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| Clearly, not a huge amount of any type of clothing survives from the periods during which padded armour was in general use, so the existing pieces are somewhat limited. These are vaguely in historical order, but it's hard to be absolutely chronological, as some of the dates ascribed are hotly debated. Below is a list of the extant pieces that I'm aware of. I have included a brief description in most cases. In time I'd like to be able to add pictures, or links to pictures (although this may not be possible for copyright reasons). |
garment, although 'coat armour' is quite widely used).
It is made up of sandwiches of linen with raw cotton padding,
and is covered in a red silk, which is now a sort of 'brick red',
but which may once have been brighter.
The garment has cloth buttons, (flat ones lower down the front),
and is vertically quilted.
It is cut with the wide (but tight at the cuff) sleeves, and the
shaped padded chest, seen in many depictions of similar date.
A very similar garment is depicted in the effigy shown left,
(although the figure in the effigy appears to be wearing a
breastplate, so the quilted chest is hidden).
It is made up of sandwiches of linen with raw cotton padding,
and is covered in a red silk, which is now a sort of 'brick red',
but which may once have been brighter.
The garment has cloth buttons, (flat ones lower down the front),
and is vertically quilted.
It is cut with the wide (but tight at the cuff) sleeves, and the
shaped padded chest, seen in many depictions of similar date.
A very similar garment is depicted in the effigy shown left,
(although the figure in the effigy appears to be wearing a
breastplate, so the quilted chest is hidden).
Pourpoint - Charles de Blois
Incredibly famous (or infamous?!) garment of the mid 14th century.
For years this has been believed to be a piece of armour, although it's now generally believed to be a civilian
garment, padded to achieve a particular body shape (the term 'pourpoint' simply meaning that it has been quilted (or
possibly sewn, as it's now debated whether the much of the quilting is original, or a messy attempt at conservation)).
I include it here mainly because its construction seems remarkably similar to some garments which were worn as /
with armour.
The doublet is constructed in 'sandwich' layers, very like the coat armours of Charles VI, and The Black Prince. Its
inner section is of a sandwich of fustian, filled with raw cotton, and the outer is another sandwich, identical in make
up, except for the addition of an outer layer of richly patterned brocaded silk. The sleeves are made up of a single
sandwich, with the top layer being of the same silk.
The doublet is cut in the "grand assiette" style (the literal translation being 'big plate', or 'dinner plate'). This means
that the shoulder line of the body is very narrow, and the armscye (armhole) cuts very deeply into the body (the front
of the armhole seam is actually a circle across the chest - hence the 'plate' reference).
The body of the doublet is cut with a curved front, allowing extra padding to the chest, and the waistline is cut
extremely tightly (corset-like in its grip of the stomach).
Many buttons form the front fastening of the body - again they are of cloth, and again, they are round over the chest,
and flat over the stomach (perhaps to allow a belt to be worn round the waist without catching the buttons).
There are point holes around the waist, presumably to allow the attachment of the hosen to the doublet.
The sleeves themselves are cut very, very tightly, and incorporate a sharp curve to accommodate the bend of the
elbow. The sleeves button from just above the elbow to the wrist, to allow them to be cut extra tightly - again, the
buttons are round, indicating that nothing was to be worn over the sleeve (or they'd be flat as at the front waist).
It is a strange concept to many modern people, but the extreme tightness of the garment is absolutely essential, to
give the wearer full, unencumbered movement. Looser clothing actually restricts movement (try wearing a suit jacket
and lifting your arms above your head without unfastening it, as an example).
The down side of this garment is that when the wearer's arms are not fully extended, the fabric under the arms
bunches in the armpit. A design flaw which could explain why this cut seems to have had a relatively brief
appearance in history (and perhaps why depictions of garments similar to the coat armour of Charles VI are far more
common).
Some people have asserted that this doublet is based on, and cut in the same way as, an arming garment of the
period. While it is true of the way the back of the doublet has a waist seam while the front does not is very similar
to later jacks and the like, it is not clear whether the doublet came first or the padding.
There is little or no evidence that arming garments, or military garments of any kind, were ever cut in the way the
sleeves and chest of this doublet were. Logically, the nature of the cut (the bunching under the arms, etc), would
seem to make such a proposition highly unlikely, if not ruling it out entirely.
It has been suggested that such is the case, and the evidence pointed to is usually of a painting of a man with a sword
held aloft, but the figure in question is wearing civilian clothing, and no armour at all. Added to which, the painting is
an allegory, and not a realistic depiction.
