The Armourer and His Craft from the Xith to the Xvith Century
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= 00 I^HH UBBBBBIB IHHH H :,*>;: HBBi THE ARMOURER AND HIS CRAFT UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME PASTE BY A. BERESFORD RYLEY It D _ s X. W a t> o w r THE ARMOURER AND HIS CRAFT, FROM THE Xlra TO THE XVI CENTURY By CHARLES 'FFOULKES; B.Litt.Oxon. WITH SIXTY-NINE DIAGRAMS IN THE TEXT AND THIRTY-TWO PLATES METHUEN & CO. LTD. 36 ESSEX STREET W.G. LONDON ft /V/ Published in 1912 Printed in OrMi TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE VISCOUNT DILLON, Hon. M.A. Oxon. V.P.S.A., Etc. Etc. CURATOR OF THE TOWER ARMOURIES PREFACE not in this DO propose, work, to consider the history or develop- ment of defensive for this has been more or less I armour, fully discussed in works which deal with the subject from the historical side of the question. I have rather endeavoured to compile a work in fill a in the which will, some measure, up gap subject, by collecting all the records and references, especially in English documents, which relate to the actual making of armour and the regulations which con- trolled the Armourer and his Craft. At the same time it is impossible to discuss this branch of the subject without overlapping in some details the existing works on Arms and Armour, but such repetition been included because it bears on the has only directly making, selling, or wearing of armour. I have intentionally omitted all reference to the sword and other weapons of offence, for this would have unduly increased the size of the present work, and the subject is of such importance that it deserves a full consideration in a separate volume. The original limits of this work have been considerably enlarged since it was offered as a thesis for the Degree of Bachelor of Letters in the University of Oxford in the Michaelmas Term, 1911. A polyglot glossary has been included, as this is a detail which has been practically overlooked by all English writers. The subject of Arms and Armour has not, up to the present time, received the attention in England that it deserves, but I would be the first to admit the value of the works of Meyrick and Hewitt, which are the foundations upon which German and French as well as all English authors have based their investigations. At the same time it should be remembered that these two authors were pioneers, and statements which they made have been contradicted or modified by more recent research. Two IX THE ARMOURER AND HIS CRAFT the neck- will suffice. named upstanding examples of this Meyrick " and the neck-armour of the on the the passguards guards pauldron we the researches of Viscount Dillon horse the mainfaire." From for the and was a piece joust learn that the passguard reinforcing de Both these mistakes are still mainfaire was a gauntlet (main far.) which shows the influence in works on the subject, perpetuated foreign the of Meyrick's work even at present day. has never received the Armourer and his Craft The subject of the hands of and Hewitt. much attention in England, even at Meyrick like the late Dr. Wendelm Boeheim On the Continent, however, writers to our store ot have all added greatly Gurlitt, Buff, and Angellucci Boeheim's work on the Armourers of information on the subject. work in der is the only any Europe (Meister Waffenschmiedekunst) us some account of the armour craftsmen language which has given and I should be indeed remiss of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, of the assistance if I did not take this opportunity acknowledging has been in the of the which this collection of biographies preparation work. Gelli and Moretti have collected interesting present Signori the but from this no documents relating to Missaglia family, apart other writers have made a study of the Armourer. which was cut short after the Gay's Encyclopedia, unfortunately is also invaluable as far as it letter G by the death of the author, goes, the in case references relating to in that it gives every contemporary late B. Giraud certain records use of each word. The J. published in various French dealing with the Armourer archaeological journals, those interested in the and M. Charles Buttin has placed all subject minute researches on the of the under a deep obligation for his subject of armour. proving writers I would the indebtedness not Of living English express but also of all those who are true amateurs d'armes, only of myself, the late the to Baron de Cosson, who, with J. Burges, A.R.A., compiled Mail which is to this the standard work Catalogue of Helmets and day Last of all I would offer sincere thanks to on the subject. my PREFACE Viscount Dillon, Curator of the Tower Armouries, not only for