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| Figure 1 |
14th Century
Bridle, Div V Animal Accoutrements
Sgt James ap Llywelyn
Barony of the Cleftlands
AS XLIX
Introduction
Ramon Lull, a prolific writer of the late 13th
to early 14th century, said in his book on chivalry “Thus to the
most noble man is given the most noble beast”[2]. He was talking about the
horse, held in high esteem throughout the SCA period. He goes on further to
describe the many parts of a Knight’s equipment and the significance of each
part, saying of the reigns “and by the reins is signified to the Knight that he
ought to be led overall where the order of chivalry will lead or send him.”
There is no doubt that the horse and her equipment were precious to the 14th
century Knight. As I explore the life of a 14th century nobleman I
am drawn recently to the pursuit of horsemanship. While preparing my own horse
for SCA Equestrian games I have decided to fit her with appropriate 14th
century tack.
My entry is a 14th century bridle for
my horse, (Fig. 1) based on the examples in the Hunt Book of Gaston Phoebus[1],
for use in SCA Equestrian games. (Fig. 2)
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| Figure 2 |
Materials and Methods
The first obstacle to
overcome when recreating any piece of tack from the 14th century is
that the leather parts do not survive very well in the archeological record.[3]
With a few exceptions, we are left with mostly bits of leather left attached at
the belt or buckle end. There are some surviving spurs with belts intact, and
recently an amazing find in Ireland of a complete breast strap with buckles and
mounts. I have assumed that the work of leathercraft, techniques and stitches
for example, was largely the same for tack as it was for belts, shoes, and
other pieces. These pieces were more likely to end up in privy dumps, providing
far more extant examples from which to glean leather stitching, finishing and
dyeing techniques. I applied those techniques to my tack.
For leather, I chose
vegetable tanned cowhide. While many earlier pieces of leather work in England
were done in goat, sheep or pigskin by the 14th century organized
cattle drives into London provided a ready supply of cowhide for
leatherwork.[3] Vegetable tanned leather remains pliable and shapeable by
soaking in water. I used this fact to shape the leather of my bridle for a
close fit to the buckles and rings. I started with a side of 9 ounce vegetable
tanned leather and used a strap cutter to cut it up. I burnished the edges of
the straps with a rotary wheel burnisher. While this is a modern piece of
equipment, it simply automates the hand process that has been used for
centuries. The result is a burnished edge that helps waterproof the leather and
give it a smooth finished appearance.
When I decided to dye
my bridle I chose to use modern vegetable based leather dyes. I made this
choice because my preliminary research into period dyes containing indigo suggested
they were not colorfast and would fade quickly in sunlight. I wanted this
bridle to remain deeply blue for a long time. I decided to use modern dye for
the colorfast qualities. I waterproofed my leather with lederbalsam, a favorite
among horse enthusiasts, which is made of lanolin oil and waxes. The same sort
of oils and waxes were used in the 14th century to waterproof shoes,
[4]so I think it is likely that tack may have been treated the same way.
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| Figure 3 |
The bit my bridle is built to hold is a
commercially available snaffle bit with 3.5 inch rings in sweet iron. I chose
this bit because it bears striking resemblance to bit BWB83(Fig. 3), found in
London and dated to the 14th century. The measurements had to be
exact. From the beginning of the partnership between man and horse the use of
the bit and the placement thereof is an important task of the bridle. Xenophon
tells us the bit should be “loose, so that the horse may not take it up in his
bars but not so loose that he can take it up in his teeth.”[6] Dom Duarte, in
his book on horsemanship, tells us that the bridle “should be well placed,
neither too high or too low…” and warns us that “…great accidents can occur if
the beast comes unbridled.”[7] I used a bridle that I knew fit my horse well
and took copious measurements for my medieval bridle.
Stitching my bridle
pieces to the rings at the temples I used a running stitch, also called a
saddle stitch. The same stitch is found in numerous examples of shoes from the
14th century [4] as well as several pouches and belts. [8] Since I
did not find any extant bridles or tack made of one piece of leather (the
example recently found in Ireland is folded over and stitched with a baseball
stitch to make a thin piece of leather suitable for a thicker job) I think it
is reasonable to use this stitch, common in other examples of leatherwork with
leather of similar thickness. I used waxed nylon thread throughout. While not
period, it is strong, will not deteriorate, and I had a ready supply on hand.
Since I intend to use this bridle over the life of my horse I think it is a
good compromise, especially since the waxed nylon is visually similar to the
waxed linen that would have been used in the 14th century.
Conclusion
I am very happy with
my bridle, and my mare Jeanne d’Arc seems to like it too. I used techniques I
learned in an earlier leather project and further refined my leatherworking
skills. I am emboldened by my success and have decided to continue with reins,
strap barding and a saddle to complete my 14th century horse tack
project.
Fin
Bibliography
1. Thomas, Marcel. The Hunting Book of Gaston Phébus:
Manuscrit Français 616, Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale. London: Harvey Miller,
1998. Print.
2. Llull, Ramon, and Brian
Price. The Book of Knighthood
and Chivalry. Union City, Calif.: Chivalry helf ;, 2004. Print.
3. Clark, John. The Medieval Horse and Its
Equipment, C.1150 - C.1450. New ed. Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Boydell, 2004.
Print.
4. Grew, Francis. Shoes and Pattens. London:
H.M.S.O., 1988. Print.
5. Ward, William. The Secretes of the Reuerende
Mayster Alexis of Piemount Conteinying Many Excelle[n]t Remedies Agaynst Dyuers
Diseases, Woundes, and Other Accidents, with the Manner to Make Distillations,
Parfumes, Confitures, Dyinges, Colours, Fusions, and Meltynges. ... Translated
out of Frenche into Englishe, by Wyllyam Warde. Londini: [Printed by Henry Sutton],
1559. Print.
6. The Art of
Horsemanship ... Translated, with Chapters on the Greek Riding-horse, and with
Notes, by Morris H. Morgan. [With Plates.]. Pp. Viii. [11]-187. J.H. Allen & Co.: London, 1962.
Print.
7. Preto, Antonio
Franco. The Royal Book of
Jousting, Horsemanship, and Knightly Combat: A Translation into English of King
Dom Duarte's 1438 Treatise Livro Da Ensinança De Bem Cavalgar Toda Sela (The
Art of Riding in Every Saddle). Highland Village, Tex.: Chivalry helf,
2005. Print.
8. Egan, Geoff, and
Frances Pritchard. Dress
Accessories, C. 1150-c. 1450. London: H.M.S.O., 1991. Print.
