[Adam D. Kent-Isaac]

While browsing the archives of French museum collections, I found this picture of a 17th century cuirassier's armour with a helmet made in the style of a brimmed hat.



Rear view - you can see what seems to be a neck protector.



Anyone ever seen anything like this? Were these kind of hats worn with any kind of regularity or is this just a one-off novelty item?

[Julian Reynolds]

Cameron Stone's Glossary contains a similar, rather dashing, iron hat on pg. 308, English, dated 1645 & credited to the Metropolitan Museum.

[Lin Robinson]

It looks like English Civil War era armor.

[Jakub Biblis]

I have seen a drawing of very similar steel hat, only missing cheeks and neck protectors dated as 1640-50, english, apparently in the Tower Museum in London. This information dates from 1975 but the helmet may be still in there, I have heard that they moved some of the collections to Leeds though. I havent had an opportunity to visit Tower yet as it is bloody expensive .

Edit.

It's not in the online collections. I had checked both Leeds and Tower.

[Randall Moffett]

Last I was at the Tower it was not there. I do not recollect seeing it in Leeds either. The rest of the armour looks to be ECW era so I'd guess the hat to be as well. A very interesting find... gives an entire new direction to those hidden skull hats worn under hat-hats.

RPM

[Chad Arnow]

There are other iron hats as well. I know I've seen them in other books. I think there is at least one in Berlin. Is there one in the Cleveland book?

[Sean Flynt]

That harness is in the Musée de l'Armée and identified as French, ca. 1630. The helmet type was used in England as well. I would guess that it appeared in other parts of Europe during the 30 Years War. An evolutionary dead end, perhaps, but not a one-off or novelty. Perhaps the Royalist faction, with its French ties, introduced the type to England during the ECW.

[Stephen Wheatley]

See below - an old thread.