his minute researches printed in the Archceologia and Archaeological "Journal, which have brought to light much valuable information respect- the in ing Armourer and his Craft English records, but also for very great personal interest and assistance in the compilation of this work. CHARLES FFOULKES S. JOHN'S COLLEGE, OXFORD, 1912 CONTENTS PREFACE . PAGE -, vii 1 HE ARMOURER TOOLS, APPLIANCES, ETC. 22 IRON AND STEEL 18 THE CRAFT OF THE ARMOURER 44 THE PROOF OF ARMOUR 62 I HE DECORATION OF ARMOUR 73 THE CLEANING OF ARMOUR 78 THE USE OF FABRICS AND LINEN 83 THE USE OF LEATHER . ~, 96 THE WEARING OF ARMOUR TIHE 104 ARMOURERS' COMPANY OF THE CITY OF LONDON -.120 LISTS OF EUROPEAN ARMOURERS 126 SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF NOTABLE ARMOURERS LIST OF ARMOURERS' MARKS 147 GLOT GLOSSARY OF WORDS DEALING WITH ARMOUR AND WEAPONS . , 53 APPENDICES ARMOURERS' COMPANY OF LONDON 1122 169 EOULATIO . ' THE H EAuMERS COMPANY, 1347 (City of London Letter 171 IN ARMS. RV Tn HAN HILL, ARMOURER, 1434 (Bod. '73 Costume (Du Militaire des Fran9ais 177 FROM THE ORDINANCES OF THE ARMOURERS OF ANGERS, MS, Rev. XX, 156. d'Aquitaine, XII, 26. 1 80 xiii THE ARMOURER AND HIS CRAFT PAGE F. EXPENSES IN THE ROYAL ARMOURIES, TEMP. HENRY VIII (Brit. Mus., Cotton. App. XXVIII, f. 76) . 182 G. PETITION OF ARMOURERS TO QUEEN ELIZABETH (Lansdowne MS. 63, f. 5) . 184 H. UNDERTAKING OF THE ARMOURERS' COMPANY OF LONDON TO SUPPLY ARMOUR (Records of the Company, 1618) . .186 I. PROCLAMATION AGAINST THE USE OF GOLD AND SILVER EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF . ARMOUR (State Papers Dom. Jac. I, cv) .187 OF J. ERECTION PLATING-MILLS AT ERITH (State Papers Dom. Jac. I, clxxx) . 188 K. REGULATIONS AS TO THE HALL-MARK OF THE ARMOURERS' COMPANY (Rymer, XIX, 314) . .191 L. PETITION OF ARMOURERS Dom. Car. (State Papers 1, cclxxxix, 93) .192 M. EXTRACT FROM THE SURVEY OF THE TOWER ARMOURY, 1660 (Brit. Mus., Harl. MS. 7457) . 193 INDEX . 195 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT PAGE " " 1. the surface . Diagram showing glancing . 4 2. the the in Diagram showing position of lance jousting, from Arch. Journ., LV. 5 Pauldrons on the statue of and of a suit in 3. Colleoni, Venice, Missaglia the WafFensammlung, Vienna (Plate II) . 6 The and . 4. solleret, practical unpractical ... 6 Horse-armour . 5. ... 8 6. a in the . Harnischmeister Albrecht, from painting Arsenal, Vienna . 9 7. Cuissard for the off hock of a horse. Musee Porte de Hal, Brussels . lo 8. of . Arms the Armourers' Gild, Florence. From the Church of Or San Michele 14 S. Hans . 9. George, by Multscher, 1458. Augsburg ... 14 10. Richard Earl of . Beauchamp, Warwick, arming. Brit. Mus., Cott., Jul., E, IV, fol. 12 b . 15 11. The Westminster helm . ... 17 12. The Brocas helm . ... 17 The helm . 13. Fogge ... 17 The helm . 14. Barendyne ... 17 The from Amman's Stande und circ. 15. Mail-maker, Jost Handiverker, 1590 .23 1 . 6. The Armourer, from the same source as the above . ... 24 " 17. Burring-machine or jenny," from the picture by Breughel given on the frontispiece . 36 1 8. Method of making mail, from Arch. Journ., XXXVII . ... 45 19. Representations of double and single mail, from the effigy of Robert de Mauley, formerly in York Minster, Architologia, XXXI . ... 45 20. The coif of mail, from the effigy of William, Earl of Pembroke, Temple Church, and an unnamed effigy in Pershore Church, Worcs, after Fairholt . 46 of the the Sir 21. Attachment camail, from effigy of R. Pembridge, Clehonger Church, Hereford . 46 22. Attachment of the camail reconstructed . ... 46 23. Suggested arrangement of "banded" mail, from Arch. Journ., XXXVII, figure from Romance the . of Alexander, Paris, Bib. Nat., circ. 1240, and effigy at Newton Solney, Derbs. 47 24. Foot-soldier wearing a jack, from the Chasse of S. Ursula, by Memling, 1475-1485. Bruges . 49 25. Construction of jack, from Arch. Journ., XXXVII . ... 50 26. Brigandine in the WafFensammlung, Vienna, No. 130 . 50 27. Detail from the picture of S. Victor and donor, by Van der Goes, Glasgow . -51 28. Effigy in Ash Church, Kent, XIV cent. ... 51 29. Statue of S. George at Prague, 1375 . ... 51 30. The sliding rivet . ... 52 31. Sections of brassards in the Tower . ... 54 32. Locking gauntlet of Sir Henry Lee. Armourers' Hall, London . 55 33. Locking hooks, turning pins, and strap cover . 55 34. Bracket for jousting-sallad. Dresden, C, 3> 4 57 suit of Louis . 35. Detail showing proof mark on the breast of XIV. Paris, G, 125 .69 XT THE ARMOURER AND HIS CRAFT PAGE Museum on a in the Darmstadt 36 Proof marks brigandinc plate . on the brass of Sir Robert dc Bures, Acton, Suffolk, 1302 27. Poleynes the in the Cloisters of the Church of 74 on the statue of Guigliemo Berardi, 1289, 38.