Fig. 233.—Pranker heaume.
Fig. 234.—Heaume, Sir Edward de Thorpe, c. 1410.
A very rare example of the great heaume, which may date from the early part of the fourteenth century, is one preserved in the Rotunda at Woolwich. The crown is conical; the visor hinges on the left side, and closes with a spring on the right, and numerous small holes are pierced in it for air. The occularium is a narrow slit above the visor and below the crown. It is much corroded, and probably when new weighed more than at the present time (9½ lbs.) ([Plate XXXIX.], p. [364]). During the studded and splinted style of English armour, heraldic crests had been introduced as we have seen, following upon the fan-shaped decorations of an earlier period: in the latter part of the fourteenth century all warriors of distinction adopted the fashion, and subsequently all men of knightly rank. These crests were invariably made of cuir-bouilli, which material allowed itself to be moulded into any desired shape, and had the advantage of being unaffected by the weather, besides affording some protection from a sword-cut. Crests of all shapes, sizes, and degrees of grotesqueness sprang into being, some tending to enormous proportions and thus forestalling the mantling of extravagant size so characteristic of the fifteenth century. The contoise or flowing scarf invariably accompanied the crest. A panache of feathers was a favourite form of crest, by reason presumably of its lightness and gracefulness; that of Sir Wm. de Latimer, 1372, and of Edward Courtenay, 1400, are reproduced as examples (Figs. [231], [232]). As a foreign specimen of the great heaume of the Camail Period we may refer to the example preserved in the Historical Court Museum at Vienna, dating from about c. 1360, and known locally as the “Pranker heaume” ([Fig. 233]). It is made of four strong hammered-iron plates with smaller reinforcements, and weighs about twelve pounds, being probably used only for tournaments. The crest, two golden horns with silver combs, is of the usual cuir-bouilli, and weighs about three pounds. A late heaume of this period, dating from c. 1410, is that of Sir Edward de Thorpe, which is of sufficient height to rest upon the shoulders ([Fig. 234]). A panache surmounts the elaborate coronet; the occularium is very high, and could hardly allow of a bascinet being worn underneath. The usual ring for affixing it to the breastplate is shown at the base.
Fig. 235.—Sir Miles de Stapleton, 1364. Formerly in Ingham Church, Norfolk.
