Breastplate (body armour): HEN.M.13C-1933

Maker(s)

Unknown

Entities

• Breastplate (body armour)

Categories

• Armour

Description

Breastplate with associated skirt, for light field use. Formed of a main plate of 'peascod' fashion, with moveable gussets at the arm-openings and an associated skirt of two upward-overlapping lames. The broad, concave neck-opening and the gussets at the arm-openings have file-roped inward turns. That at the neck is bordered by a V-shaped rib showing traces of file-roping. The turn of the right gusset is cracked at its lower end. The main plate also shows a crack midway down its left arm-opening. This has subsequently been repaired by brazing. The arm-openings of the main plate are bordered by pairs of incised lines. The gussets at the arm-openings are secured to the main plate by modern, brass-capped, round-headed rivets with square, internal washers at their upper and lower ends. The hole for the lower rivet of the left gusset has been moved slightly outwards. Attached by a modern, brass-capped, round-headed rivet at each shoulder is a double-ended, tongued, iron buckle with simple incised decoration on its loops and a plain, rectangular hasp with cropped corners. The rivet in each case passes through both the main plate and the gusset. The lower edge of the main plate is flanged outwards to receive the skirt. The skirt is formed of two upward-overlapping lames of chevron-shape. The lower edge of the second lame is cut off straight over the crotch, where it is accompanied by a file-roped inward turn accompanied by a recessed border and raised rib. The border is occupied by three brass-capped, round-headed lining-rivets. The upper edge of each lame is bordered by a single incised line. The skirt is attached to the flange of the breastplate by a modern round-headed rivet of brass, set a short distance in from each side. The lames of the skirt are connected to one another by modern, brass-capped, round-headed rivets with a square internal washer at each side. The upper edge of the second lame is fitted at either side with a pair of modern buff-leather straps for the suspension of tassets. Each strap is secured by a pair of brass-capped, round-headed rivets with square, internal washers. The lower left corner of the second lame is cracked. Part of the composite half armour HEN.M.13A-F-1933.

Notes

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

Legal notes

J.S. Henderson Bequest

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart

Dating

16th Century, Late
Production date: circa AD 1580

Note

North Italian

The breastplate and skirt are bright with a light patination overall.

The poor fit of the skirt and the fact that it is decorated with single incised lines, rather than the pairs of incised lines found on the breastplate, indicates that it has been associated with the latter. Further evidence of the association of the skirt is provided by the cutting of its upper edge to make it conform to the shape of the breastplate. This has resulted in the loss of the central section of the incised border at the upper edge of the skirt. The workmanship of the turn, recessed border and raised rib at the centre of the lower edge of the skirt, suggest that they represent modern reworking. Differences in the character of the roping of the gussets at the arm-openings suggest that they did not originally form a pair. The inner edge of the right gussets has low cusps at its articulation-points, which are absent from the left gusset. The lower articulating-rivet of the left gusset occupies a hole just to the outside of an earlier hole. It is possible that both gussets are associated with the main plate of the breastplate. The fact that the rivets that secure the buckles for the shoulder-straps pass through both the gussets and the main plate in a way that restricts their movement, lends support to this possibility, as there are no other holes available for the attachment of the buckles.