[Jim Fanning]

Hi all, this is my first post (hopefully of many) and I've had a look through the forums and articles but I haven't been able to find the information I'm after.

I'm doing some research into the forms of head protection worn by the Anglo-Normans and their ilk in the latter 12th Century. I've got a satisfactory amount on the helmets and coifs of the knightly class, but I've hit something of a brick wall when trying to find information, sources or finds of anything that would have been worn by the lower classes, particularly what sort of armour or style of helmet would likely have been worn by the local militia plucked from the farms and towns in a time of crisis. I generally get as far as the phrase 'iron cap' and that's it.

I was wondering if anyone here had any research, ideas or sources that could help me in this.
Much thanks in advance.

[Chuck Russell]

more than likely nothing at all

[Sam Gordon Campbell]

Well, basicaly what Chuck said.
Maybe a nice thick wool or felt or leather cap or hood?
But yeah, an iron cap would probably be minimal protection, possibly two halves just riveted together?
Maybe a chapel-de-fer?

[Craig Peters]

I'd second what Chuck said. Most people, especially militias of the sort that you're describing, would have no helmet at all. Helmets would be so rare among this group that it's almost not even worth mentioning what sorts they might wear, because doing so gives the impression that they did wear helmets. The reality is that they almost certainly did not.

[Randall Moffett]

Well we have some info but I am not sire it will help.

During the late Anglo-Saxon period the king required one man to be armed and equipped. It was paid for by those around him. I think it was one man of five went and the other four helped him pay for his helmet, shield and spear. (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle C)

Henry II also requires weapon and armour ownership but all classes of men in 1181 but I do not have that info with me. Needless to say the poorer men likely would not have.

Hard questions but generally speaking likely no helmet but clearly there are exceptions.

RPM

[Nathan Beal]

I'm going to suggest against the flow here, a basic helmet (probably a riveted spangenhelm or single piece conical) would have been an essential part of equipment.

If we look at the text of the assize at arms http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assize_of_Arms (i believe the text here is correct, even though it's wikipedia) this tells us that:

1. Whoever possesses one knight's fee shall have a shirt of mail, a helmet, a shield, and a lance; and every knight shall have as many shirts of mail, helmets, shields, and lances as he possesses knight's fees in demesne.

2. Moreover, every free layman who possesses chattels or rents to the value of 16m. shall have a shirt of mail, a helmet, a shield, and a lance; and every free layman possessing chattels or rents to the value of 10m. shall have a hauberk, an iron cap, and a lance.

3. Item, all burgesses and the whole community of freemen shall have [each] a gambeson, an iron cap, and a lance.

Everyone had to have at least a gambeson (padded stand-alone armour) and a ion cap (helmet) and lance (probably a long spear).

10 marks (1 mark is 2/3 of a pound) is not a huge amount of property (a small farm with livestock would have been around this value), so even smaller land sub-holders would probably have been required to own a hauberk.

This gives us a picture of all armed men with some form of body protection (with mail being fairly common even among the non-knightly classes) and a helmet armed with a spear.

HTH
N.[/url]

[Sam Gordon Campbell]

In Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight they had two helmets Itowards the begining 'd say would be practicle.

[Randall Moffett]

Nathan,

I think we are missing a bit of info here though that changes things a great deal. In the 12th most men owned 0 land and rented it from major land owners. Further freemen and burgesses are only the upper end of the commoner class. It is a title or social position. Freemen owned land and had wealth. So while the rules remain just as you said the majority of men still are landless renters... and do not have 10 marks of land. During the 12th, but more so in the 13th, this starts to really change but it is not till the 14th when it really hits full force which is where the yeoman class really comes into being.

Just to be clear- non freemen were not slaves and could leave more or less when ever they wished but they did not own land so leaving was usually out of the question unless things got really, REALLY bad. They hoped to save up enough money that someday they could buy land, and as time passed, many did.

RPM

[Lafayette C Curtis]

[Craig Peters]

Nathan,

Aside from what Randall Moffet says, we might also note that the Assize of Arms is a prescriptive document, which lays out what King Henry desired to be the case in England. But prescriptive documents tell us only what someone in society desired to be true, not what actually was true. Under the laws in most modern countries, for instance, everyone earning over a certain amount of money is expected to pay taxes, but we all know that many people make cash under the table or illegally for which they pay no taxes. If later historians took governmental documents from the 21st century at face-value, they would believe that everyone paid their income tax, but obviously, this is not true. Prescriptive documents can be misleading.

[Randall Moffett]

True, but these were enforced. We have loads of evidence of men being fined for failure to provide their gear. The fines were expensive, more than the gear at times so it was more than just a paper. In towns the town usually made the money of the fines so you can imagine how well they enforced these laws.

RPM

[Craig Peters]

[Randall Moffett]

Yes and no. When you have hundreds of people being questioned and only a handful are charged seems like most were OK. In Southampton in the 15th a review of the muster lists nearly 2.7 weapons per person and more armour than people by a large margin. Since it was at the front of the book of fines but none are listed looks like that part of town government was in charge of keeping these rules, whether they made money or not.

RPM

[Richard Schneider]

I know how everyone feels about Wkipedia but I think a moment reading the entire text of the Assize of Arms is worthwhile.

Especially in item 9. where it clearly states how the list of men required to have arms is made and how each is responsible for proving he meets the requirements.

Note the mention of the octave of St Michaels which since today is the feast of St. Michaels the octave is in 8 days hence.

Also the penalties are not just monetary, it mentions ". . . the lord king will take vengeance . . . on his limbs."