The Armourer and His CraftAs soon as the armed man realized that iron and steel were the best defences for his body, he would naturally insist that some sort of a guarantee should be given him of the efficacy of the goods supplied by his armourer. This system of proving armour would be effected by using those weapons commonly in use, and these, in the early times, were the sword, the axe, the lance, the bow, and the crossbow. The latter seems to have been the more common forms of proof, though as late as the seventeenth century we have evidence that armour was proved with the "estramaon" or sword blow. -from "The Proof of Armour" Not a history of defensive armor but rather a guide to the actual making of armor, as well as the regulations that governed the artisans who made it, this is a fascinating-and practical-handbook on the production, selling, and wearing metal traditional medieval body armor. First published in 1912, this classic book-by British historian and author CHARLES JOHN FFOULKES (1868-1947), curator of London's Royal Armouries-draws on records of the time to detail the tools and appliances of the trade, the decoration and cleaning of armor, the use of leather and fabrics, and much more to offer a complete reference for readers of period fiction and history, wargamers, costumers, and anyone fascinated by the craft of the armorer. This replica of the 1912 edition is complete with all of the original diagrams, illustrations, and photos. |
Contents
TOOLS APPLIANCES | 22 |
IRON AND STEEL | 38 |
THE CRAFT OF THE ARMOURER | 44 |
THE PROOF OF ARMOUR | 62 |
THE DECORATION OF ARMOUR | 73 |
THE CLEANING OF ARMOUR | 78 |
THE USE OF LEATHER | 96 |
THE WEARING OF ARMOUR | 104 |
THE ARMOURERS COMPANY OF THE CITY OF LONDON | 120 |
22 | 145 |
SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF NOTABLE ARMOURERS | 151 |
A EXTRACT FROM THE RECORDS OF THE ARMOURERS COMPANY OF LONDON 1322 | 169 |
TRAITÉ DU COSTUME MILITAIRE 1446 Du Costume Militaire des Français | 177 |
Other editions - View all
The Armourer and His Craft from the XIth to the XVIth Century Charles John Ffoulkes Limited preview - 1988 |
The armourer and his craft from the XIth to the XVIth century Charles John Ffoulkes Limited preview - 2021 |
Common terms and phrases
Almain anvil Appendix Arch Archæologia Armeria armet Armourer's arquebus arrow Augsburg bascinet brassard breast breastplate brigandine buff burgonet chayre circ Colman Company Conrad Seusenhofer Counsaille craft craftsman crossbow cuir cuir-bouilli cuirass cuisse dagger decorated defence effigy elbow-cop engraving entries fabric faczon fastened fifteenth gambeson gauntlet Germ German gild gorget Greenwich hammer harnois hauberk head-piece helm helmet Henry VIII horse horse-armour Innsbruck inventory iron Item Jacob Topf jambs Journ joust King laces lames lance leather linen London Madrid Master Maximilian metal Meyrick Milan Missaglia Musée d'Artillerie Museum Negroli O.It padded Paris pauldron piece pistol plaetes plate armour poleynes quilted records rerebrace Sabatons sallad shal shield sixteenth century sliding rivets sollerets splinted armour stamped steel suit surcoat sword taces tassets thanne Tower vambrace Vienna visor Wallace Collection weapon wearer whanne worn XV-XVI XVI cent