Backplate (body armour): HEN.M.17D-1933

Maker(s)

Production: Unknown

Entities

• Backplate (body armour)

Categories

• Armour

Description

Backplate, for use by a cuirassier. The backplate is made in one piece with an upstanding flange at its neck-opening and a flange at the waist. Its arm-openings, narrow neck-opening and waist-flange have plain inward turns. The turns at the arm-openings are bordered by pairs of incised lines. Riveted at each shoulder is a broad, modern, scaled shoulder-strap pierced at its distal end with three large, circular holes to engage the studs of the breastplate. Riveted at each side is a modern pierced stud that serves to receive the swivel-hooks riveted at each side of the breastplate. Pierced below each of the swivel-hooks is a pair of holes that probably originally served to retain a waist-belt. The area around the outer hole at the right side is much damaged. Riveted at the left and right sides of the waist-flange, respectively, are a pierced circular stud and a mushroom-shaped stud for the attachment of a missing skirt. Part of the composite three-quarter armour HEN.M.17A-G-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

17th Century#
Circa 1620 CE - 1630 CE

Note

The armour is bright with a variable light to medium patination overall. It has suffered some dents, buckles and cracks.

The backplate and breastplate do not fit each other perfectly, but otherwise match each other so well that they probably derive from the same series of armours. The form of their neck opening indicates that they were intended for wear without a collar. It is conceivable that they were originally made for wear by an harquebusier together with an open-faced close helmet, pauldrons and a skirt.