the poorest classes in society, and carried merely their sling, consisting of a thong fastened to the end of a staff, which they wielded with both hands, and from which they threw a very large stone. The Cross-bow men had a short sword, with at least a crooked-ended scabbard, called a Baselard. The Epée à l'estoc, or stabbing sword, of French origin, was hung from the pummel of the saddle, and in the thirteenth century perhaps occurs the earliest instance where it accompanies the long sword. The German swords were extremely large, and large swords were now very fashionable.-Flails, as weapons of war, and two-handed swords, were in use in the German army as late as the time of Maximilian I. but seem to have been revived about the early part of the fifteenth century, having been previously known to the Swiss. The lance and sword, though confined to freemen, were yet allowed to serfs on joining the army, though not on ordinary occasions. There were also in use the Faussar, a small curved sword with its edge inside, of classical antiquity, or perhaps the same as the faulchion (See the vignette at the end of this Chapter p. 814); the Gæsum, which Dr. Meyrick thinks was a bladed weapon, not a spear; the Haunet, a kind of lance; the Guibet, a broadbladed weapon, resembling a pointed spud, probably the same as the Anelas; the Anlace or Anelas, a short knife with a very broad blade tapering to a point, and the Besague, or cornuted short staff1. EDWARD THE FIRST; from 1272 to 1307.-The great advantage of compactness and pliability, afforded by the ingenious invention of the chain-mail, rendered its use almost universal. There are, however, a few exceptions with regard to rings set edgewise. Clamucium, Camisia, Chemise de maile, Corset of mail, were several names of the shirt of mail. The men at arms had on their heads steel helmets, and were also clad in the Wambais, i. e. a tunick wadded with wool, tow, or old cloth, and stitched longitudinally (see our Plate, p. 766, fig. 30.) The parallel lines are well defined in the Knight in Hitchendon Church, Bucks (see the Plate of Effigies, p. 783, fig. 3.) Upon it they wore an iron shirt, that is, a garment, formed of iron rings interlaced, through which it was impossible for any bow to send an arrow, so as to wound a man. The Gambeson was also worn by itself, as well as under the armour; for knights appear in gamboised coats and chausses. A soldier has the hood and sleeves of rings set edgewise, but the body is protected by a Corium (see our Plate, fig. 21), and the legs are protected by Chausses of trellised work (see our Plate, fig. 22), the studs being of steel and the bandages of leather. Another knight has a hauberk of mail and chausses thus made, except that the bandages are not again crossed by others. The Cointisse, or scarf, at first worn by the ladies, and afterwards adopted by the military, is wrapped round his body, and passes over the right shoulder. The monument of Thomas de Berkeley, who died in 1243, contains the earliest specimen of the Camail, attached by a cord to the round scull-cap, and is probably of Asiatick origin. The Camail was the hood deprived of its coif, and was so named from its resemblance to a kind of tippet made of camel's hair, that was stiled by the Greeks of Constantinople xaxaxov. He is also represented with beinbergs (bein, German for shins), poleyns (knee pieces) and elbow-plates. The jambs, greaves, shin pieces, or bein-bergs, were at first made of leather or quilted linen, on which were placed flat contiguous rings, soon turned into plates, because flexibility was not wanted. They were borrowed from the statues of the Ancient Greeks, adopted in the East, and introduced here by the Crusaders under St. Louis. The Clavons3 were greaves of cloth. Gamboised breeches, with poleyns of 'Meyrick, i. 105—125. • Engr. in Gough's Monuments, vol. I. pl. XIV. p. 44. 3 Engr. in Strutt, pl. lxvi. 2 plate, elbow plates, ailettes 1, or pieces behind the shoulders, sometimes adorned with armorial bearings, also occur. Gloves with separate fingers, and covering the wrists, first appear in this reign, and may be considered as the prototype of gauntlets. Tilting armour was of leather gilt, and each suit consisted of a tunick of arms, i. e. a surcoat, emblazoned with arms, two pairs of Chaussetons or Chastons 2, a hauberk, with a pair of ailettes, from the French ailette, a little wing. This singular piece, fixed on the shoulders, was of every shape, and appears on most representations of warriors at this period. Besides these there were two crests, one for the horse's head, an emblazoned shield made of wood, a helmet of leather, and a sword of balon, i. e. of whalebone, and then covered with parchment, silvered to resemble steel. Surcoats with sleeves almost reaching to the wrists occur. The surcoat being emblazoned forms the only distinction between knights and esquires.