The armourer and his craft from the XIth to the XVIth centuryFfoulkes, Charles John
History
The armourer and his craft from the XIth to the XVIth century
Ffoulkes, Charles John
Armor -- History; Armorers; Weapons -- History
[Illustration: FIG. 24. Figure wearing Jack (from _Chasse of S.
Ursula_, by Memling, 1475-85, Bruges).]
Although lighter and more pliable defences than the cuirass, the
brigandine and jack were very effectual for protection against
arrows, for we find, according to Walsingham,[71] that the rioters
under Wat Tyler shot at a jack belonging to the Duke of Lancaster,
but were unable to damage it, and eventually cut it to pieces with
swords and axes.
The jack or canvas coat of Sir John Willoughby, _temp._ Elizabeth,
now at Woolaton Hall, is formed of stout canvas inside and out
stuffed with two layers of tow with horn discs in between. The
whole is kept together by a series of lacings which appear on the
outside as lines and triangles of the same kind as those shown on
Fig. 25. It is composed of six panels, two for the breast, two
for the back, and two small ones for the shoulders. A portrait of
Willoughby in the Painted Gallery at Greenwich shows such a jack
with red cords. The jack was generally lined with metal plates and
examples of this may be seen in the Tower (III, 335, 336). These
are also made up of six panels and weigh about 17 lb. each. They
are composed of about 1164 metal plates[72] (Fig. 25). In the
Shuttleworth accounts published by the Chetham Society are to be
found entries of 9¼ yards of linen to make a “steel coat,” a pound
of slape or pitch, two dozen points or laces for two coats, and
1650 steel plates. The cost of the coat, inclusive of making, would
come to about £1. A cap, constructed in the same manner of small
plates, is shown in the Burges Collection at the British Museum and
is figured in the _Guide to the Mediæval Room_ on page 62.
[Illustration: FIG. 25. Construction of Jack.
A. Outside.
B. Plates with cover and cords removed.]
[Illustration: FIG. 26. Brigandine at Vienna, No. 130.]
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