THE SURCOATLESS PERIOD, 1410-1430
Fig. 242.—Helmet, c. 1415.
Fig. 243.—Robert, Lord Ferrers of Chartley, 1407. Merevale Abbey Church, Warwickshire.
With the advent of this period we find the knightly defence consisting essentially, for the first time in English history, of a complete suit of plate with no textile covering whatever worn over it. Hence the term “Surcoatless Period,” which distinguishes it from any preceding or succeeding era. The camail was now finally abolished after being in vogue in one fashion or another for over one hundred years. Its great recommendation was mobility, as it enabled the wearer to move his head easily in almost any direction, but the great detraction was undoubtedly the weight. The bascinet itself was heavy, but when the thick curtain of chain mail was added it must have been almost insupportable, as practically the whole weight was borne by the head. Now, however, a gorget of plate was substituted for the camail ([Fig. 243]), and in order to relieve the pressure upon the head still further, the bascinet was so formed as to rest upon the gorget, to the upper part of which it was affixed in such a manner that it allowed the head to be turned right and left. Thus the defences for the head and neck, instead of being supported by those parts, were transferred to the shoulders. The bascinet, as it gradually developed into the barbute type, became more globular in form, although still retaining the pointed apex ([Fig. 242]); the lower portion which protected the chin, and known as the bavière, was riveted to the upper, generally near the temples. The breastplate, now visible for the first time, is of globular form and provided with a backplate; from it one can easily perceive how the knights of the Camail and Jupon Period obtained the peculiar globose formation of the upper portion of the body. From the waist, and connected with the breastplate, depended a row of plates or lames of steel overlapping each other and made in various designs; these were denominated the taces. To support them a lining of leather or other strong material was used underneath, to which they were firmly affixed. At first the skirt of the hauberk is generally shown, similar to its former appearance under the jupon, but after a time, probably about 1420, the hauberk was discarded, and the knight relied for protection upon his plate armour and padded gambeson alone. Round the taces the hip-belt was worn horizontally during the earlier part of this period, with the sword and misericorde depending as in the time of the camail and jupon; but subsequently the style was modified, and innovations crept in which will be dealt with later. Laminated epaulières were still in use to protect the shoulders, but instead of the lames being prolonged in front to protect the goussets (as shown in the Braunstone and d’Eresby brasses), a plate of varying form, called a palette, was affixed to the cuirass by a strap, which admitted of greater freedom for the arms. The brassarts were often formed of lames of plate riveted together, though the older form of front and back plates was in use. The coudières are remarkable for the beautiful fan-like shape of the outer plate, which was enlarged in order to afford extra protection to the elbow-joint, and in some cases was of very large proportions. The vambraces show no change. The gauntlets were larger in the cuffs than those of the preceding period: they retained the gadlings and were often of most elaborate workmanship; the fingers remained separate and conformed to the natural shape, finger-nails being often engraved upon them to complete the resemblance. The cuissarts, genouillières, grevières, and sollerets, did not differ essentially from those of the Camail Period, except in the richness of ornamentation which was at times shown. One point, however, and an entirely new one, is exemplified upon a few brasses—the protection of the back part of the knee-joint by small lames of steel. The skilful and costly nature of this defence prevented its general adoption; it was revived, however, at a later period, during the early part of the sixteenth century, and became fairly prevalent.
PLATE XVIII*
Armour made for the Infante, afterwards Philip III.
A. F. Calvert
The sword was but slightly altered from its former shape, the chief difference being the quillons, which were straight and of considerable length, and the general elongation of the grip, whereby it developed into more of a hand-and-a-half, or bastard sword, than formerly ([Fig. 244]). It should be explained that in wielding this weapon the right hand only would be generally used, but upon occasion, in order to give extra effect to a stroke, the left hand could be brought up to the pommel, which was invariably pear-shaped in order to insure a firm grip. The misericorde was suspended as usual upon the right side, but the point of the blade is now directed towards the rear, and is generally hidden in brasses by the body of the knight ([Fig. 245]). One of the characteristics of this period should be specially noted, viz. the mode of suspension of the sword by a narrow band passing diagonally over the front of the body from the right hip to the left side, and occasionally, but rarely, furnished with a buckle. The inception of this style is shown upon the brass of a knight in Laughton Church which exhibits both hip-belt and sword-belt worn over the jupon; it prevailed in England for approximately sixty years ([Fig. 241]).
Fig. 244.—Knight, 1410. South Kelsey Church, Lincs.
Fig. 245.—Sir Thomas Swynborne, 1412. Little Horkesley Church, Essex.
Fig. 246.—Sir Thomas de St. Quintin, c. 1420. Harpham Church, Yorkshire.
Fig. 247.—Coudière, Lord Camoys, 1424. Trotton Church, Sussex.
