Basic Costume

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Braes: Baggy underpants, not unlike big boxer shorts with points for attaching hose

Hose: Tight fitting single legs made out of wool with points at the top to attach to braes. Can be made with or without feet.

Shirt: Loose fitting with or without a collar.

Coat: Long sleeved and knee-length for the masses, made of wool or linen.

Footwear: Boots or shoes made of leather. Thigh length 15th/16th Century boots are unsuitable as are desert boots, doc Martins wrapped in sack, cloth etc.

Please note that cotton or calico may be used instead of linen etc for shirts braes, gambesons and aketons. All we are trying to ensure is that we don't have people in polyester costumes!

Foot Soldiers

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Most foot soldiers would have worn a padded aketon or jack as body protection and some form of kettle or pot helm on their heads. They were armed with an assortment of polearms and would carry various side-arms. Some have been depicted carrying small heater shields, targets (medium round shields of about 2.5 ft diameter), bucklers and pavaises for crossbowmen. Kite Shields, 17thc. targes and large viking shields should not be used.

The more experienced veterans may also have been lucky enough to have aquired mail-shirts, coifs etc.

Archers should be armoured similarly although many were also unarmoured.

Knights, Gentlemen (esquires) and Men-at-arms

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Chainmail was the principle armour of the knightly classes of this period. A fully armoured knight would have:

Coif: Covers head and throat, some have an iron or steel skull cap incorporated and all are worn with a padded under cap.

Hauberk: Long sleeved and knee length usually incorporating mail mittens. There is evidence of simple coats of plates being worn beneath the mail but most would make do with padding.

Chausses: Mail protection for the leg and foot. Rigid protection was worn on the shins beneath them. They usually came to the thigh and were attached by points to a belt.

Helmet: A variety of helmets were worn such as great helms (conical and flat), kettle helmets, and there is evidence of a simple form of bascinet (without a visor) being worn.

Shield: Medium or small wooden heater shields decorated with the knights coat of arms. Early style kite shields were not in evidence by this period.

Note: There is evidence of men-at-arms and esquires wearing stout, good quality aketons instead of a mail hauberk. They do however have the mail coif and leg defences.

The principle arm of the knight was the sword either single handed or hand-and-a-half although a variety of other weapons could also be carried (Axes, maces etc). It should be noted that polearms were seen as being below knightly status but lances were cut down for use in foot combat.

Suits of Milanese, Gothic plate and any other forms of articulated armour are not acceptable so please don't bring them as you will not be admitted on the field. Cuir bouilli or steel lower vambraces, grieves and knee cops (polyens) are ok.

Highlanders and Islemen 

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1) Isleman Mercenary/ Highland Chief.

2) Highland Cateran Archer

3) Highland Cateran Spearman.

4-6) Images of Caterans taken from the Carlisle Charter.

The Outfits of 14th Century Highland troops is as distinctive as that of their 16th Century cousins. Sources for the following clothes, arms and armour are taken from a range of primary source material such as manuscripts, gravestones and illuminations.

1) Isleman Mercenary. 

(Image taken from a gravestone on Iona)

Gravestones of Iona and Kilmartin show the details of equipment worn by Highland Chiefs and Isleman Mercenaries of the period.

Head: A padded arming cap would be worn under the bascinet helmet and mail coif or aventail.

Body: Stout padded aketon or Mail Hauberk (N.B Islemen would not have worn hauberks as they tended to fight from ships and mail and water do not mix!)

Shield: Many of the stones depict small heater shields.

Weapons: Broadswords, spears and two-handed Danish style axes are all in evidence.

2-6) Highland Caterans.

Clothing: All contemporary pictures of Highland troops show them wearing either a large, loose fitting hooded garment similar to a Huke (2,3,4,5) or a large, hooded poncho style garment (6) probably made of wool or heavy linen. Under this would be worn a linen shirt and in some cases braies and hose (4,6). Many contemporary many contemporary manuscript sources state that many Highland and Isle troops of all classes went bare legged.

Colours: Russets, Browns, Green, Grey, Ochre Yellow.

Armour: Any armour worn is covered by the large outer garment but manuscripts tell us of padded jacks, mail vests and shirts of deer skin or pitched linen worn beneath.

Shields: Mainly small round bucklers with a centre boss and handgrip (like a small Norse shield.) However, two soldiers on the Carlisle charter (5,6) carry heater shields.

Weapons: Spears, Glaives, Hand-axes, Bows, Daggers.

Notes: Claymores are 16th Century weapons and the first recorded use of the plaid is 1495, seen on the Western isles by the expedition of James IV. Simple checks were in evidence but not the tartans of later periods.