-Helmets. A scull-cap, made in the form of the coif de mailles, was invented by Michael Scott, domestick astrologer to the Emperor Frederick, and was called Coiffe de Fer, Cerveillera, and Capitellum de Ferro. From the top of these scull-caps sometimes depended a bunch of horse hair. Previous to this invention the warrior was obliged to slip his head through the aperture for his face; and thus let the capuchon hang on his shoulders. The Basinet (formed like the human head) was not a helmet, but worn under it. (See the Plate, p. 766, fig. 10.) Sometimes visors were affixed to them, and then they served for helmets; others have an aventaille moveable on pivots. In one monument [Meyrick, pl. xxiii. p. 161] the Cerveillere is worn under the coif. The strap, which fastens up the right side of the hood, is not interwoven, as in former specimens, but passes outside the rings on the forehead. This is probably the last monument of the rings set edgewise. The prototype of the Conical Helmets, introduced in this reign, is somewhat like the Phrygian bonnet, and has a square compartment, pierced with round holes opposite the face. An early specimen of the conical helmet (egg-shaped, with a square compartment pierced with quadrangular holes) has on its top an expanding fan-like crest to resemble red feathers, around which is tied a ribbon, in the manner of the Cointisse or Lady's Scarf, which succeeded it; indeed the cointisse, or scarf of his lady, was often worn by the knight on his helmet, just at the bottom of the crest. (In Plate, p. 766, fig. 12, is seen the ring on its apex, to which it was fastened.) The cerveliere and conical helmets with nasals, occur in some old paintings of this æra. The latter are the latest specimen; and the term Nasal was applied to the visor in 1371.-Shield. The top is formed of a straight line, the round-headed kite-shape not occurring later than the time of Henry III. The effigies of William de Valence 3 shows the French mode of wearing the shield, which is at the left hip, just over the sword; a fashion that may have given in after times the idea of hooking the buckler on to the swordhilt. The Sword-dance performers, descendants of the Anglo-Saxon Joculatores, taught in this reign the art of defence with sword and buckler.-The Testiere, a head 'Prefixed to a copy, in the Seile Chartulary, of a deed, bearing date 37 Henry III. from William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby, to William de Rydware, of pasture in the Forest of Needwood, Staffordshire, is an illumination representing a knight in that armour, which came into fashion at the close of Edward the First's reign, and was discontinued in Edward the Third's. A representation of this is given in a future page. He is in a hauberk, chaussees, capuchons, and coiffe of mail, with those curious appurtenances called Aillettes, from their resemblance to little wings. They occur on the seal of Thomas Earl of Lancaster, Seneschall of England temp. Edward I. and in the paintings in glass at Tewkesbury Church, intended for the Earls of Clare. The knight wears the arms of Ferrers, which are also emblazoned on his shield and banner. • Breeches usually of mail. Strutt's Dresses, pl. lxvi. › Engraved in Stothard's Monumental Effigies, No I. 789 piece, intended for a crest, fixed on the head of the horse, between the ears, first occurs in this reign, and chanfrons to fit on the horses' heads, are first mentioned about the year 1295. Little bells were hung round the bridles of the Just players. Interlaced chain-mail was also used for horse armour. Offensive Arms.-The Cultellus served both for a knife and dagger.-The Faux were in the later æras called Bills; the Pile is the iron ferrule, which covered the arrow; in a general view, a dart. The Pile, often called Pelote and Pilote, also signified a club, and seems to have been the weapon used by the archers before they were enjoined to carry the mallet or maule.-The Croc is somewhat like the Oncin, but more bent down in the form of a shepherd's crook. Thomas 2d Lord Berkeley1 wears a dagger with a very wide blade, which tapers to a point. This may be the Alesnas, or as sometimes called the Anelas. The dagger is worn with the sword as early as the time of Richard I.-Swords. The cross-bar in this reign is often made to descend on each side; the Canipulus was a sort of dagger knife; the Estoc was a little sword, not that worn with the Coutel or military knife. The scabbards were adorned with small shields of arms. The Falchion represented in a Vignette, p. 814, is of this age 2. The large Axe used by the infantry has an immense crescent-formed blade on one side, and a cross-formed spike on the other. The Pole-axes of this reign are of the form of a broad axe blade on the end of a pole, and a spike jutting out on the opposite side; and the Maces have their heads projecting but very little. The arms of the Gallo-glasses or Irish infantry at this period, consisted of shin pieces, but of leather only (introduced by the Danes, and retained ever since); a helmet somewhat conical; a tunick with short sleeves; and a gorget, which just covers the shoulders. These last are either quilted, or merely plaids. For arms, some had a battle-axe; others a sword, suspended by a belt 3. EDWARD II. from 1307 to 1327.