1. Bill.
2. Halberd.
3. Military Fork.
4. Two-handed Sword.
5. Arquebus.
6. Pole-Axe.
7. Glaive.
8. Halberd.
9. Ranseur.
The Halberd.—This weapon consists essentially of an axe-blade balanced by a pick, the head of the shaft being prolonged in the form of a spike. In the northern part of Europe the weapon had been in use from an exceedingly early period, but was not introduced into France and England until the end of the fourteenth century. The forms are many and varied, the blade developing from a crescent shape to that of a square, which prevailed in the fifteenth century and preceded the curved form. The spike also underwent changes, broadening and flattening at times until it presented a blade-like aspect, which was often curved downwards towards the shaft. It was essentially a weapon for the foot soldier, and although it is occasionally seen with a very long shaft, these are for pageant purposes, the war weapon seldom exceeding five or six feet in length. The form of the halberd probably lent itself more to ornamentation than any other weapon of the age, and those made for parade purposes exhibit at times a remarkable wealth of decoration. The halberd became obsolete when the pike came into favour. A beautiful example of a halberd of the date c. 1470 from Edinburgh Castle is shown in [Plate XXVII.], which exhibits a singularly long and formidable spike, with a concave cutting edge to the axe-blade balanced by a drooping pick. The shaft is ironed for a good distance from the head. [Fig. 428] exhibits a halberd of the date 1470 where the axe-blade is crescent-shaped and the beak slightly drooping, as in the Edinburgh example; the spike, however, is not so long, but has a stronger section of diamond shape. The oldest specimen in the Wallace Collection dates from about 1430, in which the axe-blade possesses a straight cutting edge, and the spike is superseded by a strong tapering blade. A later example, dating from c. 1550, from the Edinburgh collection is shown in [Plate XXVII.]