John Priestley's article on the 17th century cuirassier (September 1982 Arquebuser,p.5) reminded me of Richard Atkyn's description of his fight with Sir Arthur Hesilrige, and some curiousities about Hesilrige's equipment there revealed. Atkyns was a Royalist officer, of Prince Maurice's regiment of horse, whose Vindication, edited by Brigadier Peter Young, was published in Longmans' Military Memoirsseries in 1967. At Roundway Down in 1643 Maurice's horse charged Hesilrige's regiment of lobsters, and Atkyns himself clashed with Sir Arthur, though because of Hesilrige's heavy armour Atkyns was unable seriously to wound him.

He was, says Atkyns, "too well armed all over for a pistol bullet to do him any hurt, having a coat of mail over his arms and a headpiece (I am confident) musket proof..."Wearing mail over cuirassier armour is odd in the extreme. There is nothing inherently unlikely in the occasional use of mail in the English Civil War, though it was clearly very rare. We know, for instance from John Derrik's prints of the English army in Ireland, that as late as the 1580s mail shirts were common wear for light horse.

It seems perfectly possible that some survived to be dug out, no doubt along with other old-fashioned armament, for use in the Civil War. But what I do find hard to believe is that any mail coat or shirt would be large enough to be worn over bulky three-quarter plate "of proof" and still leave the wearer able to move! What I suspect Atkyns may have been rather vaguely referring to is a mail cape, or "bishop's mantle," as worn by landsknechte in the previous century. There will have been even fewer of these around than mail shirts, as they do not seem to have been especially common in England even in the 16th century, but there is nothing impossible in Hesilrige having got hold of one, and it would seem far more practicable than a mail shirt; it would be heavy but not unduly restrictive.

Helmet?

What of Hesilrige's helmet? We learn later that as Atkyns pursued Hesilrige, upon the faltering of his horse his headpiece opened behind, and I gave him a prick in the neck, and I had run him through the head if my horse had not stumbled." I think this rules out the traditional (but by the 1640s old-fashioned) cuirassier's close-helmet. The broad gorget-plate at the back of these helmets overlaps the backplate of the cuirass to such as extent that, even if the head is bent forward, or rather as far forward as the large front gorget-plate of the helmet will allow, there should still be no opening at the back into which an enemy can thrust his sword.

Conversely, though Nick Marlowe in his article on Hesilrige's regiment (Arquebusier, March 1977, page 2) suggested "I personally see Sir Arthur in one of those trendy helmets in civilian hat style with adjustable nasal guard," I don't think he can have worn one of those at Roundway down either. These helmets have no neckguard at all, so it would not be necessary for Hesilrige's horse to stumble or his headpiece to "open behind" to provide an opportunity for Atkyn's blade. It seems to me that the conventional lobster tailed pot fits the incident best. the laminated tail would usually guard the neck, but if, as Hesilrige's horse faltered, he was jerked forward in the saddle, as his head went down the tail of the helmet would go up, leaving the neck briefly exposed to a thrust.

My sketch shows Sir Arthur in an expensive Continental, probably German, helmet with single nasal and fluted skull, rather than the English triple-barred type, which seem generally to be cheaper and plainer.

As for weapons, Hesilrige had the usual sword, with "two edges and a ridge in the midle," apparently with a sword-knot on the hilt since it was "tied twice about his wrist." Perhaps less typically, he carried a carbine as well as pistols. At the beginning of their duel, Atkyns relates "he discharged his carbine first, but at a distance not to hurt us, and afterwards one of his pistols."

Firth in Cromwell's Army, mentions some examples of Parliamentary cavalry officers with carbines, and suggests officers generally carried them even when, later in the war, their troopers did not. So though Hesilrige himself used a carbine, this need not be a guide to the rest of his regiment's armament.

Note

This article first appeared in 'ARQUEBUSIER' THE MAGAZINE OF THE PIKE & SHOT SOCIETY. Our thanks to the Editor and author for allowing its use. in the magazine there was a call for comments on Duncan's theory. I personally still feel that Hesilrige wore a Mail 'shirt' over his Back & Breast. It may have had short sleaves. There would be no problem over size and I doubt it would have hampered movement much further than armour already did! The Term 'Arms' was frequently used to mean Back & Breast during the Civil War. Keith Roberts thinks that 'over his arms' means 'over and above' i.e. In addition to, and cites the following pictorial evidence of "men in Cuirassier armour worn over Chain Mail."

1) Charles II when Prince of Wales by Dobson.-Regularly reproduced.
2) Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford by Van Dyck. 2 painting reproduced in the National Portrait Gallery Catalogue VAN DYCK IN ENGLAND
3) Henry Ireton by Robert Walker. Again, often used in books.

NB Barry Denton's biography of Sir Arthur Hesilrige is due Early Summer.--Dave Ryan

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