British and Foreign Arms & Armour

by Charles Henry Ashdown

Fig. 313.—Polder mitten. (Tower of London.)

Fig. 314.—Garde-de-bras. (Wallace Collection.)

The specimen in the Wallace Collection weighs twenty pounds. The breastplate is globular in form, and flattened upon the right side to allow of the queue ([Fig. 311]) being affixed; this singular addition consists of a bar of steel rectangular in section and screwed firmly into the breastplate, bearing at the rear extremity a turned down hook which resisted the upward pressure of the butt of the lance. The front portion of the queue has another hook turned upwards, in which the lance rested, and behind which it was gripped by the hand. This hook was omitted when the lance-rest was separate and affixed to the right side of the breastplate, as seen in the figure, where it appears to be forged in one piece and secured by two screws. An excellent example demonstrating in a practical manner the use of the queue is exhibited in the Tower Collection, where the lance is seen in position, and a large vamplate of curious design is affixed for the protection of the hand and arm (see [Fig. 312]). In order to admit of the free passage of the lance the large palette protecting the right armpit is slightly hollowed at its lowest part; the Wallace suit has a companion palette protecting the left arm. Upon the shoulders are pauldrons of two plates, decorated with radiating fluting, and upon these in the Wallace suit are two upright iron pins or projections to which were attached the flowing ends of the lambrequin, contoise, or mantling, depending from the crest. In the example from Vienna eyelets occur upon the pauldrons for the same purpose. The brassarts are laminated and overlap each other downwards. Upon the right arm appears the Polder mitten (a corruption of épaule de mouton, so named from its shape), an additional reinforcing piece which is screwed to the vambrace and protects a large portion of the arm. It has fine flutings radiating from the bend. No gauntlet is seen, the vamplate generally affording a sufficient protection for the hand. A similar reinforcement for the right arm is upon the Wallace suit, which differs only in a few details, whilst a very fine example of this reinforcement, but dating from a later period, is preserved in the Tower (No. 371, Case 25) ([Fig. 313]), which exhibits excellent workmanship. The elbow-joint of the left arm is protected by a garde-de-bras similar in form to that upon the right arm; this is riveted to a manifere (or main-de-fer) of one plate protecting the bridle hand, and decorated with flutings radiating from the wrist. The protection for the left arm in the Wallace suit is represented in [Fig. 314]; it is a large and finely fluted piece secured to the vamplate by three screws. A small oak shield covered with leather and painted is secured by a guige passing through two holes in the left upper part of the breastplate; it is not connected in any way with the arm, but simply hangs in position. This is the Stechtarsche. In [Fig. 310], no armour is shown below the waist, but the Wallace suit is furnished with taces of four plates, to the lowest of which are fixed the tuilles; while the breastplate is reinforced by a placcate. Judging from the deep grooves and indentations upon the heaume and palettes this suit has been donned at times in the combat à outrance, when the war spear was employed, as the lance-head or coronal customarily used in the Joustes of Peace would not effect such damage. The Joustes in question were conducted upon the original methods, namely, in the open lists or field and without any obstruction between the combatants; the system of running with a barrier between the horses was termed the Italian course, and was not used generally in Europe until the sixteenth century. This Italian course is known as Über die Pallia (over the barriers), or Welsches Gestech, in contradistinction to the open course or Das Deutsche Stechen. The Wallace suit, including the heaume, weighs 96 lbs., and bears the Augsburg guild mark. A few extra tilting pieces which came into vogue upon the Continent in this period will be dealt with in a subsequent chapter.

A fine suit of Gothic armour to which reference has been previously made is in the Wallace Collection ([Fig. 288]) which dates from 1470. The salade is of fine covering form and is fitted with a lifting visor; the mentonnière has one plate which falls if required. The breastplate is reinforced with a large placcate and has laminated goussets protected by fluted roundels. The taces are of three plates, to which the tuillettes (so called because they consist of more than one plate) are suspended. Espalier pauldrons of very fine workmanship protect the shoulders and upper arms; the coudières are peculiar to the period, while mitten gauntlets with long cuffs and demi-vambraces are also used. Demi-cuissarts of three plates have the genouillières fixed to them, while the jambarts are complete. The sollerets and a few other parts of the suit are restorations. The chain-mail reinforcements to the jambarts are of rare occurrence.

Fig. 315.—Gothic armour from the Tower of London