[Merv Cannon]

I've just been watching a documentry on the Hundred Years War and I saw a reenactor with a Scottish Targe in the background which I thoght looked out of place......but then I thought ....when Scottish troops fought outside of Scotland, I wonder if they used traditional weapons or were outfitted and looked like everyone else ? Because theres a strong Scottish tradition in the military and, as we all know, it has been passed on down to today as can be seen both in the UK and also in places like Canada. The uniforms are distinct but, previously, their weapons were also, generally speaking.

So, regarding the Targaid, does anyone know what the earliest depicted use of them is ? Obviously we all know them mainly from Culloden, etc, but they seem to be made quite similarly to Viking shields, although somewhat smaller. I am guessing that the Vikings would have had an influence there somewhere along the line ? Going back even further, some of the Pictish shields on carvings were square or rectangular so mabye 'round' became popular after Viking invasions ?
But, does anyone have reference for Scottish shields pre 1400's ...even 1300's or 1200's ?

[GG Osborne]

Merv, if you can get a copy of Drummond's Ancient Scottish Weapons, there is a large section which shows some very early circular shields straight through to the classic targe of 1745. One or two illustrations clearly show burial recoveries that indicate Norse or Northern European influence. Take a look. The book is available from Unicorn Press on a CD.

[Merv Cannon]

[Chad Arnow]

Check out this thread: http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=6789

[GG Osborne]

Merv....try www.scotpress.com. I think they changed their name.

[Merv Cannon]

[Lin Robinson]

It is Unicorn , LTD, as you have already discovered. Scot Press is their publishing arm. They are friends of mine.

The targe or target, is an older style of shield (round) that was used by vikings. The targe and the round viking shield differed in the way they were held by the user. The viking shield had a central boss to protect the user's hand which fitted inside it when gripping a wooden handle that was installed along the diameter of the shield. The targe had a pair of straps for the forearm and hand, and a few have been found with leather sleeves. Many, but not all, targes had a central boss which had a provision for installation of a spike. There is a lot of conjecture about whether the spike was used as a weapon or simply a device to parry an enemy blade or bayonet. I am inclined to think the latter.

For a very long time the theory was that the targe was a holdover from medieval times, but recently that view has changed, at least in some quarters. My belief is that the battle shield was abandoned, then taken up again, in the Highlands. Certainly the development of plate armor, coupled with the increased size of weapons, i.e. the two-handed sword, had lessened the need for and decreased the utility of the shield. I could be wrong, but I do not remember seeing any contemporary illustrations showing shields in use that can be reliably dated after the mid to late 1400s.

In the highlands of Scotland the situation was certainly different in that armor, plate armor in particular, was never used to any great extent. The two-handed sword, while widely-used, did not completely supplant the single-handed and hand-and-a-half sword. However, there is little evidence that the targe was a part of the Highlander's kit either. That situation seems to have changed in the mid-17th century.

Prior the English Civil War, Alaisdair MacColla, a MacDonald from western Scotland, was forced to go to Antrim in Northern Ireland for refuge after the Clan Campbell seized his family lands. He fought with the Irish forces during the uprising of 1641, distinguished himself and was severely wounded at one point.

In 1644 he was appointed as a commander of the Irish forces sent to Scotland to fight for King Charles. He participated in many famous battles there while serving under Montrose. However, the loyalist cause was defeated and he returned to Ireland where he was apparently murdered in 1647.

The reason I am telling you all this is that it is probably Alaisdair MacColla who was responsible for the revival of the targe. He had equipped his Irish troops with targes and had also developed the tactic now referred to as "The Highland Charge". There were also a number of Highlanders in the loyalist army. The charge was always a leading tactic of Celtic people, but it appears that MacColla formalized it and also added the use of firearms. The targe was apparently adopted about this time by the Scottish HIghland troops and used for the next 100 years.

That's all the explanation I can provide.

[Martin Wilkinson]

[Johan S. Moen]

[Lin Robinson]

Martin...

My main source for this theory is "Highland Warrior: Alasdair MacColla and the Civil Wars" by David Stevenson. Stevenson devotes some ink to the idea that the Battle of Tippemuir in 1644 (? I don't have my references handy) may have seen the first example of "The Highland Charge" in use against non-Highlanders. I am a bit skeptical that MacColla actually invented the tactic, as the charge, as mentioned earlier, was in use by Celtic peoples for thousands of years. The addition of firearms and the use of the targe were probably MacColla's contributions. I have seen this mentioned in quite a few other works, but I think they all flow back to Stevenson. His theory is reasonable. It is also a very interesting book, still available, and I highly recommend it.