Incredibly famous (or infamous?!) garment of the mid 14th century.
For years this has been believed to be a piece of armour, although it's now generally believed to be a civilian
garment, padded to achieve a particular body shape (the term 'pourpoint' simply meaning that it has been quilted (or
possibly sewn, as it's now debated whether the much of the quilting is original, or a messy attempt at conservation)).
I include it here mainly because its construction seems remarkably similar to some garments which were worn as /
with armour.
The doublet is constructed in 'sandwich' layers, very like the coat armours of Charles VI, and The Black Prince. Its
inner section is of a sandwich of fustian, filled with raw cotton, and the outer is another sandwich, identical in make
up, except for the addition of an outer layer of richly patterned brocaded silk. The sleeves are made up of a single
sandwich, with the top layer being of the same silk.
The doublet is cut in the "grand assiette" style (the literal translation being 'big plate', or 'dinner plate'). This means
that the shoulder line of the body is very narrow, and the armscye (armhole) cuts very deeply into the body (the front
of the armhole seam is actually a circle across the chest - hence the 'plate' reference).
The body of the doublet is cut with a curved front, allowing extra padding to the chest, and the waistline is cut
extremely tightly (corset-like in its grip of the stomach).
Many buttons form the front fastening of the body - again they are of cloth, and again, they are round over the chest,
and flat over the stomach (perhaps to allow a belt to be worn round the waist without catching the buttons).
There are point holes around the waist, presumably to allow the attachment of the hosen to the doublet.
The sleeves themselves are cut very, very tightly, and incorporate a sharp curve to accommodate the bend of the
elbow. The sleeves button from just above the elbow to the wrist, to allow them to be cut extra tightly - again, the
buttons are round, indicating that nothing was to be worn over the sleeve (or they'd be flat as at the front waist).
It is a strange concept to many modern people, but the extreme tightness of the garment is absolutely essential, to
give the wearer full, unencumbered movement. Looser clothing actually restricts movement (try wearing a suit jacket
and lifting your arms above your head without unfastening it, as an example).
The down side of this garment is that when the wearer's arms are not fully extended, the fabric under the arms
bunches in the armpit. A design flaw which could explain why this cut seems to have had a relatively brief
appearance in history (and perhaps why depictions of garments similar to the coat armour of Charles VI are far more
common).
Some people have asserted that this doublet is based on, and cut in the same way as, an arming garment of the
period. While it is true of the way the back of the doublet has a waist seam while the front does not is very similar
to later jacks and the like, it is not clear whether the doublet came first or the padding.
There is little or no evidence that arming garments, or military garments of any kind, were ever cut in the way the
sleeves and chest of this doublet were. Logically, the nature of the cut (the bunching under the arms, etc), would
seem to make such a proposition highly unlikely, if not ruling it out entirely.
It has been suggested that such is the case, and the evidence pointed to is usually of a painting of a man with a sword
held aloft, but the figure in question is wearing civilian clothing, and no armour at all. Added to which, the painting is
an allegory, and not a realistic depiction.
'Coat Armour' - Edward, Prince of Wales (The Black Prince)
This forms part of the collection at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, in England.
The garment is a padded coat, covered in the Royal Arms of England (quartered, with gold leopards (lions) on a red
field, and gold fleurs-de-lys on a blue field). The outer is made of blue and red silk velvet (now with some of the pile
missing), with embroidered leopards and fleurs-de-lys in silk and metallic threads.
Beneath the exterior, it is made up of 'sandwiches' of fustian filled with padding. It was long argued what fibre was
used for the padding itself. This was finally settled by Janet Arnold, who after careful study proved fairly conclusively
that it was stuffed with raw cotton fibre (referred to as cotton wool in the wardrobe accounts).
This forms part of the collection at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, in England.
The garment is a padded coat, covered in the Royal Arms of England (quartered, with gold leopards (lions) on a red
field, and gold fleurs-de-lys on a blue field). The outer is made of blue and red silk velvet (now with some of the pile
missing), with embroidered leopards and fleurs-de-lys in silk and metallic threads.
Beneath the exterior, it is made up of 'sandwiches' of fustian filled with padding. It was long argued what fibre was
used for the padding itself. This was finally settled by Janet Arnold, who after careful study proved fairly conclusively
that it was stuffed with raw cotton fibre (referred to as cotton wool in the wardrobe accounts).
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'Coat Armour' - Charles VI of France
A padded over armour coat (no name has yet been firmly attached to this type of
A padded over armour coat (no name has yet been firmly attached to this type of
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