Armour

Neutronale

Does anyone know if medieval armour has ever been found in Ireland, or does anyone know of armour being found in any other country?

Simon.d

Not sure about the archaeology side, but here's a depiction of Irish Warriors (Gallowglass and Kern) dated 1521, by Albrecht Durer (1471 - 1528).

Neutronale

Thanks for that Simon.

I was just wondering if armour had been found in archaeological digs. I know there were two helmets found in Ireland but dont know if actual armour or fragments were discovered.

pueblo

I don't know but I would be surprised if there hasn't been some Viking armour found here.. but perhaps you're interested in indigenous stuff?

Did you see that late iron age helmet found near Canterbury UK just before Christmas? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-20594096

Neutronale

pueblo wrote: »

I don't know but I would be surprised if there hasn't been some Viking armour found here.. but perhaps you're interested in indigenous stuff?

Did you see that late iron age helmet found near Canterbury UK just before Christmas? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-20594096

Thats amazing pueblo.

It reminds me of a helmet that was mentioned in the Cú Chullin saga, worn by Loég, his charioteer.

Historians seem to be of the opinion that the story is from 1AD or thereabouts (same time as this helmet come to think of it) and that the idea of chariots and helmets might just be memories from Gaul or the continent and may not have existed at all in Ireland at the time (at least chariots).

Simon.d

Neutronale wrote: »

Does anyone know if medieval armour has ever been found in Ireland, or does anyone know of armour being found in any other country?

Armour collecting was a bit of a hobby of the aristocracy in the 1800s, and a suit of armour was a bit of a fashionable addition to the country pile.. So in that context a lot of armour was probably never lost in the first place, and possibly "taken down from the attic" by the original owners descendants..

The following was made for Henry Prince of Wales (1594 - 1612):



From County Down:

Neutronale

Simon.d wrote: »

Armour collecting was a bit of a hobby of the aristocracy in the 1800s, and a suit of armour was a bit of a fashionable addition to the country pile.. So in that context a lot of armour was probably never lost in the first place, and possibly "taken down from the attic" by the original owners descendants..

The following was made for Henry Prince of Wales (1594 - 1612):



From County Down:

Indeed, I was thinking about that, many of the old 'big houses' used to have a few suits of armour on display but aside from that, you had 10 centuries or thereabouts when armour was worn, traded, won in battle and stolen.

I imagine a lot of that must have survived and yet I cant remember hearing of many armour finds...

robp

Neutronale wrote: »

Does anyone know if medieval armour has ever been found in Ireland, or does anyone know of armour being found in any other country?

Some scraps of chainmail were found in the Waterford city excavations. Nothing more substantial though. A couple of shields from other periods around the country too.

Neutronale

robp wrote: »

Some scraps of chainmail were found in the Waterford city excavations. Nothing more substantial though. A couple of shields from other periods around the country too.

These are the shields from the museum, I think they're from the bronze age. I'm more interested in the later Iron age or middle-ages.

Neutronale

Not armour, but this is very interesting....

The Breathtaking Caherduggan Belt: Rubicon’s Best Ever Find?

By Damian Shiels on June 28, 2012in Cork County Council, Medieval Archaeology, Medieval Ireland, Rubicon Heritage


Some readers may recall one of last year’s posts about a find from our excavations for Cork County Council at Caherduggan Castle, Co. Cork. A medieval well produced a seemingly complete leather belt with what we thought were ‘metal studs’ along its length. Now conserved, these ‘metal studs’ have been revealed as heraldic shields, placed on what must surely rank as one of the greatest surviving secular medieval leather objects from medieval Ireland.

http://www.rubiconheritage.com/2012/06/28/the-breathtaking-caherduggan-belt-rubicons-best-ever-find/

robp

Neutronale wrote: »

These are the shields from the museum, I think they're from the bronze age. I'm more interested in the later Iron age or middle-ages.

Have you seen this well known Iron Age specimen?



I'd been surprised if there is not a few Norse shields too.

Neutronale

robp wrote: »

Have you seen this well known Iron Age specimen?



I'd been surprised if there is not a few Norse shields too.

Well done robp, I'd forgotten about that shield.

Its an excellent example, because its an actual shield meant for war rather than a ceremonial type which is what you usually get.

Neutronale

2,000 corpses from the battle of visby (1361) in Denmark were excavated in 1905, some of them still wearing their armour.

The armour was of pairs of plates type and has become well known amongst reinactors as Visby armour...



The metal plates being sewn inside a short jacket or waist coat.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Visby

riffmongous

I'm not sure if it would interest you but over here in Austria they have vast stores of armour and weapons from around 1500s onwards on display in museums. Mostly equipment that was stored in city armouries and eventually became obselete.It might be a later period than you might be interested in but if you are into armour and weapons the city armoury in Graz is a must see.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landeszeughaus

scamalert

was going to say something similar, Germany is known to have a lot of armors ranging from 1400 and onwards,had a chance to see one in someones house many years ago.

Aelfric

Dave Swift is your man - https://sites.google.com/site/claimhte/

He's an archaeologist and an Historical re-enactor.

Neutronale

From Caithréim Thoirdhealbhaigh this is a description of a chieftain preparing for battle, over his mail shirt he wears a tunic and then dons "scales". As usual with such descriptions it is fleeting and leaves more questions than answers but its interesting nevertheless and hints at this type of armour being used. The Caithréim Thoirdhealbhaigh was written in 1457 and is discussing events of 1317 in this passage:

Then Maccon got himself into his defensive gear: hard mail of proof, and a propitious tunic that was white, and overlaid with scales; in which garb as the chief was a-harnessing, and they [in their haste] had put it back in front upon him, he bade them return it carefully, and said ingeniously: ‘we shall be all the better for the oversight, which doubtless but portends some gain still greater [even than that we looked for]. Now solidly with their maintaining hooks clasp on the tippet and the comely mail; on my head fast tie the helmet; for this armour I will not exchange until as its price from yonder folk I win a better.’

http://www.ucc.ie/celt/published/T100062/index.html