-Now commences the Mired Mail and Plate. When the French authors use the term Armures DE FER, it must not be considered as applying exclusively to the Plate, before the close of this reign, though after this it became the distinctive term. The Florentine Annals, however, consider the year 1315, as remarkable for a new regulation in armour, by which every horseman who went to battle, was to have his helmet, breast-plate, gauntlets, cuisses, and jambes, all of iron, a precaution which was taken on account of the disadvantages which their cavalry had suffered from their light armour at the battle of Catina; but this usage did not find its way into general practice in Europe for at least ten years after. In the presumed earliest specimen of this reign (the monumental effigies of Sir Robert du Bois 4 in Fersfield church, Norfolk) there are a conical scull-cap, with camail attached, and a hauberk with plates put over its sleeves; this as well as the scull-cap is covered with silk drawn tight over, and emblazoned with his arms. The gauntlets are painted to correspond, but his elbow-pieces left plain. On his legs are chausses, and he wears the 'Engraved in Gough's Monuments, vol. I. pl. XIV. p. 44. • The story attaching to it declares it to be the same wherewith the Champion Conyers slew the Worm, Dragon, or Fiery Flying Serpent. The arms on one side of the pommel are those of England, as borne by the Plantagenets from John to Edward III.; but the form of the shield marks it not earlier than Edward Ï. The eagle, on the other side, is said to belong to Morcar, the Saxon Earl of Northumberland. It is presented to the Bishop of Durham on his first entrance into his Diocese, by the Lord of Sockburn, who holds the manor by that tenure. See Surtees' Durham, iii. 244; and Gent. Mag. xciii. ii. 612. Meyrick, i. 132–167. 4 Engraved in Gough's Monuments, vol. I. p. 79, prick-spur. The armour at the close of the reign consists of a conical helmet, a surcoat of arms, complete mail with elbow-plates and knee-pieces of plate. The archers, mounted archers, and cross-bowmen, had a uniform costume. They wore hauberks, and chausses of gamboised work with surcoats over them, and conical helmets with visors affixed, and made each of a perforated plate. These conical helmets were held fast upon the head by something like platted ropes, such as sailors would call points, and which were termed Visiones. The Pourpoint, Gambeson, and Haketon, were worn during this reign'. It was also very much the fashion in this reign to wear the Coin. tise over the armour. The parts of the body armour are, Genouilleres, or knee-caps, which occur in the preceding reign; convex plates to cover the calves of the legs, which Dr. Meyrick only observed in one instance; Ailettes or shoulder-pieces; Mamelieres, or pieces put on the breast from which depended chains, one of which was attached to the sword-hilt, and the other to the scabbard; Greaves of one plate, are of this æra.-The Gorget. The Camail on a figure at Tewkesbury church is composed of several plates fastened on it with rivets. Under this name it was called a Gorget, which probably originated in Lombardy. The Gorget is also called goccon at this period. In the same figure the legs and feet are completely covered with plate armour, so that below the shoulder-piece we have the complete Brassart, and below the elbow, the entire Avant-bras or Vambrace. On the shoulders are the Ailettes, and in the right hand a short spear with a lozenge-shaped head.-The Gonjo worn at this period seems to imply a gorget.-The Gonnus or Gown is a part of armour spoken of at this period. The effigies of Sir John D'Abernon, and Sir Oliver Ingham, are given as specimens of the armour of this period. (See Plate of Monumental Effigies, p. 783, figs. 5 and 6.) Helmets. The Helmet on the Great Seal of Edward II. is of a cylindrical form, with a grated or pierced aventaille and visor attached. The clasp which fastens this on the right side is very visible; and it is probable that on the other it was retained by hinges. The Basinet at first was worn, as being lighter than a helmet, when the knight expected an attack, but wished to be prepared. When visors were made to them, they for a time superseded the use of the helmet. The Coif de fer, or hood, was In the chancel of the church of Ash, co. Kent, is the monumental effigy of a knight, which exhibits a still further progress towards plate armour, and is therefore extremely curious. (See our Plate of Monumental Effigies, p. 783, fig. 4.) The Basinet takes the shape of the head in the manner of the cervelliere, and is very highly ornamented. The Canail is attached to it above the ears, the basinet forming ornamental flaps below. Instead of a mail-hauberk, several successive hoops of steel are riveted on a tunic of cloth, which reaches nearly to the knees. On the top of the shoulders are two or three sliding plates, and instead of ailettes, large lions' heads are carved, so as to form circular pieces. The