In 2022, I reviewed Volume 1 of this multi-volume reference work for the Medieval Review. That review is available at the TMR website, and it expresses the virtues I found in the previous volume. In this review I will summarize the features common to both, and then discuss the particular character of Volume 3. This most recent volume has its own character, largely due to the differing source material available in this later era (1450-1500), as opposed to the fourteenth century covered by Volume 1.
Moffat has aimed his Sourcebook at any scholar who studies the subject of “arms” from any number of angles. His definition of scholar is a wide one, including professional academics, martial artists, living history practitioners; in other words, anyone who studies armour, weapons and relevant equipment for whatever reason. Moffat (and his publishers) are quite aware of the wide audience that he is potentially addressing—indeed he is a very enthusiastic guide.
One of the sections of each volume is called “Toward a Working Vocabulary” while another is called “Using the Sourcebook.” These section-titles could have been used to construct a different title for the work as a whole. Both of them seek to explain the problems that users might have interpreting obscure terminology, or mistakes made by earlier scholars.
Here are the five sections that Vol III is organized around. First, is the unnumbered section containing several types of prefatory material—lists of illustrations and documents, the preface proper, and acknowledgements. Also in this section is ”Using the Sourcebook” (how various problems in the history of armour can be approached), “English Pronunciation” (a guide to users unfamiliar with fourteenth-century English), and “Towards a Working Vocabulary” (see below). Second (Part I), is the “Introduction to the Source-Types,” including both textual and material sources. It discusses the characteristics of the various sources, such as documents, armour, weapons, and artworks.
Third (Part II) “The Documents,” includes transcriptions and translations of many documents and excerpts of documents in which the arms are mentioned, such items as wills, inventories, and challenges to single combat. This is perhaps the richest part of the book because so many documents are included, with economic and potentially prosopographical items as well as military information.
Part III is the “Illustrated Glossary” which can be considered the heart of the book. The value of the “Illustrated Glossary” is obvious, but just looking up an unfamiliar word is far from being the only way a reader can engage with a text. As in Vol. I, Vol III includes a numbering system that makes cross-referencing original texts and translations much easier than it might have been.
A feature of the present volume, indeed in both volumes, is the inclusion of the text and translations of the text in each document of the Sourcebook. Some of the most difficult (but useful!) documents are inventories and similar lists. Without Moffat’s translations, or without the source material in the original language, this material would not be accessible to many users.
A feature of Vol. III that distinguishes it from the previous one is the inclusion of a large number of narratives, sometimes extracts from literary works, other times constituting passages from tax receipts, official letters, or inventories. Three short examples should give a feeling for Moffat’s interests and the way he wishes to serve the diverse community of arms and armour scholars.
Document 5: The Book of the Deeds of Jacques de Laing
The knight of the Pas...was armed and arrayed as he had been before...save
that he had his left leg disarmed. And wore no gauntlet on his right hand.
And d’Avanchy fought in a sallet and gorget of strong mail...and he took
his axe in one hand. Then the knight of the Pas quickly and briskly took
this d’Avanchy by the gorget pulling him towards him three or four paces
and, in doing so, d’Avanchy lost his axe from both hands and was forced
to the ground. And the judge cast (down) the baton.
Document 15: Nottinghamshire Archive. Charge of Assault against Henry Venoun [1453]
Henry Vernoun of Nottingham in the county town of Nottingham, arrayed
for war in the manner of a riot made an assault upon Robert Cade, one of
the sworn watchmen of the Lord King’s town, with a langue de boeuf and
dagger against the Lord King’s peace.
Document 41: Tours municipal archive 1470-1471
To Pierre Lambert, goldsmith, the sum of 55 sous tournois due to him for
having made and engraved six steeled-iron punches to mark the harness
and brigandines which are made and delivered in the said town of the making
that the King has ordained and for having refitted and restored two of the
said punches which were cast for marking the harnesses.
Finally, the large bibliography--reaching back to the nineteenth century--and the well-organized index make this sourcebook more useful than if the editor had not been so thorough.
Moffat wants to reach as many arms and armour scholars as he can. One expects that more than a few individual researchers will find this book a necessity, but we can also hope many academic and public libraries will find it a valuable addition to their reference collections.