A RECORD OF

EUROPEAN ARMOURAND ARMS

VOL. IV

A RECORD OF

EUROPEAN ARMOURAND ARMS

THROUGH SEVEN CENTURIESBY

SIR GUY FRANCIS LAKING, Bt.CB.. M.V.O.. F.S.A.

LATE KEEPER OF THE KING'S ARMOURY

VOL. IV

LONDONG. BELL AND SONS, LTD.

MCMXXI

'^:^'1^^\^

SEEN C/PRE!idiVATlON

SiiRViCES

.

DATE. m? i \99)

u800

\j A:

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAINCHISWICK I'KESS: CHARLES WHITTINGIIAM ANT) GRIGGS (PRINTERS), LTD.

TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON

CONTENTS OF VOLUME IV

CHAPTER XXIXENGLISH ARMOUR OF WHAT WE NOW TERM THE GREENWICH SCHOOL

ARMOUR MADE FOR ENGLAND

PACKA series of suits made for noted Englishmen in the latter part of the XVIth century are

believed to be of English work, but the names of the armourers who produced themare unknownThe master-armourer JacobeThe famous album of drawings, now pre-served in the Victoria and Albert MuseumThe endeavour of certain experts to con-nect the work of Jacobe with that of the German armourer of Innsbruck, Jacob TopfTheabsence of proof of this identificationThe author's opinion that all these suits must beclassed under the heading of the Greenwich schoolThe possible reason for the makingof the Jacobe albumThe complete list of the plates in the album, together with thesuits or parts of suits that we are now able to identifyThe suits or parts of suitsreviewed and illustrated in detail, and as far as possible their histories givenTwo suitsin the Imperial Armoury of Vienna considered to be the work of Jacob Topf, theirdissimilarity in make and decoration to all those we now class under the heading of theGreenwich school .............. i

CHAPTER XXXTHE LATEST XVIth CENTURY SUITS OF CONTINENTAL MAKEDECADENT

ARMOUR COMMONLY KNOWN AS " PISAN "

short chapter on that decadent type of continental armour classed under the generalheading of

"

Pisan," so called from the town in Northern Italy chiefly responsible forits large outputThe smart but cheap " reach-me-down

"

armour used throughout thecontinent in the last quarter of the XVIth centuryThe make of this particular typeof armour varying in quality according to the workshops where it was producedThemaster of this particular school, Pompeo della CesaCertain suits and half suits thatmay come from his handThe richness of the colour effect of the decoration" Mopsand Brooms " engravingA suit in the Armoury at Malta ...... 77

CHAPTER XXXICLOSE HELMETS OF THE XVIth CENTURY

The close helmet of the XVIth century, its various types, th^ descendant of the fightinghelmet of the grand epoch of the XVth century ; the XVIth century close helmethistorically consideredThe plain Maximilian, the fluted Maximilian, the grotesque

V

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSI'AGK

Maximilian, the Landsknecht, etc.Many of these types of head-pieces have beendescribed with the full suits referred to in previous chaptersHelmets of the Kolmanand Wolf schoolsOf the Milanese typeOf the Pompeo della Chiesa school" Mopsand Brooms " decoration Head-pieces of the Greenwich schoolChurch helmetsTilt-ing helmets'Wv'^ EsatffaThe " arming-bonnett

"

87

CHAPTER XXXIITHE BURGONET OR OPEN CASQUE

The open helmet termed burgonet, and as to the origin of the nameThe evolution of thelatter XVth century open helmet into open casque or burgonet of the XVIth centuryApart from those simple helmets worn by the ordinary soldiery, the nationality ofnearly every form is more readily recognized by its ornamentation than by its formOf all types of XVIth century helmets, the burgonets present examples of the mostluxuriant adornmentA review of some of the most famous burgonets extant takenunder the heading of nationalities, and an endeavour to trace their possible makersThose of Italian origin from about 151010 1600Those of German originThose ofEnglish origin from about 1 520 to 1600Those of French origin from about 1 540 to 1 580 1 25

CHAPTER XXXIIIMORIONS AND CABASSETS

The open helmet of the XVIth century known as the morion^Its possible origin Itspopularity with all nationalities as an infantry head-piece; like the burgonet often thesubject for the richest workmanshipCertain representative examples not grouped intheir supposed nationalities, but classed in certain chronological order The openhelmet of the latter part of the XVIth century known as the cabassetSome richexamplesTheir decadence of make and meretricious decoration towards the close ofthe century, and in the first quarter of the XVI 1th centuryLeather morions andcabassets ........ ....... 193

CHAPTER XXXIVITALIAN, GERMAN, AND FRENCH PAGEANT SHIELDS

The pageant shield of the XVIth century, a medium for the expression of the art of the artist-armourer goldsmith of the timeOften the form of a royal giftMust be consideredrather as an artistic achievement of the armourerPageant shields of Italian origin Afew of the most famous extant by the Negroli, Picinino, and other armourers PisanshieldsGiorgio GhisiGeronimo SpaciniWooden shieldsThe rivalry of GermanySome famous extant German pageant shields Shields by the Kolmans and Wolfof Land.shutA .shield of the Greenwich .school" The Spanish General's Shield

"

A group of French pageant shields by an armourer of recognized work but unknownnameA description of all shields by this artist-armourerThe " Cellini " shield atWindsor 218

vi

CONTENTS OF VOLUME IV

CHAPTER XXXVTHE SWORD AND RAPIER OF THE XVIth CENTURY

l-ACE

The development of the sword and rapier during the XVIth centuryThe simple characterof the hilt of the sword in the early years of the XVIth centuryThe developments inthe science of sword-play necessitated a more complicated form of hand defence

The rapier in its earliest form and suggestions as to the derivation of its nameThe"case of rapiers"The first Italian swept-hilted rapiers; some notable examplesThe foining sword of contemporary timesThe two-handed sword of the XVIth century ;some notable examplesThe curved sword of the XVIth century, frequently mountedwith beautiful decorationThe true "town" sword Its finest type; some notableexamplesThe "swept" hiked sword-rapier of the third quarter of the XVIth century,often made with a companion left-hand daggerSome superb examplesOther typesof rapier and sword hilt of the second half of the XVIth centuryThe Italian typeThe Spanish typeThe French typeThe German typeThe English typeThe"

Spinola"

swordSword presented to Henri IVClemens HornThe " Heralds' Collegesword "The XVIth century basket-hilted swordsThe SchiavoiiaThe Flemish type oflate XVIth centuryThe early XVI Ith century sword-rapier . 260

CHAPTER XXXVIHAFTED WEAPONS OF THE XVIth AND XVIIth CENTURIES

Hafted weapons in general use from the middle of the XVIth century and onwardsThewarlike lanceLance-heads of the XVIth century reminiscent of knightly daysThehighly decorated pole-axes, hammers, and macesCertain XVIth century maces of his-torical interestDerived from oriental formsThe mace becomes the military batonA XVIIth century form of the pole-axeThe combination hafted weapon Pistol, com-bined with mace, axe, or hammerDoubtless individual whimsThe hafted weapons 01the infantry, including the glaive, the voulge, the partisan, the ranseur, the spetum, the

bill, and the guisarme, now parade armsThe processional glaive and partisanThehighly decorated partisan of the personal guards of sovereignsThe superb partisans ofindividualsThe boar-headed spearThe linstockA newly invented weapon of theXVIth centuryThe pike Carried at WaterlooThe javelin, now a ceremonial and a

sporting weapon .............. 33^

IV Vll

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME IVFIG.

1099.

I 100.

I lOI.

I 102.

I 103.

I 104.

1105.

II05A,

I 106.

I 107.

iioS.

1 109.

1 1 10.

1 1 1 1.

1 1 12.

1113.1 1 14.

1115.X 116.

1 1 17.

1118.

1 1 19.

1 1 20.

Four breastplates, from an Italian drawing. Collection: MonsieurH. Carre ............

Gauntlets, from the armour of Thomas Ratcliffe, Earl of Sussex,K.G. Metropolitan Museum, New York .....

" The Earle OF Sussex." Jacobe MSArmour of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, K.G. (1534-88)

Tower of London ........." The Earle of Lesseter." Jacobe MS.The Earl of Leicester, from a picture by Federigo ZucTcaro. Collec-

tion : The Duke of Sutherland .......Parts of the armour of Lord North, late XVIth century. Tower

of London ...........Burgonet, third quarter XVIth century. Collection: The Earl of

Pembroke .........." My Lorde Northe." Jacobe MSArmour of William Somerset, Earl of Worcester (1526-89). Tower

of London ...........Additional close helmet to the suit (Fig. i 107). Tower of LondonPart OF the suit (Fig. 1107). Tower of London ....Portrait of an Earl of Worcester, wearing his Greenwich suit

Collection : The Duke of Beaufort . . .From an engraving of a variation of the portrait (Fig. i i 10) ." The Earle of Woster." Jacobe MS.Armour of Sir Christopher Hatton (1540-91). Windsor Castle

Extra pieces belonging to the above suit. Windsor Castle" Sir Christofer Hattone " (first suit). Jacobe MS. .

Armour of Henry Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, K.G. (1534-1601)Collection : The Earl of Pembroke

"The Earle OF Penbrouke." Jacobe MSVamplate of the lance, from the missing second suit of Sir

Christopher Hatton. Tower of London.....

Armour of Sir John Smythe (1534 ?-i6o7). Tower of London .

Additional parts of the above suit. Tower of Londonix

PA(;t

1 1

'5

15

18

9

20

2 I

22

23

2526

27

28

29

.30

31

33

35

36

37

3

39

40

EUROPEAN ARMOURAND ARMSFIG.

I 12 t.

I I 22.

I 124.

1 1 25

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME IV

142.

143-

144.

145-

1 45-'

451

[46.

147.

:48.

149.

50-

52.

53-

154-

55-

56.

[57-

^58-

59-

160.

161.

162.

[63.

164,

.65.

166.

167.

BUKKE FROM TIIK BURGONET OF SiR H. Ltli's ARMOUR. Armoiircrs' aildBrasiers' Company .........

"Sir Harry Lea, M"* of the Armore" (third suit). Jacobe MS.Portrait of Sir James Scudamore (dated 1619) .BuRGONET AND BUFFE FROM THE ARMOUR OF LoRD CoMPTON. Metropolitan

Museum, New York .........The LEFT ARM OF THE SAME SUIT BEFORE RESTORATIONThe same, after restoration by M. Daniel Tachaux . . . The Compton suit as restored, (a) front; (d) back ...Portion of the left elbow-cop before restoration' My Lorde Cumpton." Jacobe MSThe Sir J. Scudamore suit, (a) front; (d) back. Metropolitan Museum

New York..........." M'^ Skidmur." Jacobe MSArmour OF Lord BucKHURST. Wallace Collection .Miniature portrait of Lord Buckhurst. Windsor Castle ." My Lorde Bucarte." Jacobe MS. .

