"WOTR - Sleeves ?" Topic

Thanks for all the useful information provided on the flags etc, can I ask for some more advice.

If say the Somerset wears his coat of arms on a jacket over his armour, what happens with the sleeves. Are they just the field colour or would you expect anything else.

Regards

Si

Oops! Crossposted by mistake to the Modern Board I presume?

To answer your question, I think it unlikely a noble would wear a "jacket" over his armour. As I understand it, a noble's coat of arms would be either painted directly onto the armour, or painted/embroidered on a sleeveless tabard worn over the armour.

Depends on how 'flash' he's feeling. If revenues were good, then the sleeves would have the same full arms as the body of the heraldic surcote. If he has a herald in his service & is really showing off, the herald also wears a heraldic surcote, but the sleeves are to the front & back & his arms are covered by the 'body' of the surcote (the garment was turned 90 degrees to show he was the Lord's agent & not the owner of the arms).

A minor lord might just stick to his personal or paternal arms rather than the full quaterings that he could assume by marriage. Unless he has a lot of underemployed female relatives living on his estates ;-)

The group who would have simplified surcotes over their armour would be feudal subordinates & retinue troops – usual practice would have a ground colour vaguely based on the Lord's device (or fancy) with a large-ish badge displayed fore-and-aft (the wealthy might have it on the sleeves too) which may be a major charge on the Lord's arms, or again, personal whimsy. The inner circle of troops might have some fancy embroidered device, the majority just a simple cutout roughly stitched on.

Ooops apologies, should have been medieval discussion. How do I get it moved?

Margard, thanks so a problem caused by the detail on the figure wearing a livery jacket rather than a sleevless tabard as you suggest. I was thinking of adding one in greenstuff but the idea of it being painted directly on the armour has its merits.

@Bsrlee, sorry don't understand the 90 degree thing would you mind explaining again?

You sometimes see short sleeves on the tabard – these should be a repeat of the main arms…