Collar: M.1.4A-1936

Maker(s)

Unknown

Entities

• Collar

Categories

• Armour

Description

Collar, for field use, composed of plates of a similar period and fashion. Formed of three upward-overlapping lames front and rear. The top lame in each instance has a prominent, plain, inward turn at its upper edge. The bottom lame in each instance is considerably deeper than the rest. The front one has an obtusely-pointed lower edge, and the rear one, a slightly convex, almost straight lower edge. The lames are connected to one another at their outer ends with modern, brass-capped, round-headed, sliding-rivets with circular, internal washers. The rivets that connect the first and second lames to one another are set in slightly from those that connect the second and third lames to one another. The lower edges of the first lames are cut with broad triangular notches more or less aligning with the latter, and may represent the original location of the slots for the sliding-rivets that connected the first and second lames. The relocation of the slots was evidently made necessary by the trimming of the lower edges of the first lames which cut through the lower ends of the original slots. The outer ends of the first and second lames at the front also show evidence of trimming. The upper corners of the second and third lames at the rear have been cut away with nearly rectangular notches. The outer edges of the third lame at both the front and rear are decorated with plain, partial inward turns accompanied by shallow, recessed borders. The upper edges of the second and third lames at both the front and rear are decorated with single incised lines. The upper edge of the first lame at both the front and rear is fitted with four modern, brass-capped lining-rivets with circular internal washers. The lower edge of the third lame at the rear is pierced at its centre with a pair of lace-holes. The front and rear sections of the collar are connected to one another at the left side by a hinge with cropped corners secured within the first lames by a pair of externally-flush rivets front and rear. The front and rear sections are fastened to one another at the right side by a plain, circular stud that is riveted to a tongue-like projection of the first rear lame and engages a circular hole in the corresponding front lame. Modern, brass-capped, round-headed rivets located at either side of the third rear lame, on the tops of the shoulders, now serve no function but probably occupy the holes for the rivets that originally attached the fastenings for the shoulder-defences. Modern, single-ended, tongueless, brass buckles with oval loops and rectangular hasps, attached by externally-flush rivets occupying modern holes pierced some distance above the original holes, now serve to connect the shoulder-defences. A modern hole pierced in the right end of the third front lame aligns with the modern hole for the attachment of the right buckle in the third rear lame, and may at one time have served to secure the two lames to one another. Located at each of the lower corners of the third front lame is a round-headed rivet with a circular internal washer. The left rivet is brass-capped. The rivets probably occupy construction-holes for which no corresponding construction-holes exist, however, in the third rear lame. Part of the composite half armour M.1.4A-E-1936.

Notes

History note: According to information probably supplied by Sir James Mann, and recorded under Acc. No. M.2-1950 in the Department of Medieval, Renaissance & Modern Works accession register, the composite armour of which the present piece forms a part was successively in the collections of [Louis] Bachereau, [S.J.] Whawell, [Sir Edward] Barry and Colville. E.W. Stead's own manuscript catalogue confirms that the armour came from the Barry collection. Mrs E.W. Stead and Mr Gilbert Stead of Dalston Hall, Cumberland.

Legal notes

Given by Mrs E.W. Stead and Mr Gilbert Stead

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1936-01-15) by Stead, E. W. and Gilbert

Dating

16th Century, Early#
Circa 1500 CE - 1530 CE

Note

The collar is heavily pitted overall and, except for the first lames and the borders of the second and third lames, which remain bright with a medium patination, has been coloured black to make it match the armour with which it is now associated.

The lack of construction-holes in the third rear lame aligning with those occurring in the corresponding front lame might be taken as an indication that those two lames did not originally belong to one another, although they are otherwise well matched and must at the very least have derived from the same series of armours. The first and second lames are less heavily patinated internally than the third lames. This might be taken as an indication that the former are associated with the latter, but could perhaps be the result of the reworking that the former underwent when their lower edges were trimmed. The trimming of these edges and of the outer edges of the first two front lames suggests, nevertheless, that the plates that now make up the collar were adapted to one another, even if, as appears from their similar character, they derived from the same series of armours.

Western European