'

.

Suit of armour, said to have been made for Archduke Carl vonSteiermark. Imperial Armoury, Vienna .....

Suit of half armour by Pompeo della Chiesa, about i 590-1600. Metro

politan Museum, New York .......Suir OF armour. North Italian, late XVIth century. Collection

Stibbert, Florence . . . . . . .

Portrait of a knight of Malta, with armour in the Pisan stylePortrait of a nobleman, by J. Sustermans, with armour in the Pisan

STYLE. Collection: Dr. Bashford Dean, New York . . . .Mannequin in half armour, of Pisan type. Collection : Stibbert, FlorencePortrait of J. J. de Verdelain, Grand Commander of Malta. Musee

du Louvre ............Suit of armour made for the Grand Commander, end of the XVIth

century. Armoury of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, Malta .BuFFE BELONGING TO the SUIT (Fig. Ii6i)Helmet, German, about 15 15. Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell

Helmet, Italian, about 15 10. Collection: Author . . . .Helmet of great proportions, German, early XVIth century. Collec-

tion : Author ...........

Helmet, German, about 1520. National Bavarian Museum, Munich

Helmet, German, about 1520. National Germanic. Museum, Nurembergxi

PAGE

61

62

63

6464

646668

69

70

71

72

73

73

75

78

7980

80

82

83

84

8588

88

899090

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSFIG.

i68. Helmet, German, about 1540. National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg169. Helmet, German, ABOUT 1520. Rotunda Museum, Woolwich

170. Helmet, German, about 1525. Burges bequest, British Museum .

171. Helmet, German, about 1530. National Bavarian Museum, Munich .

172. Helmet, German, about 1525. National Bavarian Museum, Munich

173. Helmet, German, about 1530. Wallace Collection . . . .

174. Helmet, German, about 1530. Wallace Collection . . .

175. Helmet, German, about 1515. (a) back; (d) front. MetropolitanMuseum, New York ..........

176. Helmet, German, about 1530. () front; (d) back. MetropolitanMuseum, New York ..........

177. Helmet, German, about 1540. National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg178. Helmet, German, about 1520. Tower of London . . . .

179. Grotesque VISOR, ABOUT 1520. Burges bequest, British Museum180. Helmet (Will Somers'), German, about 1515-20. Tower of London .181. Helmet, German, about 1515-20. Collection: Prince Ladislaus Odes-

calchi, Rome ...........182. Helmet, German, about 1530. National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg183. Helmet, German, about 1540 (with wings added later). Tower of

London ...........

184. Helmet, German, about 1540. Wallace Collection

185. Helmet, German, made by Seusenhofer for King Ferdinand, about

1528. Imperial Armoury, Vienna ......186. Helmet, German, about 1530. Wallace Collection ...

187. Helmet, German, by L. Kolman. (a) front with raised visor; ((5) backCollection: Mr. F. Joubert . .......

188. Helmet, German, of Spanish type, about 1540. Wallace Collection

189. Helmet, German, of Spanish type, about 1550. Wallace Collection

190. Helmet, about 1550. Musee d'Artillerie .....

191. Helmet, German, 1550-60. Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell .

192. Helmet, German, 1550-60. Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell .

193. Helmet, German, about 1550. Wallace Collection

194. Helmet, German, about 1550-60. Musee d'Artillerie, Paris .

195. Helmet, German, about 1570, made for the Emperor Ferdinand IWallace Collection .........

196. Helmet, probably French, ABOUT 1550. Collection: Author

197. Helmet, Italian, 1560-70. National Bavarian Museum, Munich .

198. Helmet, Italian, about 1560-70. Collection: Mr. S.J. Whawellxii

PAGE

9091

92

93

93

93

93

94

9495

96

97

98

99100

100

lOI

102

103

104106

107

107108

108

109

109

1 10

1 10

1 1 1

1 1 1

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME IVFIG.

1 199. Helmet, probably French, about 1570-80. Mu.see d'Artillerie, Paris .1200. Helmet, PROBABLY German, 1590. Collection: Stibbert, Florence1 201. Helmets in Swinbrook Church, Oxon. (a) Italian form, probably

English make, 1580-90; (6) English, about 1560-70 . . . .1202. Helmet, probably English, about 1580-90. .Stanton Harcourt Church

1203. Helmet, made for tilting, German, about 1570. Collection: Baron deCosson ............

1204. Helmet, for field or tilt wear, German, about 1560. CollectionPrince Ladislaus Odescalchi, Rome ......

1205. Helmet, made solely for th.ting, German, about 1560. WallaceCollection ...........

1206. Tournament helmets made for Charles V. Royal Armoury, Madrid

1207. Zf.scf//"/'^ (reinforcing piece). Collection: Mr. F. JoubertI 208. Tilting helmet, German, about 1545-60. (a) with escuffa; {b) without,

Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell

1209. Helmet, Italian, about 1570-80 (inside view). Mess of the R.A.M.C.Millbank

1210. From Michael Angelo's tomb of Lorenzo de' Medici .121 1. Back view of the head of Cellini's Perseus. Florence1212. Casque salade, late Italian, XVth century. Royal Armoury, Madrid1 2 13. Burgonet, North Italian, early XVIth century. British Museum .1214. Curiously decorated suit, with burgonet. North Italian, about 1510-201 215. Salade burgonet, North Italian, about 15 10. Musee d'Artillerie1 2 16. Burgonet, North Italian, about 1520. Wallace Collection .121 7. From a drawing by L eonardo da Vinci......1 2 18. Burgonet, by Caremoi.o di Mondrone, 1533.....1 219. Reproduction OF THE original drawing of the above .1220. Burgonet made by Bart. Campi for Guidobaldo, Duke of LIrbino1221. Breastplate made at the same time as the above. Bargello, Florence1222. Left PAULDRON, PART OF the same suit .......

1223. Right pauldron, now associated with a Picinino suit. MetropolitanMuseum, New York ......

1224. Burgonet, Italian, 1560-70. Imperial Armoury, Vienna

1225. Burgonet, probably North Italian, about 1540 .1226. Burgonet, by the Brothers Negroli, 1545 .

1227. Burgonet, BY the Brothers Negroli1228. Burgonet, FROM the school OF the Negroli .

1229. Part of a full burgonet, bv one of the Negroli .

xiii*

PAGE

I 12

15116

117

118

119120

121

122

123126

126

127128

129

130

130

133

135

136

137

137

140

141

'43

143

"43

144

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSFIG.

1230.

I23OA.

1 23 IB.

1232.

1233-

1234-

1235-

1236.

1236.

1237.

1238.

1239.

1240.1 241.

1 242.

1243-

1244.

1245-

1246.

1247.

1248.

1249.

1250.

1251.

PAGE

BURGONET, BV ONE OF THE NeGROLI, ABOUT 153O-4O . . . . -144BURGONET, BY THe' BROTHERS NeGROI-I, PRESENTED TO ChARLES V IN I 534 1 44BUFFE. (a) BuFFE and GORGET PLATES BY THE BROTHERS NeGROLI ; (d) LoWER

PLATE OF THE BUFFE, SHOWING THE DATE ; (c) THE SAME WITH THE SIG-

NATURE ...... 146Right cuissard, from a suit in the MusfiE d'Artillerie, showing the

MARK OF the NeGROLI .- . . . . . . . '47

(a) Burgonet, by Philip Negroli, 1543 ; (d) the same, full face . . 149Burgonet, by Philip Negroli, about 1540 . . . . . 151Burgonet, North Italian, about 1550 . . . . . . 152Burgonet, North Italian, about 1550. Wallace Collection. . '53Burgonet of the Morosini family, (a) Profile view. Collection: Mr.

J. Widener, Philadelphia . . . . . . . . -156(d) The same ; front view with visor raised ; (c) Three-quarter view

with VISOR lowered . . . . . . . . .-157

Burgonet, by Lucio Picinino, made by order of Charles V. ImperialArmoury, Vienna .' . . . . . . . . .158

Skull-piece of a burgonet, by L. Picinino. Metropolitan Museum,New York . . . .

'

158Burgonet, by L. Picinino, about 1,560 . . . . . . .160Burgonet, by L. Picinino, about 1560. Collection: Mr. D. M. Currie . 161Triple combed burgonet, of the guard of Cosimo de' Medici, about

1570. Collection: Mr. D. M. Currie 162Triple combed burgonet, somewhat later than the last . . .163Burgonet of the guard of Pope Julius III, about 1550. Metropolitan

Museum, New York . . . . . . . . . .164Burgonet, Italian, about 1580 ........ 164Burgonet, showing the evolution in the cabasset-morion, about 1580-

1600. .

.164Landsknecht soldiers wearing the German burgonet, from an engrav-

ing BY Hans Sebald Beham (1500-50) . . . . . .166Burgonet, probably by L. Kolman of Augsburg, about 1530. Wallace

Collection . . . . . . . . . . ..167

Triple combed burgonet, Nuremberg, about 1540 . . . .168Triple combed burgonet, Nuremberg, ABOUT 1540 .... 168Triple combed burgonet, probably North Italian, but of German

FASHION, ABOUT 1 540-50. Collection: Stibbert, Florence . . . 168

Burgonet, German, dated 1546. Collection: Max Kuppelmayer . . 169*xiv

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME IV

52. BuRGONET, German, about 1560, with etched bands. Collection: the lateHerr Hefner-Alteneck .........

253. BuRGONET, German, AHOUT 1580. National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg254. BuRGONET, German, 1607. National Germanic Museum, Nuremberg255. Burgonet, possibly by Jacob Tope of Innsbruck. Mus^e d'Artillerie

256. Burgonet, German, about 1570. Imperial Armoury, Vienna257. Burgonet, probably German, under Italian influence, about 1570

Wallace Collection .........

258. Burgonet, German, BY Wolf OF Landshut. Collection: Mr. F. Joubert259. Burgonet and buffe, Greenwich school, late XVIth century. Tower

of London ...........260. Burgonet and buffe, Greenwich school. Tower of London .261. Burgonet and buffe, Greenwich school. Tower of London[262. Burgonet, with copper gilt enrichments, about 1600-10. Tower of

London . . . . . . . , .

