[Pedro Paulo Gaião]

I was digging Littere Wallie (c. 1280) for armor references to use in an academic article, named "Armor of the Welsh Soldier, 14th and 15th centuries". Well, references for common soldier armor in Wales is very rare, but I'm trying to handle all I can find, and this Latin text shows quite a bit of armor for a local castle garrison of which, from what I understood, is a transaction of crossbows and armor leaving its armouries. The coat-of-plates in it is probably the earliest positive evidence for such armor in Wales. I give the text and my translation, which I hope to be improved with your critics:

[Mart Shearer]

For the most part, I'm in agreement, but offer these small clarifying suggestions.

8 irons coverings [coopertoria ferrea -.
Coopertoria are usually coverings for the horse. If they are specified to be of iron, mail is the de facto presumption.
2 'croperea'
Cruppers cover the hind quarters. Today, it refers to the strap which runs beneath the horse's tail.
7 cervelliere/skull caps [capella ferrea],
I would probably translate these iron hats as kettle hats.
1 mail shirt [corsetum ferreum],
The corset is, I believe, a sleeveless mail 'vest', often issued to archers.
1 loricam veteris operis
The lorica is almost always a hauberk. Of old work possibly implies an attached coif and mittens at this date.
12 cervelliere [capellas ferri],
Again, possibly iron hats (kettle hats).
1 pair of plates [par de platis] with 3 silver-filled chests [cum iii loculis argenteis]
This is odd. I see no mention of a chest in your excerpt. If this is one descriptor, it would read,
"1 pair of plates with 3 silver locations(?) Perhaps this is some kind of reference to the retention chain attachments, which are sometimes recorded as being silver.

[Mart Shearer]

1311 Inventory of John fitz Marmaduke, Lord of Horden

j gaimbeson rubeum cum tribus cathenis argenteis l s.
1 red gambeson with three silver chains, 50s.
.....
Joynters pro j gaimbeson de argento xviij d.
Silver "jointers" for a gambeson, 18d. (Buckles or
plates to attach chains?)

1313 Acquittance of goods seized from the captive, Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall

Item, En un autre Coffre, une Peire de Plates, enclouez & garniz d'Argent, od quatre Cheynes d'Argent, coverz dun Drap de velvet vermail, besaunte d'Or.
Item, in another coffer, one pair of plates, nailed and garnished with silver, with four silver chains, covered in cloth of vermillion velvet, bezanty gold. (silver weapons chains, vermillion velvet 'sequined' with gold spots or coins.)

[Pedro Paulo Gaião]

[Pedro Paulo Gaião]

It mentions some ecclesiastical items,

LITTERA PER QUAM DOMINUS WALTERUS DE HUNTERCUMB
RECEPIT PER MANUS PHILIPPI DE SAY CLERICI DOMINI REGIS
[sic] APUD CASTRUM DE BERE BLADA ET UTENSILIA ET ARMA ET
ALIAS PLURES RES.
Die Dominica secundo die Aprilis anno regni regis Edwardi duo-
decimo recepit dominus Walterus de Huntercumbe per manus
Philippi de Say clerici domini Rogeri Extranei apud castrum de
Bere xxxv quarteria fabarum, xxix bacones, vii dolea vini unde in
toto deficiunt xxxiiii pollices vini, i doleum mellis plenum et lxxix
lagenas mellis quod liberatum fuerit capellano ecclesie per pre-
ceptum regis, i calicem, i vestimentum presbiterale cum tribus
manutergiis altaris, i albam sine parura, i superaltare, i crucem,
viii galeas debiles, iii capella ferrea integra et vii capella ferrea
fracta, xv scuta, xi loricas, viii haubergonia, iii calligas ferreas, v
paria coopertoriorum ferreorum, i cruperam ferream, i bac[inet]um
ferreum, i gorgeram ferream, ii gorgeras de telo, iii balistas de
cornu, xix balistas ligneas et i magnam balistam ligneam, ii
baudreas, m quarrellos, i cophinum cum quarrellis, i cacabum
eneum, et unum cacabum ferreum, i patellam eneam, i plumbum,
i verreperum, ii cistas, ii cluras, xx frusta ferri, xliiii frusta calibis,
iii ollas eneas, iiii frusta plumbi, iiii cablas pro ingenio, iiii paria
firgiarum, xxxv quarteria salis. Item dominus Walterus recepit
per manum predicti Philippi Houell ap Rescrek incarceratum et
iii alios incarceratos per mandatum vicecomitis de Meyronnith.
Datum apud castrum de Bere die et anno supradictis.

From this I recognize: viii galeas debiles [damaged great heaumes]
iii capella ferrea integra et vii capella ferrea fracta [entire and fractured]
xv scuta,
xi loricas, viii haubergonia, [it distinguishes between loricas and haubergonias]
iii calligas ferreas,
v paria coopertoriorum ferreorum, i cruperam ferream, i bac[inet]um ferreum,
i gorgeram ferream, ii gorgeras de telo [iron gorjet and "weapon gorjet"?
iii balistas de cornu, xix baristas ligneas et i magnam balistam ligneam [I suspect the magnam ballistam is the famous siege engine]
The rest is missiles and things related.

[Anthony Clipsom]

[Pedro Paulo Gaião]

[Anthony Clipsom]

[Pedro Paulo Gaião]

I'm heavily inclined by now that references for "balistas ad turrimi", "magnam ballistam" and "balistam de tur integram" (the only latin equivalent for tur I found was as a mispelling of turris, tower) as reference for siege ballistas.

In Ireland they were kept well into the 15th century, climate, remoteness, and warfare being primary reasons for cannons and firearms delaying to find widespread use there (Heath: "Ordinary siege engines of the trebuchet and ballista varieties remained in Ireland until at least the late 15th century, arrow-firing engines being recorded, for example, in 1478", Armies of Middle Ages, vol. 1, p.18). Considering Wales was somehow similar to Ireland in warfare, and was also considered heavily forested and filled with "savage folk", ballistas would be fine for this date.

[Anthony Clipsom]

[Sean Manning]

I tend to the view that springalds and great crossbows are one category (crossbows so big that one man can't easily move them by hand) and the tower or turn crossbows are just any crossbow spanned with rotary motion. Artists up to the 16th century show windlasses, and screw presses (like an old printing press or wine press), and giant levers on posts. Early windlasses would probably be mostly wood, so bulkier than the small steel windlasses and cranquins which painters after 1450 show in the field.