[James Goffin]

Hey,

Does anyone know what type of armour is being depicted in the tapestry?
It's fairly clearly maille, but appears to be tight to the body and covers the inside leg

[Dan Howard]

If this is an accurate rendition and the mail truly wrapped around the leg then we must conclude that nobody, on either side, wore a knee-length hauberk since none are shown. Even the English, who have no cavalry, are wearing the same short mail leggings. An alternate interpretation is that the rendition is inaccurate and everyone is wearing a regular hauberk that stops at the knee. The main exception would be those who are depicted wearing mail right down to their feet. These could be separate mail chausses.

[Len Parker]

11th century anglo-saxon: http://warfare.gq/6C-11C/Harley_Psalter-f73v.htm Here it doesn't look like it wraps around the legs.

[Len Parker]

Does that look like a chinstrap?

[Len Parker]

It might be a beard. The Bible doesn't mention David holding him by the beard, but when David tells a story about killing a lion and a bear he says: "I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him."

Has anyone seen any chinstraps in art before the 12th century?

[David Cooper]

I have often wondered about this leg wrapping of mail. Longer hauberks are split to facilitate riding and to give protection to the top of the legs without impeding movement too much. Is it possible that these long split portions were normally secured with ties? This would stop the mail flapping about and ensure greater protection for the thighs. Now ties could break or just not be done up all the time which would account for the variations we see in the historical record. I have always liked the idea of ties as they seem to make sense from a purely practical point of view. Mail that flaps about when running is uncomfortable and tiring to wear.