53. Burgonet, about 1545. Royal Armoury, Madrid ....

;264. Burgonet, probably given by Catherine de' Medici to Ferdinand I

Metropolitan Museum, New York ......[265. Buffe, belonging to the above. Collection: Mr. W. Newall266. Burgonet, probably French, about 1570-80. Musee d'Artillerie .

267. Parade burgonet, made for Louis XIV. Metropolitan Museum, NewYork

1268. Morion, Spanish, about 1500 10. Royal Armoury, Madrid .

[269. Morion, Italian, 1530-50. Collection: Mr. F. Harman Gates, F.S.A

1270. Hat of figured black velvet, late XVIth century. London Museum:27i. Hat of slashed leather, late XVIth or early XVIIth centurie.s

London Museum .........

[272. Cabasset-morion, probably Venetian, about 1553. Wallace Collection

[273. Shield to which the above belongs. Museo Civico, Bologna;274. Morion, the work of L. Picinino, about 1550-60. British Museum

275. Morion, North Italian, about 1560-70. Wallace Collection

1276. Morion, probably German, about 1570-80. Wallace Collection .

277. Morion, Pisan school, about 1570-80. Collection: Author .

[278. Morion, North Italian, about 1570-80. Wallace Collection

279. Morion, North Italian, about 1570-80. Collection: the late Mr. R

Stuyvesant...........

;28o Morion, North Italian, about 1580-90. Musee d'Artillerie!8i. Morion, South German, about 1600. Mu.see d'Artillerie

IV XV

P.*GE

170

171

"/II 72

'74

176

178

178

178

180

182

183188

190

191

194

'94

'95

'95

196

'97

199200201

203

203

204

205

205

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSFIG.

1282.

1283.

I 2 83 A.

I283B.

1284.

1285.1286.

1287.1288.

1289.

1290.

I29I.

1292.

1293.

1294.

1295-

1296.

1297.

1298.

1299.

1300.

1301.

1302.

^303-

1304.

1305-

1306.

1307.

1308.

1309-

Morion, of the guard of the Electors of Saxonv, about 1580. Museed'Artillerie............

Morion, as above, showing lion's mask washers to rivets. CollectionAuthor

Dagger of the guard of the Electors of Saxony, about 1585Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell

Halberd carried by the same guard. Royal Historical MuseumDresden .........

Morion, probably French, about 1580. Mus^e d'ArtillerieMorion, of gold and enamel, made for Charles IX of France. LouvreMorion-cabasset, Italian, about 1580. Collection: Mr. W. J. PavyerMorion-cabasset, North Italian, about 1570. Wallace CollectionCabasset, North Italian, about 1590. United Service Institute, LondonMorion-cabasset, North Italian, about 1590. Musee d'ArtillerieCabasset, North Italian, about i 590-1600. Musee d'Artillerie .Cabasset, Italian, about 1600-10. Wallace Collection . .

Cabasset, of the guard of the Electors of Saxony, about 1610-20,Musee d'Artillerie .......

Morion, of leather, embossed, Italian, about 1590. Musee d'ArtillerieCabasset, of leather, Italian, about 1580. National Bavarian MuseumMorion, of gilded copper, German, about 16 10

Shield, made for Charles V. Royal Armoury, MadridShield, made for Charles V. Royal Armoury, Madrid .

Shield, by L. Picinino. Imperial Armoury, Vienna

Shield, nv L. Picinino. Wallace Collection .

Shield, by L. Picinino, about 1570. Royal Armoury, Madrid

Shield, made for Charles V, about 1540. Royal Armoury, MadridShield, BY Giorgio Ghisi, 1554, British Museum

Shield, about 1560. Imperial Armoury, Vienna ....Shield, etched in the Pisan manner, about 1580. Wallace CollectionShield, as above. Collection : Mr. S. J. Whawell .Shield, by Geronimo Spacini of Milan, about i 590-1600. Wallace

Collection .........

Shield, given to Charles V by Ferdinando Gonzaga, about 1530Royal Armoury, Madrid

Shield, as above. Royal Armoury, MadridShield, Italian, of painted wood, about 1540-60. Collection: M

G. Durlacher ..........

xvi

PAGE

206

206

207

207208

209210

211

212

213

213

214

214

2 16

217

219221

222

224

227228

231

232

233

234

236236

237

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME IVFlC. PACE1 310. Wooden shikld covered with leather, Italian, about 1560. Metro-

politan Museum, New York 238131 1. Shield, German, isv D. Kolman, 1552. Royal Armoury, Madrid . . 2401312. Shield, German, itv M. Frawenbrys, 1543. Royal Armoury,

Madrid . . . .. . .

. . . .

.2411313. Shield {TABLACH/yj), German, by M. Frawenbrys. Royal Armoury,

Madrid . . . . . . . . . . ..241

1 3 14. Shield, German, middle XVIth century. The work ov SigismunuWolf of Landshut . 243

1315. Shield, Greenwich school. Metropolitan Museum, New York . . 2441316. Shield, "The Spanish General's," 1579. Tower of London . . 245131 7. The " Cellini" shield. Windsor Armoury 2471318. Shield, Louvre school, about 1570. Wallace Collection . . . 2491319. Shield, Louvre SCHOOL, ABOUT 1590. Wallace Collection . . . 250

1320. Shield, French school, about 1570 . . . . . . '2511321. Shield, made for Charles IX OF France. Louvre, Paris . . . 2531322. Shield, French school, about 1570. Louvre, Paris .... 2551323. Shield. Royal Armoury, Turin ........ 256

1324. Shield, French, by an unknown artist, about 1580. Imperial Armoury,Vienna 258

1325. Sword, Italian or Spanish, first quarter XVIth century. Museed'Artillerie 261

1326. Sword, Italian or Spanish, first half XVIth century. Museed'Artillerie 261

1327. Showing the correct GRASP of A sword or rapier (two positions) . 262

1328. Rapier, Italian, third quarter XVIth century. Victoria and AlbertMuseum 263

1329. Thrusting sword {estoc), probably French, middle XVIth century.Musee d'Artillerie 265

1330. Sword, probably North Italian, middle XVIth century. Museed'Artillerie 266

1 33 1. Sword, North Italian, middle XVIth century. Wallace Collection . 2671332. Sword, North Italian, third quarter XVIth century. Collection:

Mr. E. Kennedy . 268

1333. The Emperor-elect Maximilian learning the use of the double-handed sword. From a woodcut by H. Burgkmair .... 269

1334. Two-handed sword for practising sword play, German, first halfXVIth century. Ex Londesborough Collection .... 270

xvii

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSFIG PAGE

1335. Two-handed sword, Italian, first half XVIth century. WallaceCollection .271

1336. Two-handed SWORD AS ABOVE. Collection: Mr. F. Joubert . . -2711337. Two-handed SWORD, hilt PROBAULY English, about 1540. Penshurst . 272

1338. Two-handed sword, probably English. Collection: Mr. J. SeymourLucas, R.A 273

1339. Two-handed sword, German, middle XVIth century. Museed'Artillerie 274

1340. Two-handed sword, hilt German, mid-XVIth*

century. Musee

d'Artillerie 2741 34 1. Two-handed sword, ordinary Swiss type, late XVIth or early XVI Ith

CENTURY. Metropolitan Museum, New York . . .' . . 2751342. The PRACTICE of the dusack, from a copper-plate by Yost Amman . 2751343. Sabre and scabbard. North Italian, third quarter XVIth century.

Imperial Armoury, Vienna . . . . . . . . .2761344. Sabre, North Italian, third quarter XVIth century. Musee

d'Artillerie 278

1345. Sabre, probably German, third quarter XVIth century. WallaceCollection . 278

1346. Sabre, German, middle XVIth century, [a) Upper part; {b) lowerPART. Bargello........... 280

1347. Svvokd-rapier of Duke Ferdinand OF Tyrol. Imperial Armoury, Vienna 2821348. .Sword-rapier, North Italian, mid-XVIth century. British Museum 2831349. Rapier with "swept" hilt, Italian, third quarter XVIth century.

Musee d'Artillerie 2841 350. Rapier with

" swept " hilt and dagger, probably French, third quarterXVIth century. Musee d'Artillerie . . . . . . 285

1 35 1 . Rapier with" swept

"

hilt, French, late XVIth century. MetropolitanMuseum, New York .......... 286

1352. "Swept" hilted rapier. Royal Historical Museum, Dresden . . 2871353- Sword hilt, Epee de Religion. Bibliotheque Nationale . . . 2891354. Dagger .A^ 6-6Y7 with the ABOVE. Mus^e du Louvre .... 2901355. Designs by Hans Mielich for sword, dagger, etc. Collection: the late

Herr Hefner-Alteneck . . . . . . . . ..291

1356. Rapier hilt, Italian, third quarter XVIth century. ImperialArmoury, Vienna .......... 292

1357. Rapier hilt, gold plated and jewelled, probably German, thirdQUARiEK XVIth century. Royal Armoury, Dresden . . . 293

xviii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME IV'(J- PAGE

358. Chain-pattern rapier hilt, third quarter XVIth centurv. Collection:Mr. D. M. Currie

. . . . , . , . . . 294359. Chain-pattern rapier hilt hy Savigny of Tours (1578-95). Collection:

Baron de Cosson . . ........ 295360. Chain-pattern rapier hilt. Musee d'Artillerie 296361. Chiselled steel hilt (reputed John Hampden's), third quarter XVIth

CENTURY. Windsor Castle......... 297362. Chiselled steel hilt, l.vte XVIth century. Collection: Major M.