Fig. 248.—Coudière, Peter Halle, 1420. Herne Church, Kent.
One of the earliest examples in brasses of this period is that at Great Tew Church, Oxfordshire, referred to on p. [192] as being of a transition character, in consequence of the camail appearing beneath the gorget. The bascinet and bavière are in one piece, and the whole revolves upon the gorget, which is probably prolonged upwards inside the headpiece. The placcates are oviform; the upper lame of the taces covers the lower part of the breastplate; the hauberk and hip-belt are in use, and the great heaume is shown under the head, to be worn as usual over the bascinet. Robert, Lord Ferrers of Chartley, 1407 ([Fig. 243]), presents a very unornamental suit of this earlier portion of the period, showing the globular helmet with the mentonnière riveted to the upper portion and revolving within the gorget; it should be compared with the Wylcotes brass. Sir Simon de Felbrygge, K.G., 1413, is shown with the royal banner of King Richard II., and wears the diagonal sword-belt; he is furnished with many lames in his epaulières and has shield-shaped palettes, while the coudières show the fan-shaped plates in their incipient stage. The Yorkshire St. Quintins appear to have been eccentric in the style of their armour. We have referred to peculiarities in respect of Sir John de St. Quintin and his brass, 1397 (vide p. [191]), and in that of Sir Thomas de St Quintin, in Harpham Church, Yorkshire ([Fig. 246]), we have more characteristic originalities. The orle round the bascinet is of very large proportions, and ornamented with a brooch in front; the gorget consists of three plates, the upper one of peculiar form, showing ridged projections over the cheekplates of the bascinet, while the epaulières are more of the nature of the pauldron of a subsequent period, in being composed of a single piece. The arm openings are protected respectively by a roundel and a shield-shaped palette, and roundels are also used at the elbows, these being strongly reminiscent of the early camail days (vide Sir John de Argentine, 1360, p. [175]).
Fig. 249.—Bascinet, Sir William Calthorpe, 1420. Burnham Thorpe Ch., Norfolk.
The hip-belt is among the latest examples of that fashion, having been generally discarded by this date; it is very elaborate, and suggestive in point of width of that of the brass of Sir John de St Quintin in 1397 (p. [191]). The hem of the hauberk is wavy, and so also is that of the gambeson showing beneath it; this is possibly the only example of the gambeson being visible at this late period. But perhaps the chief points to be observed are the laminated defences for the back parts of the genouillières. If they are lames they probably represent the earliest development of this nature; on the other hand the artist may have intended to represent banded mail, and omitted the small vertical lines. The development of the fan-shaped coudière may be well observed in the brass of Lord Camoys, in Trotton Church, Sussex ([Fig. 247]), where the defence, both inside and out, may be seen, but the strap or other fastening joining the two sides of the opening is not shown. The coudière may have been riveted to the brassarts and vambraces, in which case it was not needed. A brass in which the fastening is apparent is that of Peter Halle, c. 1420, in Herne Church, Kent ([Fig. 248]), where the strap may be noticed crossing the mail. Upon the brass of Sir William Calthorpe, 1420, in Burnham Thorpe Church, Norfolk, the bascinet is shown very highly ornamented with a border; he also wears a collar of Esses round the neck ([Fig. 249]).
The brass of Sir John Lysle ([Fig. 250]) in Thruxton Church, Hampshire, bears the date 1407, and if the effigy were executed at that time, or approximately so, we have the earliest example of complete plate in existence in England. There are, however, certain points about the armour delineated which lend themselves to the supposition that the brass was executed some ten or more years later, viz. the absence of any hauberk; the development of the fan-shaped coudières; the position of the misericorde and the sword-belt, &c. The distinction probably belongs to the Ferrers brass.
The brass of Sir John de Leventhorpe, 1433, at Sawbridgeworth Church, Herts ([Fig. 251]), is interesting as showing the development of the lowermost tace into the subsequent tuilles of the Tabard Period. In this effigy the lame in question is divided into two tuilles which still have the same width, and partake of the nature of taces; each tuille is suspended by two buckles. This is one of the earliest representations of this feature in England.
Fig. 250.—Sir John Lysle, 1407. Thruxton Church, Hants.
Fig. 251.—Sir John de Leventhorpe. 1433. Sawbridgeworth Church, Herts.
Fig. 252.—Shields. (Harl. MS., 4379.)
The shields used in the Surcoatless Period were similar to those in the preceding, but manifest infinitely greater varieties. They were invariably small in size and notched for the lance, but as every knight apparently designed his own, it is obviously impossible to enumerate or illustrate them. They all, however, agreed in presenting a concave surface to the opponents lance, whereby it was prevented from glancing upwards or downwards and thus inflicting injury, while the general tendency was to deflect the lance-point to the left, whereby it touched neither horse nor rider. The examples here given are from one of the Harleian MSS., No. 4379 ([Fig. 252]), and may be taken as a general type of the knightly shield in this and also in the preceding period.
