are too small for musket lock plates and really on the small size for chest lock plates. We're talking pieces of metal about the size of a US quarter coin. Yes, they could have been cutting them to repair existing jacks but I think there's evidence for construction of new ones, I just don't have that information at hand.

The book I'm citing is more for a general audience. If I get a chance I'll have to see if I can find some of the papers that have been generated and presented at academic conferences - they generally have a better explanation of why a conclusion has been reached.