Dreger 299

363. SvvoRD, Spanish, middle XVIth century. Wallace Collection . . 3co364. Portrait OF Philip II BY Titian. Prado, Madrid 301365. Sword hilt, Spanish, third quarter XVIth century. Royal Armoury,

Madrid ............ 302366. Sword hilt, Spanish, third quarter XVIth century. Collection:

Baron de Cosson .......... 302367. Sword and scabbard, Spanish, third quarter XVIth century. Windsor

Castle 303

368. Sword hilt, Spanish, by Sebastian F"ernandez, Toledo. Royal Arm-

oury, Madrid ........... 305369. Sword, Spanish, third quarter XVIth century. Collection : Baron

de Cosson ............. 305

370. Sword hilt, French, late XVIth cpzntury. Musee d'Artillerie . . 306371. Chiselled steel rapier hilt, Italian, late XVIth century, presented

TO Henri IV by Pope Clement VI 1 1. Musee d'Artillerie . . 307372. Sword hilt and chape, Italian, late XVIth century. Collection:

Mr. S. J. Whawell 308

^/T,. Reverse view of the above ......... 309

374. Sword hilt, Italian, 1560. Collection: Mr. S. J. Whawell . . . 310375. Rapier, French, end OF XVIth century. Musee d'Artillerie . -3''376. Dagger belonging TO the above. Wallace Collection . . . 3'i

T,j-/. Sword, German, end of XVIth century. Musee d'Artillerie . . 314378. Sword, English, blade BY C. Horn, 161 7. Windsor Castle . . . 316

379. Sword, English, blade by C. Horn, end of XVIth century. WindsorCastle 316

38b. Sword hilt, probably English, end of XVIth century. Windsor Castle 3 1 7381. Sword hilt, probably English, end of XVIth century. Collection:

Viscount Astor . . . . . 3'8

1382. Sword. Wallace Collection 3 '9xix

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSnC. PAGE

1383. Heralds' College Sword. Heralds' College 3201384. Sword, Engllsh, EARLY XVHth CENTURY. Ex Spitzer Collection . . 3211385. SwORD IIILT, FROM THE PORTRAIT OF SiR FrANCIS LeIGH, ABOUT 162O . 3221386. Sword, REPUTED TO HAVE BELONGED TO Henry, Prince OF Wales. Wal-

lace Collection . .. .

.

"

. . . . . . 3231387. Sword hilt from a portrait of one of the Fighting Veres, 1618 . 3241387A. Sword hilt, English, early XVHth century. Collection: Mr. G. Wil-

liams ............. 3251388. Basket-hilted sword, first quarter XVIIth century. Collection:

the late Mr. R. Stuyvesant . 3251389. 6'Ciy///K0A^^, Venetian, XVHth century. Collection: Mr. F. Joubert . 3261390. Rapier hilt, Flemish, early XVHth century. Wallace Collection . 3261391. Rapier, Flemish, early XVHtii century. Collection: the late F. G.

Maconiber . . . . . . . . . . ..327

1392. Rapier, Flemish, early XVHth century. Collection: the late F. G.Macomber . .

. . . . . . . ..

-3271393. Rapier, early XVHth century. Ex collection: the late Mr. E. Brett. 3281394. Rapier, Flemish, ABOUT 1620-30. Wallace Collection .... 3281395- War lance heads, first half XVIth century. Royal Armoury, Madrid 3311396. Chiselled iron pole-axe head, second half XVIth century. Metro-

politan Museum, New York 3321397. War hammer, Italian, second half XVIth century. Ex Spitzer Col-

lection .. .

.3331398. Parade Mace, probably Spanish, second quarter XVIth century.

Metropolitan Museum, New York . .'

. . . . .

;iT,7,

1399. Parade mace, probably Spanish, second quarter XVIth century.Musee d'Artillerie . . . . . . . . . . 334

1400. Parade mace, probably French, second half XVIth century.Musee d'Artillerie .......... 334

1401. Parade mace, Italian, second half XVIth century. Wallace Col-lection ............ 336

1402. Three MACES, middle XVIth century. () Italian. Collection : Author.(d) Probably French. Metropolitan Museum, New York, (c) Prob-ably Spanish. Collection : Author

:i;^j

1403. Mace, North Italian, late XVIth century, like Indian gakgaz.Wallace Collection 338

1404. Mace, similar to above. Musee d'Artillerie .'

3381405. Commander's baton, Spanish, late XVIth century. Wallace Collection 338

XX

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN VOLUME IVFIG. PAOK

1406. Pole-axe, early XVI Ith century. Metropolitan Museum, New York 3391407. Mace, with pistol attached to haft, second half XV Ith century.

Mus^e d'Artillerie .......... 3391408. Mace, with pistol attached, Italian, second half XV Ith century.

Tower of London . . . . . . . . .-341

1409. Mace, with hidden pistol, Italian, late XVIth century. Museed'Artillerie . . . . . . , . . . ,

.3411 4 10. War hammer, with five concealed barrels, French, XVI Ith

century. Tower of London ........ 34214 11. Processional glaive, carried by Pope's guard, 1605-21. Wallace

Collection ...... ...... 3431412. Processional partisan of the Polish guard of Augustus II. Wallace

Collection .. 1 ........ . 343141 3. Processional partisan of the guard of the Elector of Bavaria, 1677.

Musee d'Artillerie .......... 34514 1 4. Processional partisan of the guard of Louis XIV, about 1680.

Wallace Collection .......... 345

141 5. Ceremonial partisan, probably German, end of XVIth century. ExSpitzer Collection .......... 346

1416. Partisan, French, early XVIIth century. Windsor Castle . . 346141 7. Processional partisan, probably English, about 1600. Collection:

Author 347

14 1 8. Processional partisan, probably French, about 16 10. Wallace Col-lection ............ 348

141 9. Halberds, (a) German, about 1580, of the guard of the Electors ofSaxony. Wallace Collection; (d) German, about 1580. Ex SpitzerCollection; (

ERRATA

Page 145, line 13, /or "Fig. 1231^" read"

Fig. 1 23 1 A."

Page 145, line 28, /or " Fig. 1231/;" read"

Fig. 1 23 IB."

Page 146, /or " FiG. 1231" read " FiG.1 23 1 A," and transpose the letters "{b)"and " (

A RECORD OF

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSTHROUGH SEVEN CENTURIES

CHAPTER XXIXENGLISH ARMOUR OF WHAT WE NOW TERM THE GREENWICH SCHOOL.

ARMOUR MADE FOR ENGLAND

jHE time has now arrived in our chronological review of thecomplete suits of the XVIth century to describe a series ofharnesses which we believe were made at the Greenwich Armoury,established about the year 1511 by Henry VIII, three yearsbefore Conrad Seusenhofer came over to England at the command

of Maximilian I to add the finishing strokes to his masterpieces whichMaximilian was presenting to Henry. Many of these harnesses are of greathistorical interest, and we may perhaps be forgiven if we attempt to deal atsome length with the history of this Greenwich school of armourers. Theauthor must here acknowledge the great help which the Baron de Cossonhas given him, generously placing at his disposal his own researches onthe subject.

All the harnesses, which we feel convinced came from the Greenwich

Armoury, are of superb quality and bear a strong family likeness to eachother, and are in configuration and in decoration different from the armours of

any other school. The form as a whole cannot be said to be graceful. Theconstruction of the close helmets shows a considerable fullness to the backof the skull, and the whole effect lacks elegance, but the general form is

distinctly German in feeling, reminiscent of the work of Konrad Lockner.The top plates of the gorgets are usually high, and the pauldrons are of

great strength and characteristic in form, giving an exaggerated breadth to theshoulders. The breastplates in the earlier suits are of robust and burlycharacter, but gradually develop the peascod form until in the later suits theybecome flat-fronted with only the peascod survival. The shape of the tassets

IV I B

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSis rectangular, but the most unmistakable features of a Greenwich suit arethe formation of the elbow-cop of two pieces, an interior piece protecting theinside of the elbow joint, and an exterior piece guarding the outside (a construc-tion which is never found in any elbow-cops of fine quality of any other schoolof armour), and the formation of the grand-guard in two parts. The style ofdecoration is quite different from any known Italian, German, or French design.Documentary evidence as to nearly all the harnesses in existence, which weare almost certain were made at the Greenwich Armoury, rests upon thatfurnished by a manuscript in the South Kensington Museum, in whichmention is made of an armourer named " Jacobe," who is, we think, the sameperson referred to by Sir Henry Lee in a document of the year 1590 underthename of

"Jacobi, M"" workman of Grenevvyche."^ In January I723acertainMr. Virtue exhibited this manuscript at the Society of Antiquaries inLondon. In the year 1790 it was in the possession of the Duchess ofPortland, a daughter of Robert Harley, Earl of Oxford ; a circumstancewhich makes it possible that it once formed part of the Harleian Library.On the Table of Contents at the commencement of the manuscript the name" Mr. Wray

"

appears, and on page 3 are written the name and date"

1754J. West

"

; presumably these were the names of two of the early possessorsof the manuscript. In 1790 Pennant must have used it for his engraving ofthe second suit of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, in his "Account of

London,"^ and similarly Strutt's engraving of the suit of the Earl ofCumberland (Vol. 2, Plate 161) must have been made from it, although hemade a mistake in describing the suit as that of the Earl of Essex. Thelibrary of the Duchess of Portland was sold in 1799. Subsequently the

manuscript was lost sight of for nearly one hundred years, and it.was only inthe year 1894, at the sale of the Spitzer collection, that it reappeared, when itwas bought by Monsieur Stein of Paris, from whom, on the advice ofViscount Dillon, it was acquired for the English nation. Viscount Dillonhas reproduced in his "An Almain Armourer's Album "^ thirty-one of thedrawings to which he has written most interesting notes. The MS. is nowin the Art Library of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

[A scrutiny of the MS. shows that it is made up of single sheets in folio,which were bound up in book form when the draughtsman began his record.He left page i blank, which was subsequently used for a Table of Contents

' Viscount Dillon,"

Archaeologia," vol. Si, p. 171.* Published 1790. 4to. London.'

Reproduced in colour by W. Griggs, 1905.2

/

ARMOUR OF THE "GREENWICH" SCHOOL

by someone probably in the first half of the XVI Ith century, after the volumehad been rebound. Pages 2 and 3 are blank, page 4 portrays the first suit,"The Erie of Rutlande, M.R.," which is numbered "i,"and page 5 illustratesthe drawings of the four extra pieces of that suit. Pages 6 and 7 are blank,pages 8 and 9 show the second suit, that of the

" Erie of Bedforde, M.R.,"and the four extra pieces ; pages 10 and 11 are blank, and thus it continuesuntil pages 58 and 59, which give the suit and its seventeen extra pieces of"Sur Cristofer Hattone," numbered " 16." There is no suit numbered "15,"but as there are no missing leaves until pages 93 and 94, doubtless this

discrepancy in the numbering was due to carelessness. Pages 62 and 63give the suit and extra pieces of the

" Earle of Pembrouke," numbered " 17."The suits numbered "18," "19," "20," "21," "22," "23," and "24"follow until page 92 is reached, when the leaf of pages 93 and 94 is cut outand only the drawing of the extra pieces of suit numbered

"

25"

on page 95 is

preserved. This missing leaf was probably cut out before the Table ofContents was written, as the Table does not mention this suit. We do notknow, therefore, for whom the suit was made. Pages 96 and 97 are blank,and pages 98 and 99 give the suit "My L. Cobbon," numbered "26";pages 102 and 103 illustrate the third suit of "Sr Harry Lea," numbered "28."This numbering was apparently due to carelessness, as no leaves are missingto suggest that there was a drawing of a suit numbered "27." Theremaining four drawings are not numbered. There are now fifty-eightleaves in the volume, and the last three pages are blank. That the bookwas bound before the draughtsman began his work is proved by the factthat pages i and 8, 2 and 7, etc., are the same sheets, and therefore anotherleaf is missing making the total number of leaves up to sixty.

