Posts: 1,220 Location: Cork, Ireland
Sun 09 Jul, 2017 10:31 am
Jason. I didn't mean to suggest that the Highland targe was modelled on the steel target. As you say there are many differences between the two types of
shield. What I think, is that both of these shields shared a common ancestor in the round wooden targets of the late medieval period.
Here is a link one of many examples of an Italian wooden target, taken as a trophy after the Battle of Giornico (1478):
https://new.liveauctioneers.com/item/7138175_476-a-milanese-shield-from-the-battle-of-giornico If I remember correctly, these targets are all between 22 and 24 inches in diameter, so on average about 4 inches larger than your typical Highland targe.
Apart from the surviving examples, we have visual evidence for similar targets used in various other European countries:
http://manuscriptminiatures.com/search/?tags=%22target%22 You will notice that many of these targets are fairly small, similar in size to Highland targes.
During the 16th century most (but not all) of these targets started being made convex rather that flat, and many are now made from steel rather than wood. There are over 350 targets listed in the inventories of Henry VIII and in most cases the construction materials is unspecified. However 8 are said to be made of wood, and 5 from steel. I suspect that many more of these targets were made from wood as they are described as painted, and I don't know of any evidence to suggest that steel targets were painted.
Wooden targets were used alongside steel targets right the way through the Elizabethan period in England. An entry in the records of the Privy Council dating to January 1600 lists the equipment of 300 men about to ship off for service in Ireland. They were equipped as follows; 120 Calivermen, 72 Musketeers, 60 Pikemen, 30 Halberdiers, 18 "Men with targets of wood and other arms". As I said before, the Gaelic word targaid was a borrowing from the English word target. It is possible that Gaels adopted the type of shield as well as the name from the English.