I've read through a lot of threads concerning brigandines, but I can't seem to find what I'm looking for. I want to see what kind of variations existed among brigandines from the 16th century and, if any, from the 17th century. I have seen a lot of jacks-of-plate, but hardly anything concerning what would be considered a "traditional" brigandine. Surviving pieces, images from period art, anything will do. I'm having a hard time pulling anything out of the googlesphere.

Joe, Check out ASH's Facebook page - he posts details there of the sources for his various brigs. Might have some leads for you.

Who is ASH? I can't find the acronym on FB.

ASH

Armour Services Historical: http://www.armour-services-historical.co.uk/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ArmourServices

Neil.

Or you could always try this :D

I know this is an old thread, but if you are still following it, check out the books "Martin's Hundred" and "The Archaeology of Martin's Hundred", by Ivor Noel Hume (d. Feb. 4, 2017). Mr. Hume, in the 1970's and 1980's, excavated the site of Wolstenholme Towne, the main settlement of the 17th Century Virginia plantation known as Martin's Hundred, which was decimated by the Indian attacks of 1622. Among the artifacts discovered were two close helmets (the first such discovered in North America), partial backplates (one nearly intact and found in a well under the first close helmet discovered, and the second deliberately broken up and thrown into a potter's pond), as well as the square plates from jacks and the small riveted plates from brigandines. Records show that a number of old, obsolete brigandines were shipped to the colonies from England, as well as old armor plates intended to be cut up into jack plates (at least one jack plate recovered at the Wolstenholme Towne site had a rivet in it showing that it had, indeed, once been part of a piece of plate armor).

As a side note, a nearly intact jack of plates was found at Jamestowne, only 7 miles away from Martin's Hundred, during the Jamestowne Rediscovery excavations just prior to the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestowne, celebrated in 2007.