Where the suit is numbered, the numbering is in contemporary writingand apparently was made before the colouring. The writing of the numberingis not in the handwriting of the person who wrote the names on the drawings;a slender argument against Jacobe (of whom we shall speak later) being thedraughtsman. The consecutive numbering, the use of a bound book, the

progressive character of the decorations, seem to point to a desire to compilea record in what was believed to be the order of their production.C.-D.]

As the fourteenth suit is described as that of " Ser Henry Lee," withoutthe addition of the words " Mr. of Tharmerie," an office to which he was

appointed in 1580, it is to be surmised that this description was perhapswritten before 1580, and as all the drawings appear to have been made bythe same hand, some with greater care than others, and as their style and

3

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS

technique are so similar, they were probably all done within a comparativelyshort period. From the fact that the first Hatton suit, which is extant,the drawing of which is numbered "16," bears the date

"

1585," fifteen of

the drawings were presumably made after that date, for the presumption isstrong that the date on this suit is the date of its make. The drawings are

certainly not the work of an artist : the suits are stiffly drawn, all more orless from one set pattern. Sometimes they are turned to the left, moreoften to the right; but the attitude is always the same. Like the paintingsof the ancient Egyptians, the head is invariably in profile, and the bodyalmost full front. Nor are the drawings designs for the making of armour;they are rather representations of suits already in existence, as obviouslymust be the case of the design of the one which came from abroad. These

drawings, then, are the work of a man who wished clearly to show thedecoration of each suit, the pieces and extra pieces of which it was composed,and who was therefore in all probability a skilled craftsman.

Our inference is that the designs of the forms of the armours were nottaken from those of the suits.

[The manuscript is now bound in calf, and this binding must be, as wehave said, the second binding, for many of the drawings are cut. On page ithe Table of Contents is written in a hand of the XVI Ith century. ThisTable was written after the second binding, for there is no sign of the cuttingaffecting the writing. The table is headed : "These are the original drawings ofHans Holbein of suits of armour for the great tournament of King Henry theEighth," and then follows a list of suits copied more or less exactly from the

descriptions on the drawings. The writer has omitted to mention some of thesuits, but as the last suit which he indexes is that of "My Lord Bucarte, HisCountenance," the writer had the completed volume before him, and his omis-sions are evidently due to carelessness. The slight differences in spelling of thenames on the drawings and in the Table call for no comment. On five of thedrawings of the suits are painted faces to the figures, all of the same character,and perhaps later than the designs of the armours, but not later than thewriting of the Table of Contents, for the writer of the table calls attention tothese heads by noting after the names of the suits of the Earl of Worcester,Lord Compton, and Lord Buckhurst the words

" His Countenance." The onlypoint of interest in this Table of Contents is the heading attributing the designsto Holbein, from which we suggest that there was in the first half of theXVnth century a tradition still prevalent that Holbein was the designer ofthe suits which the person at Greenwich, into whose keeping the volume

4

ARMOUR OF THE "GREENWICH" SCHOOL

passed in the first half of the XVI Ith century, recorded, for it would notseem likely that the writer of the Table of Contents was someone unconnectedwith the Greenwich workshops which were closed in 1644. It '^ needless tosay that none of the designs bear the smallest trace of Holbein's art. Trueit is that there is a decoration of slashing on some of the suits, but althoughslashing is Holbeinesque, this decoration is represented rather in thecharacter of an historical survival than of the real slashing decoration ofHolbein's period. We surmise that when Henry VHI was living he hademployed Holbein to design armours, and in the early days of the Greenwich

workshops armours may have been made from Holbein's design. Some ofthe drawings are recorded as being of suits of the time of Mary, the letters" M.R.

"

appearing in the corners of the drawings ; others are noted with theletters "E.R." (Elizabeth Regina), while the last eleven drawings have neither"M.R." nor "E.R." upon them. In all cases the letters "M.R." and "E.R."arc in the handwriting of the person who wrote the names on the drawings.

But as the drawings, as we think, were executed some time after, at all

events, the first thirteen suits were made, too much stress cannot be laidon the letters " E.R." (letters which also stand for Edwardus Rex, i.e.,Edward VI), and it is curious to note that there are in the Tower

"

portions of

a crupper with vertical flutings and simulated slashings"^ as their decoration,which the author considered to be of the period of Henry VIII. The Dukeof Norfolk suit, made at Greenwich, is seen in the drawing to have hada slashed decoration

;it is no longer in existence, and it may be, as the author

thought, that these portions of a crupper were part of the complete armourwhich went with this suit; this slight evidence lends some support to theHolbein tradition, which is not the less tenable in view of the fact thatThomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, was born in 1536 and beheaded in 1572.As we have said, the draughtsman used in all his drawings a common formfor all the suits in which he depicted the different decorations, but it doesnot follow that all the suits were of the same form, and it is not unfair toassume that over the period which these harnesses covered some were of anearlier form.C.-D.]

On each of the drawings is the name of a person for whom the suitwas made. In the first eighteen drawings the writing is in the same

hand, and on two of these drawings the .same writer made additional notes.On No. " 13," representing the suit of the Earl of Worcester, there is this

' C. ffoulkes," The Armouries of the Tower of London," vol. i, p. 207 (Class VI, No. 85).

IV .5 c

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSnote: "Thes peces wer made by me Jacobe," and on drawing No. "14"of the first suit of Sir Henry Lee there are these words :

" This feld armor wasmade beyond see" and "thes tilte peces wer made by me Jacobe." All thesethree notes are in the same handwriting as that of the names written on the

drawings of the suits. That this Jacobe did not describe the ownership ofall the armours may perhaps be explained by arguing that all the nameswere not written at the same time. Jacobe writes the name of Sir Henry Leeon the fourteenth suit (perhaps before 1580),' new drawings were added, and hewrites "Sur Cristofer Hattone"on the first Hatton suit made in 1585, and againdescribes the drawings until the nineteenth suit is reached. Then probablymore drawings were executed ; another hand writes the description on suitsnumbered "20," "22," "24," "26," "28," and the Buckhurst drawing; stillanother hand records the name on the suit numbered "21," and the authorthinks that Jacobe probably wrote the descriptions on the suits numbered"23," "26," and those of "Sir Macke William," "My Lorde Cumpton,"" Mr. Skidmur," and " Sir Bale Desena." The deduction we make is thatthe book was after 1585 not under the sole control of Jacobe, and that atleast two other persons recorded the names. The handwriting of Jacobe isof the earliest type of the three hands, and as the technique of the decorationis progressive in character, it seems that the order of the drawings is toa large extent the order of the manufacture of the suits they represent.

But the reader will ask: "What had Jacobe to do with Greenwich?" Now

we know that there was a master workman at Greenwich named Jacobi, asthere exists a document amongst the State papers dated 12 October 1590,^^a letter of Sir Henry Lee, Master of the Armoury, which commences thus:"

May it please your good Lordship in the time of M"". Secretary, who Godhath latly called to his mercy, he was very desirus to prefere to the comodytyof some fewe as I take yt, certayne ierne metell w** grewe or was made inScropshere or ther abouts in the possessyons of a gentellman whos name Iknowe not, never makynge me acquaynted w''' his meanynge. To give morecredyte to that staft"e, to the armourers of London & to Jacobi, the M' work-man of (irenewyche, the Counsel appoynt in there presence that M'' RobarteConstable & my cossyn John Lee shoulde see a proof made w*' by tryallproved most usefull." On no piece of the armour is there any mark; but thisis not surprising when we remember that it was not until 163 1 that theArmourers' Company (in whose records no name of Jacobe appears) issuedregulations as to their mark of the Crown and the letter "A" underneath it.

'

And; page 4. '' S. P. Doin., ccxxxiii, 92.6

ARMOUR OF THE "GREENWICH" SCHOOLIt seems fair to argue that this Jacobi, the Master workman at

Greenwich, was the same "Jacobe" who made the extra pieces for two ofthe suits illustrated in the MS., and that he may have had the drawingsexecuted, and that when the drawings were finished he wrote on the firsteighteen drawings the names of the persons for whom the armours weremade. We have no evidence as to who the draughtsman was, and thereforeno evidence that Jacobe was that person. But the existence of the MS., theexistence to-day of some of the suits, the preservation to-day of portraitsand miniatures of the same persons wearing the suits whose names appearon the drawings, the fact that there was a school of armourers at Greenwichfrom 151 1 until 1644 (the cost of which was defrayed by the State, and ofwhich we have numerous records

^), form the links in a chain of evidence inconfirmation of the conclusion at which we arrive, viz., that the harnessesillustrated in the MS. were made by the Greenwich school of armourers.

We think that the draughtsman had in view the portraying of thedecoration of the Greenwich school, which was peculiar to and evolved bythe Greenwich armourers. It may be noted that in the case of the earlierdrawings depicted in the MS., two of which the draughtsman assigned torepresent suits made in the reign of Queen Mary, this style is not yet distinctlymarked. The Greenwich style of decoration first appears in a marked mannerin the second suit' of the Earl of Leicester, and is fully developed in tho.seof the Sir Henry Lee No. 2 suit. Sir Christopher Hatton Nos. i and 2 suits,the Earl of Pembroke's, and the Earl of Cumberland's suits; but it culmin-ates in the beautiful suit of armour made for Henry, Prince of Wales, nowat Windsor, which is illustrated and described in a later chapter,'-^ and is, inthe author's opinion, the work of this school, and may have been the one forwhich William Pickering received the large sum, for those times, of ;^320.This Greenwich school of armourers no doubt learned their art from thenumerous foreign armourers

Flemish, German, or Italianwho hadbeen brought to England by Henry VII and Henry VIII ; but by the timeof Elizabeth they had evolved a type of armour and decoration peculiarlytheir own, which, as we have already pointed out {ante, p. 2), is verydistinct from the type and decoration of contemporary suits made inGermany, Italy, or France.

'

Cf. the numerous references to the payment of wages to the armourers at Greenwich,printed by Mr. C. ffoulkes in "The Armouries of the Tower of London," vol. i, pp. 50-52. London,1916.

See Chapter xxxvii, Vol. v, F"ig. 1435.

