Hi, I new to the forums, I hope I'm posting this in the right area.

Is it possible to find a sword that someone other then a king may have used. I have traced that I am a Nephew of Lord Hastings of the civil war in 1455-1487 (Shakespear's "War of the Roses"). I know he lead forces in some of these battles, captured, and one of the first, if not the first noble, to have his shoulders relived of the burden of his head.

Anyway, I guess what I am asking, would a Lord have a distinctive sword and armor while I'm at it, and if so, do you think any description of it may exist?

Thanks,
Mike

He was one of the commanders at the Battle of Towton, so you should try a web search for that. You should be able to get a very good idea of the types of armor and weapons in use at the time. He likely would have been very well equipped. If you are asking *exactly* what equipment he had, that might not be possible. Still, for a man of his stature it wouldn't be unlikely to find an actual portrait of him.

Regards,
Brian M

Welcome to another Birminghamster!

It's an interesting question, and one that also appeals to me personally. Collecting arms and armour that have some significance to one's family history is a neat way to build and organize a collection.

Have you seen this page?
http://members.tripod.com/~midgley/hastings.html#William

There are several Lords Hastings listed there in association with the famous Battle of Towton. You'll be able to find tons of information about that battle. I recommend getting a copy of Blood Red Roses, which describes the archaeology of a mass grave from the battle. The nice thing about this book is that it not only includes the forensic analysis of the remains, but also provides excellent historical context and chapters describing the arms and armour of the period (for both common soldiers and noblemen). It's a pricey book (around $50) but worth having for lots of reasons, especially if you have a family connection to the battle.

As for a specific sword--Short of finding a sword engraved "Property of Lord Hastings," it's doubtful that anybody is going to even suggest that his specific weapon has been identified. It might exist out there somewhere, though. If you're just looking for a nice replica of a sword of his era, your task is actually pretty easy. On the cheap end there's an outfit called Museum Replicas Limited ( www.museumreplicas.com). They sell a nice replica of a 15th century sword and actually call their sword The Towton. That's around $225. At the other end, Albion also offers replicas of appropriate type for a nobleman of the War of the Roses era. Those arms are more of an investment but by all accounts worth every penny. You can view their arms here:

www.albion-swords.com

Quality replica armour is very expensive, and I couldn't tell you where to begin looking for it. I'm sure somebody will chime in on that score.

Good luck!

I'm no expert on the subject, but you may have a tough one there. All I can suggest is research, research, and more research. Any nobleman would surely have armor and weapons of a higher quality and of more adornment than the common foot soldier, it would seem. Look up all you can on all the topics related to the subject. This will include Medieval manuscripts. Sorry to say ,though, that there is just usually less written about lesser nobles and Lords than was written about royalty and famous knights. Your search may be long, but with dilligence, may turn up more than you know. I know for a fact, that searching for ancestors clear back to the earlier centuries is a painstaking ordeal. Good luck. MCM.

I forgot to mention that although a full plate armour harness could easily cost as much as a good used car, you'll find it relatively easy to find an inexpensive replica helmet typical of what a nobleman of the era would wear, and a helm makes a nice shelf display. MRL offers at least one "Sallet," and I think it's in the $200 range. As with swords, prices go up from there. At least one Czech manufacturer does beautiful work with helms and armour and their prices are great. I don't recall the name of that place, though.

Living history folks representing a king and duke at the Battle of Tewkesbury, from this site:
http://homepages.shu.ac.uk/~conseal/photos/photo.htm

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Sean,

Who was the author of Blood Red Roses? A search comes up with numerous books with that title.

Thank you all for the information.

I am a decendant of his Nephew, which I will get his name, that makes Hastings my great great great-----Uncle.

I was wronge about his beheading. He was not captured during the war and one of the first beheaded, near the end of the wars he was accused of treason and the first person beheaded in the Tower of London. Sorry about that.

He's in Shakespeare, too. Henry IV I think.

Patrick, check Amazon for the book. I can't recall the author, but the cover has a picture of an excavated skull with a perfect square hole it from a hammer backspike.

Brian M

Here's a link to the book at Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-...mp;s=books

Historical references and sources for England in the 2nd half of the 15th century are a little thin. It won't be easy to find reliable information on Hastings or anyone else.

Wasn't he executed by Richard III around 1484?

If you can find Hastings' tomb, it is possible that his funeral "achievements" are at the sarcophagos or somewhere in the church. achievments translates to the deceased's weapons, helmet, etc. which were hung above the tomb. Examples - Henry V, Edward the Black Prince. I'm not sure how common a practice it was. If Hastings did have a sword at his tomb, and it is (very likely) gone, there may still be some documentation about it in the church.

Also, if his tomb has an effigy, it will likely include a carving of a sword, which might be a generic stonecutter's design, or it might reflect a sword belonging to Hastings.

Hi ,

William,Lord Hastings ,the Kings Chamberlain,was more murdered than executed really. While attending a council meeting in the Tower on 13th June 1483,he managed to offend the 'Protector',the soon to be Richard III,so much so that the 'protector' is supposed to have uttered the words;" I will not dine until your head be brought ! ",where upon the guards promptly took Hastings outside forced him to lay with his head upon a log and swiftly cut it off !

Beautiful Milanese and gothic armour was being used at this period.If you are looking for a reasonable ,but cheap reproduction of the armour of this period ,perhaps the best of the Czech armourers are ;

www.bestarmour.com

They make very nice ,very reasonably priced armour.I think that in their price range,really the cheaper end of the market, they offer the best quality for the money.They are well worth a look.

Hope that this is of interest.

Regards as ever,

Russ