SUIT AT NAWORTH CASTLE.
This suit is very rich and handsome, being freely engraved and inlaid with gold—the gilding has, however, greatly worn off. The ornamentation is somewhat rude, both in character and in execution, and vastly inferior to either Italian or German work. The cuirass is ornamented with a “George” badge on either side, indicating a knight of the Garter, the execution of which is good. The genouillières are attachable to the jambs by reversible catches, which pass through the plate—they are the same catches as shown on the Osuna harness. There is a tapul and garde-de-reine. The sollerets are square-toed, but very narrow, not “bear-paw” like the “Maximilian.” The Earl of Carlisle suggests the possibility that the harness may have belonged to the last Lord Dacre, who died in 1566. This would, of course, point to an even earlier date of make, but this seems incompatible with the general aspect of the suit, which would appear to date from late in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
Fig. 36.—Repoussé Armour at Berlin.