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Author
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Topic: Soft English Jacks
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Paul Kenworthy
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Member # 3808
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posted 01-15-2009 07:42 AM
   
I am currently reading John Gillingham's "The Wars of the Roses" (1981) and enjoying it immensely. In it he cites a foreign observer commenting on the fact that English soldiers prefer "soft" jacks because they think they give better protection. Unfortunately Gillingham doesn't footnote his citations.Has anyone else run into references to a preference for a certain degree of softness in cloth armour? Thanks in advance, Paul
Registered: Jan 2008 | IP: Logged
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Paul Kenworthy
Member
Member # 3808
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posted 01-15-2009 01:55 PM
I'm afraid I don't know what the definition of soft is. That is what is frustrating about no citation reference.If I remember correctly, this was in a letter from a member of a papal delegation that got in the middle of a Scottish border raid, so it's probably in medieval Italian that I couldn't read anyway. I could speculate endlessly about whether a stiff jack or a fluffy jack was more resistant to penetration, but it would just be speculation. What I'm really interested in knowing is if there is an identifiable difference in construction between English jacks and continental ones. Best Regards, Paul
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Gwen
Member
Member # 126
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posted 01-17-2009 07:30 AM
Ordinances of Louis XI
"And first they must have for the said Jacks, 30, or at least 25 folds of cloth and a stag's skin; those of 30, with the stag's skin, being the best cloth that has been worn and rendered flexible, is best for this purpose, and these Jacks should be made in four quarters."(1463-4) Acc.Howard in RC 57 239: I toke to the dobelete maker..to make me a dobelete of fense, fore hevery for qwarter xviij folde theke of wyte fostyen, and iiij fold of lenen klothe, and a folde of blake fostyen to pote wethe howete." [I took to the doublet maker...to make me a doublet of fence (defense)...for every quarter 18 folds thick of white fustian, and 4 fold of linen cloth, and a fold of black fustian to put with it.]
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Paul Kenworthy
Member
Member # 3808
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posted 01-23-2009 07:35 AM
Brent and Mike are correct. The citation is from a letter by Dominic Mancini to the archbishop of Vienne describing the troops assembled for the coronation of Richard III on July 6, 1483:“Their bows and arrows are thicker and longer than those used by other nations just as their arms are stronger than other peoples’, for they seem to have hands and arms of iron. As a result their bows have as long a range as our crossbows. Almost every man has a helmet and each carries an iron shield and a sword which is as long as our sword, but heavy and thick as well. Only the wealthy wear metal armour; ordinary soldiers prefer comfortable tunics (stuffed with tow) which reach down to their thigh. They say that the softer they are the better they withstand blows; besides which in summer they are lighter and in winter more useful than iron.” (John Gillingham, “The Wars of the Roses: Peace and Conflict in Fifteenth-Century England.” Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1981. pp. 35-36.) Best Regards, Paul
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Paul Kenworthy
Member
Member # 3808
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posted 01-23-2009 08:08 AM
Regarding the definition of tow, I’m no spinning expert, but here’s how I understand the processing of flax in preparation for spinning:First the seeds are removed by rippling. Then the outer woody material is removed by retting, or soaking the stalks in water. Then the stalks are broken and the fibers removed by scutching. Then the fibers are combed with a hackle. The long fibers produced by hackling are called stricks. The short fibers left from hackling are called tow. Best Regards, Paul
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