Fig. 253.—Richard de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, early 15th century. (From the Warwick Roll.)
Fig. 254.—Billman, Richard II. (Roy. MS. 20, C. VII.)
Remembering that there was no arbitrary law regulating the military equipment and dress of the ordinary soldier at this period, it is somewhat difficult to deal decisively with the subject, but a few examples and some broad outlines may probably be sufficient to enable the reader to grasp a general idea of the subject.
The Man-at-arms in the middle of the fourteenth century was generally armed with the lance, sword, and mace, the martel-de-fer or a military pick at times supplanting the latter. The shield was heater-or heart-shaped and notched, but sometimes circular, and of various sizes. A hauberk or jacque reaching to the knees, and having sleeves to the elbow, constructed of any of the numerous kinds of jazeraint work, or of banded mail, covered his body; it was reinforced at the shoulders, elbows, and knees with roundels, caps, or plates, while two mammelières were in use to cover the chest and act more or less as breastplates. Greaves and vambraces of leather strengthened with splints of iron, with thick leather gauntlets and shoes, guarded the limbs, while a skull-cap with banded camail or a thick leather gorget depending, protected the head and neck. Either a gambeson or a leather tunic under the jacque completed the equipment.
Fig. 255.—Cuir-bouilli headpiece. (Roy. MS. 20, C. VII.)
Fig. 256.—Soldier, c. 1400. (Roy. MS. 20, C. VII.)
Billman, Pikeman, or Foot Soldier.—The pikeman of the period was equipped with a more elaborate defence than is generally credited, and consequently his comparative immunity from hurt by the lethal weapons of the time goes far to explain the determined resistance made by the infantry. The very fact that there was no uniformity in his accoutrement rendered him a formidable foe to the knight, who naturally directed his lance to that portion of an enemy’s person possessing the least defensive equipment; but it required more than human divination in the excitement of a contest to discern the weak points in the equipment of men all armed in a different manner. The broad rule respecting the armour of the infantry in mediæval times was that the knightly defence of one period became the soldiers salvation in the succeeding period. At the same time many a contemporary piece of equipment was obtained from the field of battle and used to augment the personal defence. The figure ([Fig. 254]) (taken from the British Museum MS. Roy. 20, C. VII.) may be taken as a general type of the billman of the reigns of Edward III., Richard II., and possibly Henry IV. and V. Upon the head he wears a skull cap composed of two pieces of iron riveted together with reinforcing strips of metal; from this depends a camail of banded mail which is strengthened by a plate defending the cheeks, chin, and throat, in imitation of the bavière then coming into vogue with the knightly class. Possibly this piece was home-made, and the village blacksmith had a hand in its fabrication. The body is protected by a leathern jacque having roundels at the shoulders with crude brassarts, coudières, and vambraces, possibly of leather. A tegulated skirt of pieces of leather, horn, or iron plates reaches to the knees, which are defended by metal genouillières, from which depend grevières of metal or cuir-bouilli. Indications of cuissarts are apparent, and the legs are covered with chausses of banded mail in addition. It will thus be seen that the billman’s equipment for defence was but little inferior to that of the knight. No sword or mace is shown, but these were in common use. The fauchard he wields is nine feet in length, with cutting edges upon both sides, a sharp pike-point at the end, and a hook with which to dismount a horseman. A second example from the same MS. ([Fig. 255]) shows a head-covering of cuir-bouilli in the form of overlapping leaves or scales, while the camail is of soft pliable leather. In this cut the small badge is delineated upon the left breast that denoted the leader under whom the soldier fought. Another soldier with a circular shield and armed only with a sword, is taken from the MS. above named (Roy. 20, C. VII.); he wears a piece of tegulated defence, probably leather, over a leathern jerkin, while his sleeves appear to be of a stuffed and quilted nature, similar to a gambeson. He has demi-plate upon the legs and is furnished with a bascinet ([Fig. 256]). A soldier is also shown wearing the high bascinet so characteristic of the knight of the early Camail Period; it had doubtless formed part of some loot, and the wearer added to the defence a large bavière which also partially served the function of a breastplate, while a tippet of banded mail covers the shoulders ([Fig. 257]). Some of the foot soldiers carried a small circular shield or buckler about 9 inches to 12 inches in diameter and furnished with a boss in the centre; the left hand would be able to grasp both it and the pike as well.
Fig. 257.—Soldier with plate gorget, temp. Richard II. (Roy. MS. 20, C. VII.)
Fig. 258.—Spearman, c. 1400. (Roy. MS. 20, C. VII.)
