Aillettes are an early form of shoulder protection being flat pieces of, typically, boiled leather.

Around 1325. Monument to an unknown member of the de Vere Family in St Michael & All Angels Church, Great Tew [Map] notable for the armour having Aillettes. Right Leg over Left. Early Medieval Period.

Bevor. Plate armour designed to protect the lower face and neck. Derived from the French 'baver' meaning to dribble.

Gambeson, aka Aketon aka Aqueton aka Wambais. A padded defensive jacket, worn as armour separately, or combined with mail or plate armour. Probably made of linen or cotton, stuffed with wool or tow ie unworked linen fibres.

Introduction. On the subject of plate and mail armour, Mr. Stothard himself makes the following remarks, in a letter addressed to that eminent antiquary, the late Rev. Thomas Kerrich: "It is, I believe, a most difficult thing to say when plate-armour was first introduced, because no representations, however well executed, can tell us of what was worn out of sight, and inventories of armour, as well as notices of writers on the subject, are not common; the only things by which we can gain information. Daniel, in his 'Military Discipline of France' cites a poet who describes a combat between William de Barres and Richard Coeur de Lion (then Earl of Poitou), in which he says, that they met so fiercely that their lances pierced through each other's coat of mail and gambeson, but were resisted by a plate of wrought-iron worn beneath. This is a very solitary piece of information; and the poet cited (whose name, I believe, is not mentioned) might not have been contemporary with the event described, and of course gave the custom of his own time. It however strikes me, that plate was at all times partially used. We find in the reign of Henry the Third pieces of plate on the elbows and knees. I have a drawing from a figure about the time of Edward the First, in mail, with gauntlets of plate; and I strongly suspect that a steel cap was worn under the mail oftener than we imagine. How can we otherwise account for the form in the mail chaperon of William Longespee? Would not the top of the head be round instead of flat, if something were not interposed to give it this form? And how ill calculated to receive a blow, supposing nothing but the mail and linen coif interposed. See the effigy in No. 8. of my work, from Hitchendon church^a: where a piece of mail appears cut out, does it not seem that there is a cap beneath the mail?

Note a. The effigy of Richard Wellesburne de Montfort.

Introduction. "But, to dwell longer on this head, plate-armour appears, from our paintings in MSS. and monuments, not to have gained any ground till the fifth or sixth of Edward the Third. John of Eltham and the Knight at Ifield, with Sir John Dabernoun, are the first specimens. Yet to show how careful we should be on this point, we find, in an account taken 1313, the sixth of Edward II. of the armour which belonged to Piers Gaveston, the following items: 'A pair of plates (these covered the body, and most probably were the back and breast plate), rivetted and garnished with silver, with four chains of silver, (see for chains the effigy of the Blanchfront,) covered with red velvet, besanted with gold. Two pair of jambers (armour for the legs) of iron, old and new; two coats of velvet to cover the plates.' All the monumental figures I ever saw, of the time of Edward the Second, have been in mail, as far as I could judge; so that you see I am in some difficulty. I am not surprised that mail was not so much worn after the introduction of plate; considering how the body then became loaded, it was necessary to get rid of something. On the Knight at Ifield, and Sir John Dabernoun^a, we may see first the thick quilted gambeson, over which is the haubergeon of mail, having above that what I take to be the If there was any plate on the body, it was hidden by the surcoat, which went over all; but there is reason to suspect there was: for, in the profile of the Ash Church Effigy, we see between the lacings of the surcoat that the body is covered with narrow plates. After the introduction of plate-armour the gambeson first disappears; which was followed by the aqueton. The aqueton is seen without the gambeson in Sir Oliver Ingham: it is blue, with gold studs or points.

Note a. See the figures referred to by Mr. Stothard in these observations, delineated in the work.

Introduction. Those whose property did not qualify them to become knights, and wear the distinction of the knightly order, the hauberk of mail, were to supply themselves with a quilted gambeson, or wambais, as a defence:

"Quicumque vero 20 librarum vel amplius habebit de mobilibus, tenebitur habere loricam, vel loricale et capellum ferreum et lanceam. Qui vero minus de 20 libris habebit de mobilibus, tenebitur habere et capellum ferreum et lanceam." [But whosoever shall have 20 pounds or more of movables, must have a belt, or a breastplate and an iron hat and a lance. But he who will have less than 20 pounds of movables, he must have both an iron hat and a lance]

Time Team Series 2 Episode 1: Lord of the Isles was filmed between 24 Jun 1994 and 26 Jun 1994 was filmed. It was originally shown on 08 Jan 1995.

Location: Finlaggan, Islay [Map]

Category: Time Team Prehistory, Time Team Early Medieval.