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS

As Jacobe notes t"hat he made the extra pieces of two suits, presumablyhe did not make the rest of these two armours, and there is no evidence thathe made any of the others. There must have been other armourers, and whowere they? The question cannot as yet be answered, and it is not likely toreceive an answer until the accounts of the sums spent on armour-makingat Greenwich are discovered. The valuable researches of Mr. Charles ffoulkeshave brought to our knowledge the names of various armourers who workedat Greenwich as Queen's armourers under Mary and Elizabeth ; but no otherdetails are known concerning them. They are: Nighel Pipe 1559, Hans

Mightner 1559-74, John Kelte 1559-74, John Garret 1 559-1 601, JacobHalore(?) 1559, Roger Keymer 1571, Jacob Haider 1574 (perhaps the same as

Jacob Halore),Martyn Herste 1574, Caries or Tarys Spirarde 1574, John Kirke1577, and lastly William Pickering 1591-1630, who, as we have .seen, probablymade the armour for Henry, Prince of Wales, and who, judging by the verygreat similarity of style and of execution which that suit bears to some of themore elaborate ones mentioned above as full examples of the Greenwich school,may also have been the master armourer to whom some of the others weredue. [As with other arts the problem is to discover whether the master work-man Jacobe, or any other master workman, possessed and exercised individualinitiative, or whether he was only a foreman of a body of more or less skilledworkmen. The marked character of the armour under discussion shows sucha personal quality of design that it would seem as if there had worked atGreenwich master armourers of strong individual taste.C.-D.]

That some of the armourers who worked at Greenwich for over onehundred years were foreigners is more than probable, for the great craftsmenof these periods were Italians, Germans, and F"renchmen, and Mr. ffoulkes'list contains many names which are not English ones. As regards the nameof

"Jacobe," Sir Henry Lee writes- it "Jacobi." Sir Henry's rendering sug-gests that the final "e" was not a mute one. Now the German Jacob would nothave become in English Jacobi, it would have remained as it was in German,Jacob, without a final

"

i

"

or "e." Jacobe was evidently not the Christianname of the Greenwich armourer, but his surname. Jacobi is a commonsurname in Germany; a cannon founder of Berlin who lived about 1700 wasnamed Jacobi, and there are even arms-bearing families of that name. InFrance Jacobe exists as a surname, in Italy Jacopi. In the "LondonDirectory" for 1917 can be found five Jacobis and five Jacobys living inLondon. It is probable that our Jacobe was of foreign extraction ; butwe are inclined to think that he was British born. He writes his name

8

ARMOUR OF THE "GREENWICH" SCHOOLJacobs, that is phonetically as the German Jacobi is pronounced in English.His handwriting is English in character. On the other hand, the expression." This feld armor was made beyond see

"

on the drawing of Sir Henry Lee'sfirst suit indicates a German writer, for "feld" and "see" are spellings onewould attribute to a German. We cannot say that the phrase " beyond see "is more English than German.

A few other observations may be made of a general character on theMS. Viscount Dillon shrewdly draws attention to a little brayette whichappears on most of the drawings, and suggests that it indicates a foreignorigin for them; for in the time of Queen Elizabeth that defence was notin fashion in England, although its use abroad continued through the

greater part of her reign. It may be observed, however, that this brayette doesnot form part of the armour, but of the civil dress of the figure wearing it.Again, the author would suggest that the various personages whose namesoccur in the MS. stored their suits in the Greenwich Armoury, wherethere naturally was a staff of skilled armourers to furbish them and keepthem in order, much as people nowadays keep their motor cars at a garage;that a written inventory probably existed, now unfortunately destroyed orundiscovered, in which the suits were entered in the order in which theyhad been made or deposited there. The drawings in the MS. may haveformed, in fact, a sort of pictorial register, by which each suit and all itsextra pieces could at once be identified by the design and decorationwhen needed by its owner, serving very much the same purpose as anItalian late XVIth century drawing of four breastplates in the collectionof Monsieur H. Carre of Paris (Fig. 1099). Some of the Greenwichsuits must have been returned to their owners and have remained in their

possession; while others, such as the Earl of Leicester's, the Earl of Worces-

ter's, Sir John Smithe's, and possibly Sir Christopher Hatton's first suitwere removed from Greenwich, when that aimoury ceased to exist, andfound their way to the Tower. In the Domestic State Papers for the year1625 can be found a list of suits made for the king and certain noblemen,which were the productions of the Greenwich armourers. It runs as follows:

A true note of all such Armors as have been made by his Ma*""*armorors at Greenewichlately, viz. :

Imprimis for ye Kings Ma*'"" Tike Armors 2.For ye Duke cf Buckingham .... Tilte Armors 2.For ye late Marquis Hamelton . . . Tike Armor 1.F"or ye late Earle of Dorset .... Title Armors 2.

9

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSFor ye now Earle of Dorset .... Tilte Armor i.For ye Rarle of Oxford Tilte Armor i . . . more for ye feelde Armor i.For ye Lo. Garret Tilte Armor i.*For ye Lo. Compton Tilte Armor i.For ye Earle of Desmond ..... Tilte Armor i.For ye Lo. Mansfeelde Tilte Armor i ... more for ye feelde Armor i.For my Lo. Monioy Tilte Armor i ... more for ye feeldeArmor i.*For ye Earle of Bedford feelde Armor i.For ye Lo. Stanhop Tilte Armor i.For ye Lo. Bru Tilte Armor i.For ye Lo. Gourdon . . . . feelde Armor i.For Sr Henrie Mildmay Tilte Armor i.For Mr. Carle Tylte Armor i.For Sr William Hayden for his Ma*''''* s'vice at S' Martin islands feelde Armor 4.For ye M"" of ye Armorie feelde Armor i.For Sr William Pitt feelde Armor i.For Sr Arnold Harbert feelde Armor i.For Sr Adam Newton feelde Armor i.For ye Barron of Burford Tilte Armor i . . . more for ye feelde Armor i .

An order for making a tilte Armor for ye Lo. Marquis Hamilton, i.An order for making a tilte Armor for ye Earle of Northampton, i.

Some of these were made by ye King's Ma'"''* coiTiaund and some by the Lo. Chamber-lins comaund, and ye rest by comaund from ye Master of his Ma''^" Armoury.

Besides other new armors and worke that is ready in the Office upon anie occasion.

This list shows the importance of the productions of the Greenwicharmourers in the latter part of the XVIth and at the commencement of theXVI Ith centuries, and of the existence of suits in stock in case a persondesired to purchase one. It will be noticed, however, that two of thenames figuring in the 1625 list appear in the illustrated MS., viz.: "YeLo. Compton . . . Tilte Armor i," and "For ye Earle of Bedford . . .feelde." If these two suits are the same two as those illustrated in the

MS., then a second MS. must probably have once been in existenceillustrating the remainder of the suits mentioned in 1625perhaps with anindex which would have thrown some light on this mysterious group of armourand its still more mysterious maker or makers. The Inventario de la Arineriade Valladolid o{ Charles V, preserved at Madrid, is an instance of a pictorialinventory of an armoury, in which armour and weapons of various originsand dates are all drawn by the same hand, with notes here and there con-cerning them.

10

^A

/' ji"** .v- '-

Fig. 1099. Four breastplates, from an Italian drawing

Of the latter part of the XVIth century. Made only to record the design of the armourCollection: Monsieur H. Carre

I I

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSThe late Herr Wendelin Boeheim thought that Jacobe could be identified

with an armourer of Innsbruck named Jacob Topf, concerning whom he hadmade researches which had led him to suspect that from 1562 to 1575 hewas absent from Innsbruck, and Viscount Dillon, although feeling thatthere were some difficulties about dates, adopted that identification. As a

result, the Viscount's book was called "An Almain Armourer's Album," andof late years we have heard much of Topf suits, meaning those suits stillexisting in England which have been identified as having been portrayedin the MS.

Of late years doubt has arisen concerning the correctness of thisidentification of Jacobe with Topf. We ourselves think not only that thisidentification was never established, but that it never at any time rested on

any serious foundation. Boeheim was a savant to whom armour-studentsare indebted for much excellent work ; but he was very much given to jumpingat conclusions arrived at on insufficient evidence, or on evidence incorrectlyinterpreted, and he was disinclined to discuss a view differing from his own.

Having mentioned all that is known about Jacobe, we will now briefly statewhat Boeheim discovered concerning Jacob Topf. He was born in 1530,and is thought to have been absent from Innsbrtick from 1562 until 1575,in which latter year he received payment for work done in that town. In1581 he was in the employ of the Archduke of the Tyrol; but payments arerecorded for work done by him in Germany in 1578, 1584, and 1587. Afterthat we hear nothing more of him, and Boeheim supposes that he died in1587.1 There is a strange confusion in the account of Topf given in thisbook between Jacob Topf and a Caspar Topf. The account is headed JacobTopf auch Topff itnd Dopf, and begins with Jacob, but it eventually dealswith Caspar Topf as though he were the same man. We can only supposethat some part of the account was omitted by mistake.

If Jacob Topf really died in 1587 his identity with the"

Jacobi" mentionedin Sir Henry Lee's letter would at once be disposed of It is true that Sir

Henry says that the trial of iron was made" in the time of Mr. Secretary

who God hath latly called to his mercy." Mr. Secretary was Sir FrancisWalsingham, Principal Secretary of State to Queen Elizabeth, who died on6 April 1590, six months before the letter was written; but the lettercertainly gives the impression that Jacobe was living and working at Green-wich when it was indited. Viscount Dillon, in his introduction to his Album,

' Wendelin Boeheim, Meister der Waffeitschniiedekunst vovt XI V bis ins X VllIJahrhtindert,Berlin, 1897, 8vo, p. 217.

12

ARMOUR OF THE "GREENWICH" SCHOOLspeaks of the letter as referring to a trial of iron made some ycays previously.P)Ut Sir Henry speaks of the matter as one of present interest, and as if thetrial might have taken place a few months before; but there is not theslightest ground for supposing that it took place several years before.Roeheim could adduce no evidence to show where Topf worked from 1562tf> 1575- He merely jumped to the conclusion that he might be the Green-wich Jacobe, a conclusion which the author considers to be erroneous.

[It is fair to note that the drawing of Sir Henry Lee's first suit (No. 14)bears w hat we have called the Greenwich style of decoration, and that it wasmade " beyond see," but it is not unreasonable to infer that the suit wasdecorated in the manner desired by Sir H. Lee, and that his order passedthrough the master armourer at Greenwich. Of the form of the actual suitwe have no evidence, as it no longer exists.] One or two suits of armour atVienna are attributed by Boeheim, and probably rightly so, to Topf; butthey do not present any resemblance in general character and decoration tothose which we call Greenwich suits, of which a sufficient number remain forus easily to recognize their characteristic style.

