It must be stated from the outset that the two source-types – textual and material – always work in tandem to deepen our understanding. It is only out of necessity to the format of a sourcebook that they are introduced in this manner. There are many instances in which the documentary evidence is all that survives. For instance, there are no surviving aketons from the fourteenth century – or indeed any century. These fabric defences were required by law to be borne by fighting men across Christendom.

Confessio Amantis armorum

In an ancient ballad, two peckish ravens (The Twa Corbies) happen upon a ‘new slain knight’. One caws to his fellow: ‘ye’ll sit on his white hause-bane [collar-bone], and I’ll pike oot his bonny blue een.&’ So have I, carrion-like, gorged on the fat generated by the hard graft of others: chasing down footnotes, endnotes, quotations, and bibliographies in the writings of the eminent scholars who have gone before. From the researches of the likes of Meyrick, De Cosson, and Dillon to ffoulkes, Laking, Mann, Norman, and Blair, a feast has been served up for the curious. Many references appear multiple times in succeeding works, and thus the strands of the web spread and entwine into a near-impossible tangle. Most can often ultimately be traced to the Herculean labours of such glossarists and lexicographers as Du Cange in the 1600s and Godefroy and Gay in the nineteenth century. These scholars sometimes drew directly from original manuscripts or, for many entries, from printed editions. It is of paramount importance that due respect is shown to this valuable research – especially as it was undertaken in a pre-digital age. The maxim attributed to Bernard of Chartres – ‘nos esse quasi nanos gigantium humeris insidentes’ – reminds us of our own diminutive stature when compared to the gigantic form built on centuries of accrued knowledge. Furthermore, this author has benefited greatly from having been granted privileged access to unpublished material such as the J. G. Mann Papers in the Royal Armouries Library and the C. R. Beard Card Index of Costume in the Library of the Society of Antiquaries.

Whenever feasibly possible, I have endeavoured to source the original document. Loss, damage, or difficulty of access have, at times, hampered progress. By providing detailed references it is hoped that many originals might yet be tracked down. Indeed,