The Time Team:

Tony Robinson (age 48), Presenter

Mick Aston (age 48), Bristol University Landscape Archaeologist

Carenza Lewis (age 31), Royal Commission on Historic Monuments

Phil Harding (age 44), Wessex Archaeological Trust Field Archaeologist

Robin Bush (age 51), Archivist

Victor Ambrus (age 59), Historical Illustrator

John Gator, Chris Gaffney, Geophysics

Stewart Ainsworth (age 43), Landscape Archaeologist

David Caldwell, Director of Excavations

Kate Bonner, Excavation Team

Sally Ann Chandler, Period Clothing Expert

Donald Macfadian, Finlaggan Trust

Simon Mears, GPS System

Historical Figures: King Somerled of Argyll

Sources: Chronicle of Man and the Isles, A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland by Martin Martin, A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland by Martin Martin.

Outcomes: Partly complete Glass Bead, Replica aketon, possible mesolithic site, possibly stone rows aligned to Paps of Jura.

Channel 4 Episode

Jupon aka surcoat. A heavily padded jacket affording additional protection to the shoulders, upper arms, torso and upper legs. The bottom of the jupon was often decorated, sometimes roundels, sometimes scallops. The jupon was sometimes decoated with Knight's Arms becoming, literally, a Coat of Arms

Around 1340 the Camail and Jupon Period starts; around the time of the commencement of the Hundred Years War. Knights wear a bascinet with camail and a jupon. The Camail and Jupon Period is also characterised by the heavy belts slung low on the hips from which the sword was slung. Effigies of this period are characterised by having facial hair, and their hands clasped in prayer on the chest. Male effigies of this period have their head resting on Great Helms usually surmounted by their Crest.

After 10 Jul 1359. Monument to William Greystoke 2nd Baron Greystoke (deceased) in St Andrew's Church, Greystoke [Map]. Camail and Jupon Period. On his head he wears the bascinet with a camail. The jupon under which his coat of chain mail may be seen. His sword belt is low on his jupon, horizontal.

Reticulated. Constructed, arranged, or marked like a net.

Effigy of William of Windsor and Blanche de la Tour. EDWARD gave another of his sons by Philippa the name of William, who died so young that nothing more is known of him than the place of his birth, as affixed to his name, and that he was buried at Westminster, in the chapel of St. Edmund [Map], in the abbey church. In the same tomb are also deposited the remains of Blanch de la Tour, their third daughter, so called from her birthplace, the Tower of London [Map]. She was born and died in 1340. Their effigies in alabaster, scarcely eighteen inches in length, are placed on an altar-tomb. Sandford says that an inscription on brass, which had been affixed on the monument, was not extant in his time. The costume of the male figure much resembles that of William of Hatfield. The cote hardie of the female, flanches, jewelled stomacher, girdle, cordon and clasps of the mantle, are worthy attention.

Details. Plate 1. One of the fermails of the Princess's mantle. Plate II. Ornaments on the Prince's girdle. Plate III. Details of the Princess's circlet and reticulated head-dress.

Effigy of Joam Burwaschs, Lady Mohun. The attire of the Lady Mohun presents us with an example of the fret or reticulated coiffure adopted by court ladies of the fourteenth century; and of the cote hardie, which appears to have been a vestment fitting close to the body, leaving the neck bare, and became much in vogue with the ladies towards the latter end of the fourteenth century. The wimpled attire of Aveline Countess of Lancaster will shew how chary they were of their charms in the preceding age. The wimpled costume seems, indeed, to have been borrowed from the females of the East. Mr. Charles Stothard relates a humorous anecdote of a damsel who wore the cote hardie in one of his original letters inserted in the Memoir of his Life^a.

Details. Plate 1. Jewelled lace on the hips of the cote hardie. Plate II. 1. Top of the coiffure. 5. Portion of the circlet enlarged. 3. Reticulation of the coiffure. 4. Pattern on the cote hardie.

Note a. Memoirs including Original Letters, &c. of C. A. Stothard, F. S. A. by Mrs. Charles Stothard. London, 3823, p. 331.

Sallet. The Sallet was a development of the Bascinet worn without an Camail in which the back of the helmet extended out into a flange to protect the neck, and the sides of the helmet were drawn forward below the level of the eyes to protect the cheeks. The Sallet was usually worn with a Bevor.

Vervelles are pierced rivets on the sides of Bascinets from the temple to the back of the neck by which the Camail was attached.

Introduction. "The basinet was worn in the fourteenth century, and part of the thirteenth, sometimes with or without a vizor, but always finished with other appendages, as vervilles^a. The camail, and what was called by the French a hourson, to which may be added a strap, was to attach the whole, by means of a buckle, to the haubergeon, or plates.

Note a. Memoir, p. 335.