Wear and tear of mail -- myArmoury.com

B Beythien · Posted: Fri 31 Aug, 2018 9:17 am Post subject: Wear and tear of mail

Hi everybody

When is was reading other threads in this forum concerning the strength of mail, i noticed that usually only new armour is being discussed. I think historically a substantial amount of second hand armour must have been in use. Whether through reuse after looting or through inheritance there must have been some impact on the lifespan of mail. This again must have weakened said pieces of mail. Abrasion after generations of use or corrosion when not in use should have played a role here.

So in short my questions are:

1) Are there any historical accounts on the life span of armour; especially mail?

2) Are there any historical accounts on wear and tear of mail?

3) Do any of you, who are handling reproduction mail, have made experiences in terms of wear and tear over time?

4) What are your general, personal thoughts of this?

Thanks in advance, this keeps buggin me for quite a while now

Mart Shearer · Posted: Fri 31 Aug, 2018 1:11 pm Post subject:

https://books.google.com/books?id=21JaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA159&dq=&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CGMQ6AEwCGoVChMIyP2myevNyAIVCosNCh3LEAVF#v=onepage&q&f=false
1423 Inventory of Henry Bowet, Archbishop of York

Et de iij. s. iiij. d. receptis pro uno pare de qwysschewes de mayle rotund' pro defencione crurum.
And of 3 shillings 4 pence receipt for a pair of cuisses of round mail, for leg defense. (I believe round refers to wire section.)
Et de vj. s. iiij. d. receptis pro una lorica debili de mayle rotund'.
And of 6 shillings 4 pence for a weak haubergeon of round mail. (The Latin lorica, or body armor, usually refers to a hauberk, but given the date I have chosen haubergeon, as "coat of mail" is redundant.)
Et de vj. s. viij. d. receptis pro una lorica vetere de mayle rotund'.
6s. 8d. - an old haubergeon of round mail.
Et de xx. d. receptis pro uno parvo paunce, maxime debili, de mayle rotund'.
20d. - a small paunce, greatly weakened, of round mail. (debilitated likely meaning holed and/or with failing rivets.)
Et de xx. d. pro uno parvo ventayle vetere de mayle rotund'.
20d. - a small, old aventail of round mail.
Et de ij. d. receptis pro uno ventayle vetere pro gall' de mayle rotund'.
2d. - an old aventail of round mail for a helmet. (galea would usually refer to a great helm, though I suspect the bascinet is intended.)
Et de vj. d. receptis pro uno ventayle vetere et valde debuli pro gall' de mayle rotund'.
6d. - an old, and very weak aventail of round mail for a helmet.
Et de vj. d. receptis pro altere ventayle vetere et multum debili pro gall' de mayle rotund'.
6d. - another old and highly weakened aventail of round mail for a helmet.
Et de vj. d. receptis pro uno bordoure de mayle rotund' jaggyde cum latone pro gall'.
6d. - a dagged edging of round mail with latten for a helmet.

Mark Moore · Posted: Fri 31 Aug, 2018 1:14 pm Post subject:

Well, all armor was passed down from generation to generation, or gifted, just like swords. It was highly regarded, and repaired as needed. Mail was no different. Links would get broken or damaged, or just wear out from use. I could easily see a piece of mail, say a hauberk, lasting several hundred years with proper maintenance.

I own a set of riveted round/solid flat ring mail that I've had for a good many years now, and have only had to replace one of the round riveted links due to snagging it on a chain-link fence post. Worried

With proper upkeep, armor will last for centuries, as seen in museum examples. Wink

.........McM

Mart Shearer · Posted: Fri 31 Aug, 2018 1:47 pm Post subject:

Thom Richardson's thesis shows a lot of the Tower's armor described as old and debilitated, with some of the aketons or linings gaining the descriptor "putrid".

xxvj loricas unde iij de alta clavatura iij pro torniamento debiles, j de maille iasrant’, j de latone et xviij communes
26 hauberks where 3 are of high nailing, 3 for the tournament-weak, 1 mail jazerant, 1 of latten, and 18 common

Mart Shearer · Posted: Fri 31 Aug, 2018 1:56 pm Post subject:

Dan Howard · Posted: Sat 01 Sep, 2018 1:11 am Post subject:

There is a difference between "lasting for centuries" and remaining functional. Some of the mail in museum collections have links that are so thin that you could tear them apart in your hands. At some point the links must wear down enough to render the armour ineffective against weapons. We also have found scraps of mail in cauldrons suggesting that they were used as pot scourers. This tells us that the mail had degraded to the point that it was considered not worth repairing and was repurposed for non-martial applications.