Parham. It will be observed that the lower or cylindrical portion of
the Black Prince heaume consists of two pieces riveted together, and
this was the usual method at the time. In the heaume of Sir Richard
Pembridge, Hereford Cathedral (Figs. 229, 230), however, the three
pieces (cylinder, truncated cone, and crown) are welded together, and
the rivets are more for ornament than for increased strength; the metal
is thickened round the occularium, and the lower edge is roped so as
not to present a cutting edge. There are a number of holes in the
upper portions to permit the aglets of the laces to be passed through,
by which the crest and lambrequins could be attached to the heaume.
In the lower front portion are the two holes in cruciform shape to
allow passage for a T-bolt appended to the chain for securing to the
breastplate.
[Illustration: FIG. 233.--Pranker heaume.]
[Illustration: FIG. 234.--Heaume, Sir Edward de Thorpe, _c._ 1410.]
A very rare example of the great heaume, which may date from the early
part of the fourteenth century, is one preserved in the Rotunda at
Woolwich. The crown is conical; the visor hinges on the left side,
and closes with a spring on the right, and numerous small holes are
pierced in it for air. The occularium is a narrow slit above the
visor and below the crown. It is much corroded, and probably when
new weighed more than at the present time (9½ lbs.) (Plate XXXIX.,
p. 364). During the studded and splinted style of English armour,
heraldic crests had been introduced as we have seen, following upon the
fan-shaped decorations of an earlier period: in the latter part of the
fourteenth century all warriors of distinction adopted the fashion, and
subsequently all men of knightly rank. These crests were invariably
made of cuir-bouilli, which material allowed itself to be moulded into
any desired shape, and had the advantage of being unaffected by the
weather, besides affording some protection from a sword-cut. Crests
of all shapes, sizes, and degrees of grotesqueness sprang into being,
some tending to enormous proportions and thus forestalling the mantling
of extravagant size so characteristic of the fifteenth century. The
contoise or flowing scarf invariably accompanied the crest. A panache
of feathers was a favourite form of crest, by reason presumably of its
lightness and gracefulness; that of Sir Wm. de Latimer, 1372, and of
Edward Courtenay, 1400, are reproduced as examples (Figs. 231, 232).
As a foreign specimen of the great heaume of the Camail Period we
may refer to the example preserved in the Historical Court Museum at
Vienna, dating from about _c._ 1360, and known locally as the “Pranker
heaume” (Fig. 233). It is made of four strong hammered-iron plates
with smaller reinforcements, and weighs about twelve pounds, being
probably used only for tournaments. The crest, two golden horns with
silver combs, is of the usual cuir-bouilli, and weighs about three
pounds.
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