Armour in England, from the Earliest Times to the Reign of James the FirstGardner, John Starkie
History
Armour in England, from the Earliest Times to the Reign of James the First
Gardner, John Starkie
Armor -- England
Another very interesting and thoroughly English form of helm, intended,
according to De Cosson, for the tilt with lances, is preserved in
a specimen in Broadwater Church, another in Willington Church over
Sir John Gostwick's tomb, and a third in Cobham Church, the helm of
Sir Thomas Brooke, who died 1522. These all present considerable
differences of detail. A not dissimilar helm of slightly later date
with a barred visor, or the bars riveted to the helm, affording plenty
of breathing space, was used for the tourney with sword or battle-axe,
and has become the Royal and the nobles' helmet of heraldry.
A form of helm used for tilting with the lance and also frequently
depicted in heraldry, is the great helm of the time of Henry VII. and
Henry VIII., of immense weight and strength, resting on the shoulders,
and securely fixed to the back and breast. It was relatively flat
on the crown, produced in front into a kind of blunt beak, giving a
bird-like aspect with no distinct neck. The ocularium, or slit for
vision, is large and in the crown, and can only be used by bending
the body forward; the head being raised before the moment of impact
to avoid the danger of the lance penetrating. This helm is well
represented in the tournament roll of Henry VIII. in Heralds' College,
and from its massive strength and the fact that by no possibility could
a combatant be accidentally unhelmed, afforded absolute protection to
the head. Le Heaulme du Roy is represented in this roll as silvered,
with a crown-like border round the neck of pearls and gems set in gold.
There is a magnificent specimen in the Museum of Artillery at Woolwich,
one in Westminster Abbey, two in St. George's Chapel, one in Petworth
Church, and one at Parham. This form of helm was the most massive and
secure, and the last that remained in use. A very early delineation of
a helmet of this type is seen in the late fourteenth-century French
MS. (Burney, 257) in the British Museum. Some exceedingly interesting
delineations of the same kind of tilting helm in actual use are to be
seen in Philip de Commines' Froissart, Harl. MS., 4379-80 (Fig. 25).
It is there represented plain and fluted, and with various crests and
mantling, one of the most singular, and a favourite, being a close copy
of the lady's head-dress of the period, with the lady's long gauze veil
reaching below the waist. This manuscript is of late fifteenth-century
date, and very remarkable for the apparently faithful representations
of the armour worn by the English and French at that time. In one group
of soldiery alone, in the second volume, page 84, the helm of the early
fourteenth century, the beaked bassinet of the early fifteenth, and
various forms of visored and unvisored sallads are assembled together.
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account