[It cannot be said that we know much about this Greenwich school ofarmourers, but there can be little doubt that in the Record Office is storedmuch documentary evidence with regard to the yet but little studied historyof the armour made at the Greenwich State workshops, in which Henry VIIIand the great nobles of the time took such a deep interest. When the readerhas read this account of the Greenwich armour, he may well ask: "Where areall the armours which were made at these workshops from the year 151 1,when Henry VIII founded it, down to the period of the fine decorated suits,which still exist, and which we can identify as the productions of the work-

shops between the third quarter of the XVIth century and the end of thefirst quarter of the XVII th century? We know that the Greenwich armourersused no mark, but are we not almost forced to assume that amongst otherharnesses from Greenwich some must have been fine suits made for HenryVIII? The author has dealt at length with the double suit of Henry (Vol. iii.Figs. 1023 and 1024), and, in his natural endeavour to attribute this suitto a school, has given his reasons for suggesting that it was perhaps madein France and presented to Henry VIII by Francis I (vol. iii, page 230).The expert is asked to reconsider this attribution. Its quality is of thefinest, so is that of all the Greenwich suits which we can identify; its

general form is to be compared with the earliest of the Greenwich suits; the

elbows-cops of two pieces arc c(|ually characteristic, so are the close helmetIV 13 D

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSand the gauntlets. The brayette (\'ol. ili, Fig. 1026) is more like a piece ofGreenwich armour than that of any other school.

Sir Guy Laking suggests that the suit for fighting on foot, in the Tower(Class II, No. 6), which was made for Henry \TII, is English (Vol. iii.Fig. 1018), showing traces of German influence "adapted to a fashion thatmight almost be considered English" {ibid., p. 225); similarly he attributes

probable English workmanship to the .second suit for fighting on foot in theTower (Class II, No. 7), illustrated in vol. iii of this work (Fig. 1020). Thereare other fine armours in the Tower bearing no mark, the workmanship ofwhich, up to the present, has not been assigned to any particular nation,some of which Sir Guy Laking thought may have come from the Greenwichworkshops. It is suggested, therefore, that we need not limit our ideas ofGreenwich armour to the suits which we are about to describe in detail, butthat we may by careful study of much other armour which exists, covering thewhole period of the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Phillip and Mary,lilizabeth, and James I, perhaps attribute its provenance, in many cases, tothe Greenwich school.C.-D.]

The following list gives the complete series of the armours illustrated inthe MS. and shows which of the suits illustrated are now in existence.

NaMKS AND NUMDKRS ON TIIeDraWINCS,. ,

.

..^ Prksent Locations of the ArmoursOK THE Armours in the MS.1. The Earle of Rutlande (IM.R.) . Not known.The Earle of Bedforde (M.R.) . do.

3. The Earle of Lcs.seter(ist suit)(E.R.) do.

4. The Earle of Sussex (I'Mi ) . . The

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSNames and Numbers on the Drawings

OF the Armours in the MS.

1 1.

1 2.

My Lorde Northe (E.R.) .

The Duck of Norfocke (E.R.)

Present Locations oi-' the Armours

A portion of a suit very similar is in the Towerof London (Fig. 1105).

Fragments of a steel barde, somewhat similar indesign, are in the Tower of London of the

period of Henry VIII.

14

The Earle of Woster (markedE.R. There is a note in

Jacobe's handwriting:" Tkes

peces iver made by niejacobe ") . A portion of this suit is in the Tower of London(P"ig. 1 107). Formerly at Windsor Castle, butnow removed in September 19 14 to the Tower

by command of H.M. The King, are otherpieces of the suit consisting of a burgonet,buffe, breast- and backplate, gorget, taces,tassets,and reinforcing breastplate (Fig. 1 109).

Ser Henry Lee ( ist suit, which hasthe note in Jacobe's writing this

feld armor was made beyond see,and the e.\tra pieces have thenote also in Jacobe's writing thestillpeces ivcrc made by mejacobe) Not known,

Sur Cristofer Hattone (ist suit)

(E.R.) This suit which is at Windsor Castle (dated 1585)is very complete with tilt pieces and portionsof the horse armour (Figs. 1 1 13 and 1 1 14).

17. The Earle of Penbroucke (E.R.). The full suit is at Wilton House (Fig. 11 16).18. Ser Cristofer Hattone (2nd suit)

(E.R.) Not known: but the vamplate ol a lance be-

longing to it is in the Tower of London (Fig.1118).

. A portion of a suit is in the Tower of London(Fig. 1 1 19). F"ormerly at Windsor Castle,but removed in September 19 14 to the Towerof London by command of H.M. The King,are other portions of the suit (Pigs. 1 1 20 and1 121). The shield is in the MetropolitanMuseum of New York.

16.'

19. Ser Johne Smithe (E.R.)

20. Sr. Henry Lee, Mr. of tharmerie

(2nd suit) ... ... A close helmet belonging to this suit is in' There is no suit numbered 15, but there is no sign of any page being cut out, and it is probable that the

numbering was carelessly done.

16

ARMOUR OF IHE "GREENWICH" SCHOOLNa.MKS AMJ NuMKIiRS UN THK DRAWINGS

oi' Till': Armours in the MS.

2 1. The Earle of Cumbcrlandc

24.

i6:

Sr. Cristopfer Hatton (3rd suit) .Mr. Macke Williams ' . . . .My L. Chancellor {Sir Thomas

Bromley)My L. Cobbun (Cobham) . . .

Present Locations oe the Akmouks

the Tower of London (Fig. 1 123), and a lock-ing gauntlet in the Hall of the Armourers'and Brasiers' Company, London (Fig. 11 24),the burgonet, buffe, chanfron, and leg-armourare at Stockholm (Figs. 1125, 1126, 1127,and 1 1 28).

The full suit with certain reinforcing plates areat Appleby Castle (Figs. 1132, 1135, ^"

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSThere is a suit at Vienna made for Archduke Carl of Steiermark, ^\hich

Ilerr Bcxiheim considered to be from Topf's hands, and since, as \\e have said,

l-'iG. 1I02. Armour or Roisert Dudley, Earl ok Leicester, K.G. (1534-isSS;English (Greenwich school), third quarter of the XVIth century.Shown with its tilt pieces in position. The suit possesses its leg

defences, but they are not represented in this illustrationTower of London, Class 11, No. 81

Topf and Jacobe were until recently considered one and the .same person, \\epropose for purposes of compari.son to illustrate this harness (Fig. 1154).

18

ARMOUR OF THE "GREENWICH" SCHOOLWe will briefly review those pieces of the Greenwich school that are

at present known to ustakin^Q^ them in the order of the list.-{' ^

Thegauntletsfyoni the arnio/if of Thomas Rateliffe, EarlofSussex, K.G.,1525-83. no^v in the Riggs Collection, Metropolitan Museum of New York(Fig. 1 100). They once possessed finger plates; but these are now missing.In the centre of the cuff of the left gauntlet is a circular hole with the threadof a screw

,

to which was fastened the largebridle gauntlet or mainfere. Fine etchingand gilding decorate these gauntlets in accord-ance with the design in the MS. The illustra-tion (Fig. I loi) is the reproduction of figure 4in the MS., "The Earle of Sus.sex."

*- *

The armour of Rol)ert Dudley, Earl ofLeicester, K.G. (1534-88), in the Tower ofLondon (Fig. 1102). This does not exactlycorrespond with the illustration in the MS.,the engraxing of the

"

ragged staff"

beingdifferently disposed about the surface; butmost certainly this armour was made for thePiarl of Leicester, as is evidenced by the

Ragged Staff of the Beauchamps, placedsaltire-fashion and charged with the crescentof cadency. In the drawing in the JacobeMS. (Fig. 1 103) the Muzzled Bear appearson the elbow

-cops and on the chanfron; inthe Tower suit it occurs frequently, as doesalso the (ieorge of the Order of the (iarter.The absence of the latter from the suit drawn in the MS. is as peculiar asis the presence of the engraxing on the Tower suit of the collar and badge ofthe Order of St. Michael, which limits the execution of the suit to the period1566-88, and is exidence of the high favour in which the wearer was held bythe jealous Queen. In place of the mail sollerets with toe-caps only of plate.which are seen in the drawing, the Tower armour shows complete platesollerets. The body armour is quite complete; the horse armour extant com-

prises the chanfron and the saddle steels. The extra pieces consist of the grand-guard, the reinforcing elbow-guard, and the bridle gauntlets.

19

Fu.. 1 10 The E.vki.k of Lessktek "

(second suit)Xo. 8 in the Jacobe MS.

Fig. 1 104. The Earl of LeicesterFrom a picture by F'ederigo Zuccaro. The Flarl is represented wearing a suit almost similar

to that illustrated in Fig. 1 102. Collection: The Duke of Sutherland20

Fig. 1 105. Parts ok the armour of Lord NorthThe horse armour is associated. Engh'sh (Greenwich school), third quarter of the

XVIth century. Tower of London, Class II, No. 82IV 21 E

Fig. II05A. Burgonet

Belonging to the suit of Henry Herbert, Earl of Pembroke (1534-1601)English (Greenwich School), third quarter of the XVIth century

Collection : The Earl of Pembroke,Wilton House, Salisbury

22

ARMOUR OF THE "GREENWICH" SCHOOLThis suit figures eight times in the inventories of c;reen\vich and the

Tower, first in the 1611 inventory of "the greene gallerie, Greenwich": "oneTylte armr compleate graven w"' the ragged staffe made for the Earle ofLeicester the horse having a Steele sadlc and a foreparte of barbe plainea Crynit and shaffron pcell guilte and graven w"' a hinderparte for a horsemade of plates of Steele and a bridle." In the 1629 inventory of the"Greene (iallerie, Greenwich

"

(as it is still called) is the same entry; butthe suit is

"upon horse." In the 1660 in-ventory it is at the Tower

" In the Hall ofthe Leiftenn't of the Tower." The entry isthe same. In the 1676 inventory there is a

slightly different entry:"

Upon a like horseCompleat Armour Cappape w"' ye RaggedStaff w*'' a Main Guard and Pass-efuardmade for ye Earle of Leicester, y** horsefurniture being a shaffron Crinett and Brest-plate of ye same, saddle and Raynes." Inthe 1683 inventory there is the same entry;but in addition to the main guard and pass-guard there is allusion to "a manifare and

gaunlet." In the 1688 inventory and valua-tion there is the same entry and a valuationof the suit at ;^2o8. This is again repeatedin the inventories of 1691 and 1693. Fromthe year 1708 until the year 1827, despiteits clear history, the armour was shown inthe chronological line of kings as havingbelonged to King James I. In a portrait ofthe I{arl of Leicester by Zuccaro (Fig. 1 104) the Earl is represented wearinga suit almost similar to the one we have described (Fig. 1102).

