armour storage and transport -- myArmoury.com

Christian G. Cameron · Posted: Thu 14 Jun, 2012 6:16 am Post subject: armour storage and transport

I'd be very interested in knowing how we think armour was stored and transported. Wicker baskets? In bags? Oiled bags?

Any evidence at all?

Thanks in advance!

Corey Skriletz · Posted: Fri 15 Jun, 2012 8:17 pm Post subject:

Well I don't know what stored would have been, or what particular era you are wondering about, but I know that around the time of the Norman invasion to carry maille coats around, they would just shove a stick through one sleeve and out the other and have two guys carry each coat.

Here are the Normans carrying their weapons and armor into battle.

http://rubens.anu.edu.au/htdocs/laserdisk/0214/21438.JPG

Christian G. Cameron · Posted: Fri 22 Jun, 2012 1:06 pm Post subject:

Ahh--thanks. I'm thinking late 14th-early 15th century

Michal Plezia · Industry Professional

Check this chest

http://www.marhamchurchantiques.com/antique/e...rers-chest

Jojo Zerach · Posted: Sat 23 Jun, 2012 8:48 am Post subject:

I think it was stored in chests. I recall seeing one or two manuscripts showing armour chests.
(Remember at the time, chests were a fairly common way of storing things.)

Ralph Grinly · Posted: Sat 23 Jun, 2012 3:18 pm Post subject:

I've no basis for my viewpoint of what they actually *did* use for storage..but I know my hauberk has been quite happily stored for about the last 10 years in a simple oiled bag. It packs down to a fairly small, if heavy, package, and can easily be left on a shelf somewhere. I only checked it over a month or so ago, and there's no sign of any rust.

Iagoba Ferreira · Posted: Tue 26 Jun, 2012 1:19 am Post subject:

In most of the inventories from Castilla that I know the pieces are usually stored in chests (arcas, to be precise), like almost anything else, from crossbow bolts to linen.

A good depiction of another way of storing it can be seen in the Palazzo Ducale at Urbino:

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Baccio_port...feltro.jpg

Mark Shier · Industry Professional

Look for a PDF of Technology and Military Policy . In the Transport section, the author has citations for armour packed in cases, tuns (barrels), and coffers. He mentions armour packed in hay or felt. For higher end armour, he cites large tunks, a coffer of cuir boilli and iron for a bascinet, and a separate case for crests. These are mostly 13-14th century.