Close helmet: HEN.M.64-1933

Maker(s)

Unknown (Style of)

Entities

• Close helmet

Categories

• Armour

Description

Close helmet, for heavy cavalry use. Formed of a one-piece skull with a visor, upper bevor and bevor attached to it by common pivots, two front gorget-plates and a single rear gorget-plate. The skull has a moderately high medial comb that extends from just above the brow to just above the nape. The rear of the comb is pierced with a transverse hole that probably served to tie up a plume. The front edge of the skull is cut away in a straight line across the brow and in a convex curve at each side, to form a somewhat rectangular face-opening. The face-opening is bordered by twelve externally-flush lining-rivets. A thirteenth rivet is missing from the angle of its left side. The rear edge of the skull extends down to the nape where it is flanged outwards to receive the rear gorget-plate. A crack in the right end of the flange is repaired with a small, riveted, internal patch. Six brass-capped, round-headed lining rivets run around the rear of the skull at the height of the nape. They are fitted externally with large, iron, rosette washers having punched circles in each petal, and internally with octagonal or square iron washers. The rivet at the right of the neck also retains a large swivel-hook that engages a pierced stud riveted at the rear edge of the bevor. Attached at the centre of the nape by a pair of brass-capped, round-headed rivets with octagonal internal washers is a tapering plume-holder of circular section decorated with plain mouldings at its upper and lower ends, and diagonal incised lines enclosed top and bottom by narrow, transverse bands of incised volutes. The integral arms of the plume-holder have heart-shaped terminals and are decorated with punched circles. Each side of the skull is pierced with a hole to receive the pivots that attach the visor, upper bevor and bevor. The pivots have large, round heads with eight radiating lines, and are fitted with large, octagonal internal washers. The medially-ridged visor is rounded at the brow, shaped to fit over the front of the comb of the skull and angled forward beneath its centrally-divided vision-slit. The rear edge of the visor is markedly concave, projecting back strongly where it overlaps the comb of the skull. The lower edge of the visor is flanged inwards at the front to nestle within the upper bevor. Screwed into the right side of the visor, towards the rear end of its inward-flanged section, is a short stud of circular section that serves as a lifting-peg. The slightly prow-shaped upper bevor has fairly broad arms with rounded terminals. Its upper edge is cut at the right side with a shallow notch to accommodate the lifting-peg of the visor. The right side of the upper bevor is pierced at the front with thirteen small, circular ventilation-holes in rosette formation. Riveted at the lower edge of the same side is a small pierced stud that is engaged by a swivel-hook riveted at the right of the chin of the bevor. The bevor is shaped to and slightly boxed at the chin. It is cut away at the front to form a deep, U-shaped face-opening. The edge of the face-opening has a plain, inward turn, bordered at its lower end by eight externally-flush lining-rivets. Attached by a brass-capped, round-headed rivet with a square, internal washer at the right of the chin is a swivel-hook that engages the pierced stud riveted at the lower edge of the upper bevor. Riveted at the right of the neck of the bevor is a pierced stud that is engaged by the swivel-hook riveted at the right of the neck of the skull. The lower edge of the bevor is flanged outwards to receive the two upward-overlapping front gorget-plates. The lower edge of the second plate descends to a slightly rounded central point. It has a plain inward turn accompanied by nine brass-capped lining-rivets. The left rivet retains an octagonal, internal washer. Both ends of the lowest gorget-plate have been bent and cracked. The crack in the right end has been repaired with a riveted internal patch. The gorget-plates are connected to one another and to the flanged lower edge of the bevor at their outer ends by brass-capped, round-headed rivets with octagonal or circular internal washers. The first gorget-plate was at one time rigidly attached to the flanged lower edge of the bevor by a further five rivets. The holes for these rivets have subsequently been plugged with independent rivets. Attached to the flanged lower edge of the skull by a round-headed brass rivet at either side is a single rear gorget-plate. Its convex lower edge has a plain inward turn accompanied by five round-headed, brass lining-rivets. From differences in its internal colour, the rear gorget-plate can be recognised as a replacement.

Notes

History note: Mr James Stewart Henderson of 'Abbotsford', Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings, Sussex

Legal notes

J.S. Henderson Bequest

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart

Dating

19th Century
Circa 1800 - 1900

Note

Although this and other minor replacements and repairs that occur throughout its fabric suggest that the helmet has some age, its authenticity must nevertheless be called into question. The helmet is not only unconvincing in its workmanship, but also in several points of its style and detail. The shape of the face-opening of the skull and of the rear edge of the visor are unusual, as is the arrangement of the lining-rivets around the face-opening of the bevor. Also the one-piece construction of the helmet is suggestive of its sixteenth century date, whereas the unroped comb and edges are more characteristic of seventeenth century work. It is nevertheless possible that the helmet incorporates some reworked old elements, since the surface of the metal shows evidence of delamination at points.

North Italian style

The helmet is bright with a light patination and some pitting overall.