While looking around the web for some information I happened across a PDF file that had an impressive assortment of arms and armor (600+ pages). I'm tempted to stay late at work here to print it out and punch and bind it into a book, but that's another story :)

As I was scanning through the pages I came across a couple polearm designs that I had not seen previously. I'm sure others that are more into that form of weaponary are aware of it, but I still felt it was worth posting a picture or two since I found the design as well as the purpose unique.

Both are described as "catchpoles" and were reportedly used to assist in breaking riots or catching law breakers in a non-lethal manner. The more intricate looking of the two is spring-loaded to close after making contact with the neck, leg, arm of the assailant. I'm assuming at that point they could easily be wrestled to the ground without putting yourself in range of being injured.


~Dominic

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17th Century, European

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Late 16th - early 17th Century, European, perhaps Northern Germany

Some versions of these are less humane-looking. But what I really want to know is where can I find that PDF?????

Ha! You should know that kind of information is strictly top-secret :D

You know if you asked me how I stumbled across it I couldn't tell you, but I was smart enough to bookmark it as soon as I found it. It looks to me to be some sort of cataloging of pieces, what information they know (dates, materials, origin, culture) and then where it is currently housed.

In those 600+ pages though they cover A LOT. Anything from armor, to swords, to polearms, to flint locks. Thrown in between is some more mundane items like powder flasks, fuse cord, wheel locks, etc.

Any sidebar information they have about the item is included as well such as whether it was modified, re-hilted, repaired, etc. I really do think I'm staying late tonite just so I can print the whole thing out and put it in a 3 ring binder (or two).

So enough rambling out of me, link is below.

Enjoy!

~Dominic

http://users.wpi.edu/~jforgeng/17cIQP/HAM.pdf

I read somewhere that it was a good tool for a footman to unhorse a knight or man-at-arms

Wow! This is a fantastic resource. It's a catalog of items in the collection of the Higgins Armoury Museum. I'll be burning this to its very own CD today.
Great find, Dominic!

You're very welcome. Glad I was able to provide an additional resource for folks to use.

Oh, and thanks for clarifying that these are items from the Higgins. I was scratching my head as to what the "HAM" denotation meant before every item :)

Wow having looked at it for a bit I have begun to realize a few things:

1) Only a small portion of the Higgin's inventory seems to be on display
2) They have what appear to me to be a lot of ceremonial weapons along with all their other decidedly non-ceremonial pieces
3) Many of their pieces have been published in books I have read but I never realized that is where they were from
4) I wish there were better pictures and from more angles. :)

Here's a link to another type / kind of Catchpole / Mancatcher.

http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/everyd...0/TL.0151/