Legharnesses: HEN.M.9K-1933

Maker(s)

Production: Unknown (In the style of)

Entities

• Legharnesses
• pair of legharnesses

Categories

• Armour

Description

Pair of legharnesses, for heavy cavalry use. Each formed of a cuisse, comprising a main plate, a detachable upper extension-plate and an integral winged poleyn of five lames; and a tubular, full-length greave with an integral sabaton of eight lames. The medially-ridged, gutter-shaped main plate of the cuisse widens to its straight upper edge which slopes up to the outside and has a file-roped inward turn. Secured by a round-headed rivet with an octagonal internal washer within the upper end of the outer edge of the main plate is a strap that passes around the back of the thigh and engages a tongued, double-ended iron buckle with oval loops and a rectangular hasp that is secured within the opposite edge of the main plate by a round-headed rivet with a circular internal washer. A vertical slot with rounded ends pierced just behind the buckle may have been intended to receive the strap-end. Located medially, towards the upper end of the main plate are a pair of horizontally-aligned, functionless round-headed rivets with circular internal washers. The upper edge of the main plate is pierced at its outer end with a large, horizontal keyhole-slot, at its centre with a horizontal rectangular slot and at its inner end with a smaller, horizontal keyhole-slot, that respectively engage a mushroom-shaped stud, a symmetrical turning-pin with a D-shaped head, and an asymmetrical turning-pin with a single projecting lug that are riveted at the lower edge of the upper extension-plate. A vacant hole is pierced just to the inside of the mushroom-shaped stud. The short, gutter-shaped upper extension-plate fits within the main plate. Its upper edge, which is very slightly convex, but otherwise runs nearly parallel to that of the main plate, has a file-roped inward turn accompanied by a recessed border. The border is occupied by six round-headed lining-rivets with circular internal washers. The lower edge of the main plate is overlapped by a poleyn of five medially-ridged lames that overlap outwards from the third which is shaped to the point of the knee and has a small oval wing with a slight pucker at its rear edge where it projects as an obtuse point. The edge of the wing is decorated with a file-roped inward turn accompanied by a recessed border. The edges of the lames are decorated medially with V-shaped nicks. The lames are connected to one another and the cuisse at their outer ends by round-headed rivets with circular internal washers. Attached by similar rivets and washers within each side of the third lame of the poleyn is a strap that fastens around the back of the knee by means of a double-ended, tongued, iron buckle that terminates the outer strap. The buckle matches that riveted within the outer edge of the cuisse. The inner strap of the right poleyn is incomplete, and the outer strap of the left poleyn is broken. The lower edge of the poleyn is pierced at its outer and inner ends with horizontal keyhole-slots that respectively engage a mushroom-headed stud and an asymmetrical turning-pin that are riveted at the upper edge of the front of the greave. The stud and pin are each fitted with a circular or polygonal internal washer. A hole is pierced just to the outside of the turning-pin. That in the right greave is plugged with an externally-flush rivet. The greave is of tubular, full-length form, closely shaped to the contours of the calf and ankle and flaring outward very slightly at the heel. It is formed of a front plate and a slightly shorter rear plate, both of which are medially-ridged. The rear plate fits within the front plate and is connected to it at the outside by an internal hinge at the top and an external hinge at the bottom. The internal hinge, which is accommodated within a trapezoidal notch cut within the edge of the rear plate, is of rectangular form with cropped corners, and secured at either end by a pair of round-headed rivets. The external hinge is of rectangular form with rounded ends, and secured at either end by a single round-headed rivet. The greave is fastened by two plain, circular studs that are respectively riveted at the upper and lower ends of the outer edge of the rear plate and engage corresponding circular holes pierced in the outer edge of its front plate. The concave upper edge and the straight lower edge of the rear plate each have file-roped inward turns. The sabaton which fits within the arched lower edge of the front plate of the greave, is formed of eight medially-ridged lames that overlap inwards towards the fourth which is considerably longer than the rest. The eighth lame constitutes the toe-cap, which is of rounded form, narrowing slightly to its front end. The lower edge of the front plate of the greave, the front edges of the first to third lames of the sabaton and the rear edges of the fifth to eighth lames of the sabaton are each decorated medially with a single V-shaped nick. The lames of the sabaton are connected to one another and to the greave at their outer ends by round-headed rivets with circular internal washers. Part of the composite armour HEN.M.9A-K-1933

Notes

History note: Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex

Legal notes

J.S. Henderson Bequest