_Pauldrons._--The defence known as the Pauldron was introduced in
England about 1430, and may be looked upon as a development of the
palette, which, becoming larger and larger, finally ended by covering
the epaulières. This enlargement may be readily seen from the
accompanying Fig. 294, where the palette is seen to have reached the
shoulder. The right arm defences of Walter, Lord Hungerford, 1459, from
his effigy in Salisbury Cathedral (Fig. 295), afford us an example of
the pauldron in its early stage; it is plain and of small proportions,
just sufficient to fit upon the lames beneath. The peculiar shape of
the coudière with its flutings should be noticed. A pauldron consisting
of long lames of plate is shown in Cott. MS., Julius, E. IV. (Fig.
296), and also on the Staunton brass; it, however, invariably consisted
of a strong and rigid plate, which is well exemplified in the brass of
Sir Miles Stapleton in Ingham Church, Norfolk, 1466 (Fig. 297), where
the defence, beautifully ornamented by curves and cusps, is not only
designed as a protection to the shoulder and upper arm but also to a
certain extent for the neck, which is also encircled by a standard
of interlinked chain mail. In this ridging for neck defence occurred
the first idea of passe-gardes or pike-guards, an innovation which in
different forms was in vogue during the latter part of the fifteenth
and nearly the whole of the sixteenth centuries. It is still further
indicated in the brass to Thomas Colt, Armiger, 1475 (Fig. 298), at
Roydon, Essex, where a serrated ridge is shown traversing a large part
of the pauldron with the evident object of arresting a sword-cut.
The pauldron is of large dimensions, and projects well over the
breastplate. William Yelverton, 1481, whose brass is shown at Rougham
in Norfolk, has the passe-garde well developed and rising in a high
ridge on the left side of the neck; the pauldron is of fair dimensions,
but strange to note does not cover the left gousset (Fig. 299). It
is probable that the wearer bore a shield. The pauldron and its
passe-garde or pike-guard is well shown upon a suit of Gothic armour
in the Wallace Collection, dating from about 1490 (Fig. 300); here the
great difference in the sizes of the two pauldrons is shown, the small
one upon the right shoulder necessitating a palette in the form of a
roundel being introduced to guard the gousset of the right arm.
[Illustration: FIG. 298.--Pauldron, Thomas Colt, 1475. Roydon, Essex.]
[Illustration: FIG. 299.--Pauldron, William Yelverton, 1481. Rougham,
Norfolk.]
[Illustration: FIG. 300.--Pauldrons, &c., 1490. (Wallace Collection.)]
[Illustration: FIG. 301.--Coudière, &c., Thomas Playters, 1479.]
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