-* - -

The armour of Lord North (Fig. 1105). In all probability many of theplates placed upon the figure in the Tower of London Armoury are part of theharness illustrated in drawing No. 11 in the Jacobe MS. (Fig. 1106); thoughwith the exception of the pauldrons, jambs, and soUerets they do not accordexactly with the design of the drawing. The plates which now compose thesuit at the Tower are probably those interchangeable with them. They arewhite armour with simple bands recessed and gilded.

* * *

23

Fk;. I 106. "Mv LOkDK NOkTME'No. 1 1 in the Jacobe MS.

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSThe armour of the Duke of Norfolk (1536-72). The two pieces of a

steel bard forming the sides of the crupper (Class VI, No. 85), preserved inthe Tower of London, perhaps belong to this suit. They are of the period of

Henry VIII. The drawing of the suit in the Jacobe MS. is numbered"

12,"

and has a slashed decoration.

The armour of Williaiu Somerset, Earl of PVorcester, K.G. (1526-89).In the Tower of London is part of the suit (Class II, No. 83); there were

formerly at Windsor Castle some other portions of the same harness which,by command of H.M. the King, were sent to the Tower in 1914 (Class II,No. 83A). The suit in the Tower (Fig. 1107), which follows closely the

drawing No. 13 in the Jacobe MS. (Fig. 11 12), consists of the followingpieces: a burgonet with falling bufife, the whole 10 lb. 6 oz., a breastplateof 20 lb., a backplate of 20| lb., pauldrons of 14 lb. (the left still having itsupright neck-guard), complete arm-defences of 1 1 lb. 1 2 oz. ; gauntlets, largetassets detachable in the middle, complete leg armour, and plate toe-caps.These toe-caps have a square termination without any swell at the sides, asis the case in some suits. There is in the Tower an additional close helmet

(also Class II, No. 83), a pin at the back of which passes through a hole inthe gorget fixing it rigidly. This prevents any rotatory movement of the

head-piece which would otherwise be possible by reason of the roped con-struction of its base. It weighs 14 lb. (Fig. 1 108). The Tower also possessesthe chanfron of the horse armour belonging to the suit, and it is shown in

Fig. 1 107.The armour formerly at Windsor Castle belonging to this suit (Fig. 1 109)

consists of another breast- and backplate, gorget, tace, long tassets, and the

open burgonet helmet with hinged cheek-pieces and protective buffe, armedwith two falling plates. These particular pieces are interesting from a con-structional point of view. The breastplate is slightly peascod in form. Thegussets, which are separate and attached by sliding rivets, fail, however,to continue to the upper corners of the breastplate, and stop abruptlywithin 1 1 in. of the upper edge to allow space for the fastening of the

steel-hinged strap that connects the back- to the breastplate. A similar hingedstrap is attached beneath the arm gussets. In the centre of the shoulder-strapcan be seen a small cylindrical projection, with a spring catch in the centre.This was for the attachment of the pauldron; it passed through a hole in the

topmost plate, and was by this means kept in position. Projecting staples arealso seen on either side of the breastplate; these were for the attachment of the

24

Fig. 1 107. Armour of William Somerset, e:arl of Worcester (1526-89)With the exception of the chanfron and crinet the horse armour is

associated. English (Greenwich school), third quarter of theXVIth century. Tower of London, Class II, No. 83

25

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS

reinforcing breastplate shown in the lower half of Fig. 1 109. The tassets aredetachable at the third plate, an arrangement which made the plates hang betterwhen the wearer was on horseback, as can be seen in the case of the Tower suit.The open burgonet helmet, which is forged from one piece of metal, has a

finely modelled comb; the protecting umbril is fashioned from another plate,and is attached by rivets. The cheek-pieces are large and full, having asmall movable plate at their extreme ends; to this was formerly riveted the

strap that buckled beneath the chin. The buffe is attached by hooks fastenedto its side, which pass through eyes in the cheek-pieces; it is further held

rigidly in position by means of an oblong slot working on a rivet fitted tothe cheek-piece. The additional pieces formerly in Windsor Castle also

Fk;. 1108. AniJiTioNAi. ci.osk iiiii.MET TO Tiiii SUIT (Fui. 1107)Tower of London, Class II, No. 83

included a reinforcing breastplate. The decoration of the w hole suit is simple,and very characteristic of work of this school, consisting of broad verticalbands slightly recessed and incised with double lines and fully gilt. Thesebands are connected at intervals by narrower bands verging at right anglesfrom them. The narrower bands are shaped to the outline of three crescents

joined end to end, an arrangement which at a distance gives a scale-like appear-ance to the surface. Taken separately, the weight of the armour formerly atWindsor is as follows: the burgonet 19 lb., the breastplate 9 lb., the back-

plate 9 lb., the gorget 6.' lb., the tassets 261b., the e.xtra breastplate 10 lb., andthe small reinforcing chin-piece i^ lb., making the extraordinary total of 81 lb.In connection with the great weight of this suit it is interesting to note that

parts have been enlarged by the insertion of pieces of metal, although the cir-26

ARMOUR OF THE "GREENWICH" SCHOOLcumference of the jamb on the Tower suitnow measures only i6 inches and of theankle 1 1 inches. One of the suits reputedto have been made for King Henry VIIIin the Tower of London (Vol. iii, p. 224,Fig. 1 01 8, and ante, p. 14), weighs con-

siderably more than this ; but it is a com-

plete suit. In the Armoury of the Knightsof St. John, at Malta, there is a half suitmade for the Grand Master Alof deWignacourt, early in the XVI Ith century,apparently for sapping purposes, of the

great weight of 1 10 lb. It is No. 413 in theauthor's catalogue of 1902.

From 1708 until 1827 the Tower ofLondon portion of the Worcester suitdid duty in the line of kings for thearmour of Edward I; for according toMeyrick Ed^vard I Avas armoured in"blue steel armour with sjilt slashinefsone

'

pas-guard'

and chain shoes." Thisis the only suit in the Tower to-day towhich this rather vague description mightbe said fairly to correspond; though thesurface of the armour is certainly notblue now but has been scoured "white."In John Hewitt's mid-XIXth centurycatalogue of the Tower this armour is re-ferred to as that of Francis Hastings, Earlof Huntingdon. The portion of the Wor-cester suit formerly at Windsor Castleused to figure under the heading of the

Fig. 1 109. Part of the suit (Fig. 1107)Made for William Somerset, Earl of Worcester. Eng-lish ^Greenwich school), third quarter of the XVIthcentury. Formerly in the Armoury of Windsor Castle,but removed to the Tower of London in 1914 by

command of II. M. the King (Class H, No. 83A)27

Fig. U09

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSarmour of the Black Prince. At Badminton, in the collection of the Dukeof Beaufort, there is a contemporary portrait of the third Earl of Worcester

wearing apparently this armour (Fig. iiio), also an engraving taken froma variation of the same portrait, in which the suit in question is even more

clearly shown (Fig. nil). The extra pieces of this suit are especially

Fk;. mo. roRTR.viT OK AN Earl OF Worcester.

.

By an unknown artist, wearing the armour (Fig. 1107)Collection: The Dulie of Beaufort, Badminton

interesting because the drawing of them in the Jacobe MS. is signed: thespeces wer made by me Jacobe.

* * *

The armour ofSir ChristopherHatton ( 1 540-9 1 ) , now in the Armoury ofWindsor Castle (Fig. 1 1 13). The decoration of this suit follows closely that ofthe drawing,

" Sir Christofer Hattone," No. 16 in the Jacobe MS. (Fig, 1 1 15).28

ARMOUR OF THE "GREENWICH" SCHOOLConsiderable mystery surrounds the past history of this suit, and despite themost careful research, no satisfactory account can Be given of it ; for the traditionas to its provenance is contradictory. Until 1877 the suit was in the possessionof the Dymock family, the hereditary champions of England. It made its firstpul)lic reappearance in 1857, when it was exhibited at the Manchester Art

h'u.. 1 1 1 1. From an engraving taken vrom a variationOF THE portrait (FIG. I I lO)

Treasures Exhibition by Sir Henry Dymock of Scrivelsby Court, Lincolnshire.It was then noted by Mr. Planche

" that the horse armour belonging to the suitis still in the possession of Her Majesty the Queen, and has been graciouslysent from Windsor for exhibition, whilst a second plate from the saddle is lentby Colonel Meyrick." Twenty years after, in July 1877, on the death of Sir

Henry, the suit was offered for sale at Christie's, the following being anIV 29 F

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMSextract from the sale catalogue. "The cap a pie suit of armour of anofficer of the Guard of Queen Elizabeth, engraved and gilt with the doubleE interlaced and the Royal crown, a figure of Mercury, trophies of arms, etc.,date 1585, consisting of helmet, with visor and bevor, pauldrons, rerebraces,vambraces, elbow pieces, and gauntlets, breastplate and placket, backplate,tassets, cuisses, knee-pieces, jambs, sollerets, and spurs. The gorget of .laterdate. Used by the Champion at the Coronation of King (ieorge I., when itwas selected from the Royal Armoury for that purpose and retained by

Fk;. 1112. "Tn-E Earle OF Woster"No. 13 in the Jacobe MS.

him as customary fee." At the sale the reserve price of ;^"2,ooo placed upon itwas not reached, and the suit was afterwards disposed of privately to the lateMr. James Gurney, who, after keeping it for .some little time, sold it withother portions of his collection of armour and arms to the late M. Spitzerof Paris. On the death of M. Spitzer, at the sale of his collection in1894, it was again offered for auction, but again bought in, not realizingthe sum M. Mannheim, the Paris expert, considered it to be worth. Fornearly six years it remained in the possession of Madame Spitzer, until thelate Sir Charles Robinson, realizing the historical value it possessed for the

30

Vu,. 1 113. AkMOUR Ob Sir Christopher Hatton (1540-1591)The gorget is associated. English (Greenwich school), and dated 1 585.

H.M. The King, Windsor Castle

31

EUROPEAN ARMOUR AND ARMS

Crown, made efforts to find a permanent home for it in this country byinteresting himself in a scheme for presenting it to Queen Victoria on hereightieth birthday. However, owing to certain difficulties that occurred in the

t)rganization of the subscription list, the project for purchase fell through forthe time, and