Costume -- Great Britain -- History; Great Britain -- History; Great Britain -- History -- Pictorial works
The military costume of this reign was nearly that worn in the Civil
Wars.
The defensive armour of the cavalry consisted of “a back, breast, and
pot (helmet), the two latter to be pistol proof.” As offensive arms
they carried a sword and case of pistols with barrels not under 14
inches in length. The musketeers were ordered to carry a musket with a
barrel not under three feet in length, a collar of bandoliers, and a
sword.
During this reign the bayonet was first invented, at Bayonne, and was
made like a dagger, with a round wooden hilt, screwed or merely stuck
into the muzzle of the gun. It is now known as a “plug bayonet.” The
gun could not be fired while the bayonet was fixed without the loss of
the bayonet also.
[Illustration: PLATE 50.
(Fig. 1): Henry, Prince of Wales, eldest son of James I.
(from Drayton’s “Polyolbion”), showing the amount of armour
that was generally worn. The Prince wears only armour to the
waist, with large, bombasted trunk hose, and is represented
as balancing a pike. (Fig. 2): Costume, with armour of
“Ferdinand, Lord Fairfax, the father of the more celebrated
Parliamentary General, who also served in the same cause, and
was appointed General for the County of York.” He wears as
armour only the cuirass and gauntlets. (Figs. 3 and 4): Plug
bayonets (the earliest form), invented at Bayonne; formerly
in the Meyrick collection. (Fig. 5): Single-barred helmet
with “lobster-tail” neck piece and ear-pieces, usually worn
by dragoons. (Fig. 6): Helmet with triple bars which protect
the face, as worn by harquebussiers in 1645. (Fig. 7): Pot
helmet or open head-piece, with cheeks, and a fluted ornament
over the top, of the time of Cromwell. (Fig. 8): Close helmet
of the time of Charles I., with ear-pieces and a perforated
vizor which may be drawn down to cover the face. (Fig. 9):
A “sweyne’s feather” or “hog’s bristle,” a kind of rapier,
carried by the musketeer for his defence. (Fig. 10): Effigy
of Sir Denner Strutt, 1641, from his tomb in Whatley Church,
Essex, illustrating the armour of the period as worn by
officers in the field. (Fig. 11): A pikeman of the time of
James I. (from a broadside in the possession of the Society
of Antiquaries). He wears a morion-shaped helmet with plumes,
back and breast plates reaching to the waist, with two
broad tassets fastened to the breast plate over padded knee
breeches. He is armed with a long pike and sword. (Fig. 12):
A musketeer of the time of James I. (from the same source as
Fig. 11). Musketeers at first wore morions on the head, but,
later on, large hats with plumes were adopted. This one is
represented as wearing only back and breast plates, and he is
armed with a musket and a sword. In his right hand he carries
a rest for his musket, and slung over his shoulder he wears a
bandolier or set of leather cases, in each of which a complete
change of powder for a musket was carried, to facilitate the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account