Towards the end of the reign of Richard II. the fashion of wearing a houppelande over the armour came in vogue both for knights and common soldiery, thus preventing the armour from being seen, except the lower parts of the legs (see [Fig. 258]). With this incongruous habit appeared also the snout-faced or pig-faced visor of alarming proportions, serving as a visor, gorget, and pectoral combined. The annexed cut is taken from a group of combatants in Roy MS. 20, C. VII., who are all defended in the same ungainly manner. With the advent of the reign of King Henry IV. this visor became of less size and different shape, while reinforcements to the bascinet were added to compensate. In [Fig. 259], from Roy. MS. 15, D. III., a soldier is shown with bascinet and neck-guard affixed; to protect the throat an extra plate is used swinging upon pivots on either side of the helmet—a crude bavière. Another foot soldier is shown with a similar defence ([Fig. 260]), but his bascinet is globular at the top and furnished with a projecting neck-guard, in which we cannot fail to see the salade in its early stage. We may refer this to the reign of Henry V., as well as that shown in [Fig. 259]. Another bascinet of the same period is given in [Fig. 262], where the small holes for fixing the lining are shown, and also those round the lower edge and opening for the face, for the camail. This bascinet still further suggests the salade, as does also the one in the British Museum ([Fig. 263]).
Fig. 259. (Roy. MS. 15, D. III.)
Fig. 260. (Roy. MS. 15, D. III.)
Fig. 261.—Soldier, Richard II., gorget over camail. (Roy. MS. 20, C. VII.)
Fig. 262.—Bascinet, temp. Henry V.
Fig. 263.—Bascinet from Brit. Mus.
Fig. 264.—Quivers and scimitar. (Roy. MS. 14, E. IV.)
The Archer.—The equipment of the archer was essentially of a lighter nature than that of the billman. A pot-de-fer upon the head, with coif-de-mailles or camail; a brigandine or jacque of pourpointerie, covering at times a small plastron-de-fer; upon the left arm a bracer, otherwise legs and arms in cloth stockings and sleeves; a girdle with axe, sword, or scimitar depending therefrom; a quiver at the right hip with its burden of goose-or pigeon-feathered arrows, and the long yellow bow slung at the back in company with a small round target—such was the war dress of the mediæval bowman. At times a stake sharpened at both ends was carried to hinder a charge of cavalry, but this was generally improvised upon the spot. In Roy. MS. 14, E. IV., the quivers at this period are shown to be of an elongated bag form, and quite different to the late fifteenth-century style. A very favourite weapon with archers, judging by the number of men represented wearing it in all MSS. of the time, is the scimitar, which is invariably of the shape shown in [Fig. 264]. The curious guard for the fingers, springing from the pommel, is very characteristic.
Fig. 265.—Weapons from Roy. MS. 20, C. VII. Nos. (left to right)—7. Pole-axe (the voulge); 2. Pole-axe; 4. Pike; 1. Pike; 3. Pike; 5. Pole-axe (bardiche); 6. Fauchard (guisarme).
The weapons used by the billmen of this period are well shown in Roy. MS. 20, C. VII., and are reproduced in [Fig. 265]. No. 1 is shown in use by a soldier whose left hand is guarded by the circular projection, which, together with the long point, was made of steel. The shaft of this formidable pike or partisan was about five feet in length, the point three feet, and it depended for its efficacy upon its armour-piercing qualities. Nos. 2, 5, 7 are the pole-axe with varying modifications, the total length, including shaft, being about eight feet; it was apparently a favourite weapon, and is many times represented, No. 5, the bardiche, however, being somewhat uncommon. Nos. 3 and 4 are simple forms of pikes, with a cross-guard in one case, and an armour-piercing spike in the other. No. 6 is the deadly fauchard, a variety of the guisarme, evolved originally from the scythe; it was a common weapon in the Middle Ages, but inflicted such ghastly wounds with its razor-like edges back and front, that its use in Christian warfare was often deplored. Its total length was usually about eight feet.
Fig. 266.—Combat with pole-axes between Earl of Warwick and Sir P. Malacat. (Cott. MS., Julius, E. IV.)
The antiquary, John Rouse, of Warwick, has left us some excellent drawings of military equipment of the fifteenth century, which are preserved in the Cottonian MS., Julius, E. IV. They illustrate the romantic adventures of Richard de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, and one of these spirited sketches is introduced here ([Fig. 266]). It represents a combat with pole-axes between the earl and Sir Pandulf Malacat at Verona, when Sir Pandulf was badly wounded upon the left shoulder, and would probably have fared worse had not the combat been stopped. We gain an excellent idea from this sketch of the mode in which the gorget was adjusted, which is difficult to realise from a brass. The misericorde is suspended as in the later days of Richard II., and a central prolongation of the front taces is represented, which occurs upon several English brasses. The shape and character of the formidable weapons are well delineated in the sketch.
PLATE XIX*
Armour of Philip III., made by Lucio Picinino of Milan
A. F. Calvert