arm-pits are protected by small plates, riveted on the shirt of plate. The arms, and the elbows, to a short distance below, have semi-cylindrical plates buckled upon them. Half way between the elbows and wrists appear the sleeves of the Hauketon, which garment is again visible below the shirt of plate, placed over another tunick. The gauntlets are composed of several small plates, riveted on cloth. The warrior's feet are covered in much the same manner, but his legs are protected by jambs of steel, and he wears highly ornamented knee-caps. The effigy also affords an early specimen of the shortened surcoat, the prototype of the Cyclas, which was in general use at the commencement of the next reign. The manner in which it was placed at the right side only beginning just under the right arm, and going down to the end, is also worthy of remark. The narrow girdle, too, put round the hips, and buckled in front, to keep down the surcoat and allow the broad military belt to hold the sword and dagger, is worthy of notice. This knight has his shield suspended from his shoulder. (Meyrick, i. 178. pl. xxx.) The armour worn by this knight, seems to have been called an envelope of plates (Id. 182.) The Cyclas mentioned was a body covering of linen, without sleeves; and was used in this reign, as a part of armour. (Id. 198.) still used during this reign. The Chapelle de fer of this æra is of a sugar loaf form, with sides rather concave, and a ridged rim. Helmets round, with barred convex umbrils; heraldick crests and the cointise floating behind, and the Barbiere, a headpiece, whence a person wearing armour was said to be barbed, also occur. Offensive Arms now in vogue. The Scymitar borrowed from the Turks; the thin-bladed dagger, called Misericorde, because more easily inserted into the interstices of the armour; the Faulchion, now a large sword, but originally either the hilt, or a sword upon its principle; the War-knife or dagger, not in general use till the time of Edw. III.; the Mell, Maule, or Mallet of Arms; the Godenda or Godendac, a kind of pole-axe with a spike at its end; [The Danish Axe was somewhat of this kind, except that instead of the spike there was a hook, to which a horse might be fastened when it was driven into the ground, there being a pointed ferrule at the lower end. These were pretty general now all over Europe.] the Javelin, Javrelot, Gavielot, Gavelot, and Gaveloce, was very like a dart, but had no feathers; the small Mace, called Mazara, by the French Mazuete, by the English Mazuelle ; the Bill (see Plate, p. 766, fig. 20), or Falcastrum [the word Bill, probably signifying the Gisarme, was used in 1291; but it is recommended in sea-fights, that there be scythes firmly fixed to very long spears, from which originated the Bills, at this time called Falcastra]; the Cataja, barbed darts or spears, each having a string at the end to recover it; the Galtraps, which sometimes seem to have signified Maules with spikes; the Mace, a kind with four sides, armed with iron nails. The infantry at this period were armed with spears, bills, gisarmes, and pole-axes, besides which were the cross-bowmen and archers. Horse-Armour. The pieces were the Flanchière, which covered the flanks; the Piciere, breast-plate; the Crouppiere, the covering which went over the horse'stail, and hinder parts; Gamboised housings, with armorial bearings on them; Esquivalents or Estivals, armour for the legs; Chanfrons or Champfreins, pieces of steel or leather to cover the horse's face; mentioned, says Dr. Meyrick, though he finds no delineation of them before the reign of Richard II.; Testieres, distinct from the chanfrons, and meaning the plate betwixt the ears, which was affixed to the chanfron by means of hinges. Dr. Meyrick remarks under this reign, that from the Conquest to the time of Richard III. the fashion was to ride with the toes down; after which period the heel was dropped and the toe raised; and that spurs were not screwed to the armour before the time of Henry V. if so soon 2. EDWARD III. from 1327 to 1377.-The armour of this reign, borrowed from the Italians, was exceedingly splendid; and occasioned many knights to be killed, purely for the sake of obtaining this costly distinction. The figure of John de Eltham exhibits a fine specimen of the armour at the commencement of this reign, for considerable changes took place towards its close. To describe it from the figure. (See our Plate of Monumental Effigies, p. 783, fig. 7.) On his head he has a conical scull-cap (cerveillere) edged with a coronet. Over the head, forehead, cheeks, ears, &c. just leaving room for the face is a hood and gorget, ending in a tippet, covering the shoulders. This "Item, 3 pair of gamboised housings, having thereon the king's arms, and an Indian one made in the manner of a Jazerant.' This mode of forming them still continues in India and Persia, as well for the elephants as for the horses, and is another proof that the Jazerant consisted of small overlapping plates. Meyrick, Meyrick, i. 172-198. i. 182. 2 VOL. II. 2 R |