Apparently shields were in use in the Highlands at all times, but my belief is they were not that commonly used until MacColla "developed" his version of the Highland Charge. Certainly they became ubiquitous after that time, to the point that Prince Charles is supposed to have ordered some for his Lowland levies during "The '45". That may well be legend, however, because it appears that the officers of the Jacobite forces were trying very hard to prepare the non-Highland troops to fight conventionally.

As we know, the targe was a plus when fighting troops who were not trained to counter it. However, the training given to the British troops prior to Culloden and the poor leadership of the Jacobite forces at Culloden negated any benefit of using it.

Johan...

I agree that the targe, or any shield for that matter, can be used in a number of ways as an offensive weapon. I just kind of doubt that the spike was intended for that. Could be, I just don't think it was intended to be.

[Henrik Bjoern Boegh]

Lin, that's a very interesting theory! I guess I'll have to get my hands on Stevenson's book then
I think Stuart Reid, for one, does give some support to the theory that the "valiant Alasdair" had quite a bit of influence on tactics used in the Highlands. But I don't think he should be given to too much credit either because there are many references to highlanders prefering to rush upon their enemies with swords and dirks in the time before the Civil wars. If memory serves me right, the battle of Glen Fruin, sometime in the beginning of the 1600s, was little more than a "Highland Charge" with devestating effect. I'm unsure where I read about it, though

Cheers,
Henrik

[Martin Wilkinson]

I'll have to try and find that book...

About the Targe spike, just thinking about it. It's got to be difficult to get a decent thrust in with it. You have very little reach.

[Lin Robinson]

The book is available from Amazon.com. Unicorn, Ltd may have also have copies or a source for them.

I agree that it would be difficult to use the spike on a targe as an offensive weapon. The distance of thrust would be a problem. Also, since some targes were supposedly made bullet-proof, I have to think they could be a bit heavy. My personal targe, which does have a spike, would be very difficult to use in this manner.

[Merv Cannon]

[Lin Robinson]

There is a description of a "bullet proof" targe that was set down by Alexander Fletcher of Saltoun in 1716. It is too lengthy to post here, Briefly, the targe supposedly had a thin steel plate on the inside, which was covered with a deer skin with the hair on. Next came a layer of wool which was "stuffed in very hard" to quote Fletcher. On top of the wool was what Fletcher described as cork, but later calls an "excrescence of their Birk trees". What he was actually talking about I do not have a clue, but it was wood of some sort. Finally came the leather cover, decorative tacks, plates, etc. that are commonly seen on targes. He does say that the steel plate was not very heavy. Too much weight and the targe becomes useless. He also mentions the spike and says it "wounds the Enemy when they are close". Fletcher was a Lowlander and may not have understood the use of the targe in combat.

In 1988 I met a gentleman who had built a targe using the description written by Fletcher. He had fired two musket balls at the targe at a range of 50 yards. Neither penetrated completely but one did push almost through the inside layer. However, when I picked the thing up, it was so heavy that I think it would have been nearly impossible to use it as a shiedl in action.

I cannot speak to the plains Indians' ability to bullet proof a shield except to say that regularly used variious forms of "magic' to become bullet proof and it never worked as far as I know. The great Cheyene chief, Roman Nose, was supposed to be impervious to bullets as long as he did not eat food lifted from the fire with an iron utensil. Unfortunately, just before the battle of Beecher's Island, he ate some fry bread that had been touched by iron and was killed in the battle. That has absolutely nothing to do with bullet proofing a shield, it just came to mind.

[GG Osborne]

With regard to the targe issues raised, Merv, here are two thoughts:

1. If you can find it - and it is extremely hard to find, believe me, I've been looking for a year now! - the book "Witness To Rebellion" has many of the so-called Peniculk Sketches. These sketches are more like caricitures but show the targe being used in drills and actions. The interesting thing is that the targe is almost always shown being carried high over the face and head, turned slightly outwards for visions sake. Due to this (and this is strictly conjecture), I've wondered if the spike was more intended as a parrying or deflective device rather than a "punching" device. Just a thought.....

2. With regard to "bulletproofing" if Fletcher was the origin of the myth or attempt to make a "bulletproof" targe, Reid certainly perpetuates it in his Osprey series as he shows an "exploded" view of such a shield revealing its construction. To my knowledge (and Lin probably knows more about this) no such targe actually exist. On the other hand the very romantic figure of the '45 Cameron of lochiel's targe has what can only be two very neat bullet holes punched cleanly through the targe. "The Gentle Lochiel" is a favorite Jacobite character of mine and I had Joe Lindsey in Inverness make me a copy of that targe for my collection-less bullet holes. I believe he has added this targe to his selection. I really like the enbossed legend "Fear God. Honour the King."

[Sean Flynt]

As I understand it, targes were in use in both Scotland and Ireland in the 16th century.

[Lin Robinson]

[Johan S. Moen]

[Martin Wilkinson]