Hello all-

I'm assembling the kit for a late 14th century man-at-arms or knight. I have millions of questions, but let me focus on one topic for the time being. I'm putting together a mail haubergeon (albeit with 14 guage butted steel). For the time being, the neck hole is large enough to allow my head to pass through it. From images of Bertrand du Guesclin's effigy at St. Denis and from other effigies from the next century, I've noticed many knights with cylindrical mail collars that extend over the Adam's apple, with perhaps a buckle at the neck. My questions:

1) I'm interested in historically whether these extensions are part of the mail haubergeon or an additional piece of mail just around the neck. Do you have other examples, either actual mail, effigies or art to support one or the other?

2) I'm interested in how buckles or ties/points might be attached to the mail to allow a slit that can be closed, and

3) Were mail shirt neck slits of the late 14th century typically in the front or back?

Thank you very much for your help and expertise,

-Paul Tompkins

There is an example of one in the Wallace. The mail collar stands up maybe two inches? The rings are much smaller than the rest of the haubergeon so perhaps it is an addition or alteration. Front opening necklines are common enough in surviving examples.

Thanks Kel! I'll have to find a photo of the Wallace example. I'm just scratching the surface of this forum (only 11 pages deep so far), not to mention other web-based photos. I should be able to find it!

Cheers,

-Paul

A maille standard (collar) was a separate piece of armor that started showing up in the later 14th century. The examples I've seen are padded on the inside with leather or linen and are buckled in the back. The standard would cover the larger neck hole gap in the maille haubergeon.
Also, an aventail on a bascinet would serve the same purpose as the standard.

Jonathan-

Thank you. I had not heard the term "standard" or of an independent collar of mail before this. Did the collar extend to the shoulders, chest and back like the mantle of a coif (or a bishop's mantle) or was it, for lack of better terminology, like an oversized choker?

It seems that a stiff collar (an approximation of the later gorget) would provide far better protection than either the aventail or mail coif, which tend to seem relatively floppy (at least without tied points to the chest and back).

Finally, do you happen to know of any art, effigies or artifacts that illustrate one of these standards so that I can get a better sense of their construction, and to point to when substantiating the historical evidence?

Thanks again,

-Paul