"John Rous’ 'Pageant of Richard Beauchamp'" Topic

A useful source for arms, armour and costume of the 15th century, selected illustrations of military interest from:
Pageant of the Birth, Life and Death of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick attributed to John Rous, c. 1485-90. British Library MS. Cotton Julius E IV
How Earl Richard kept jousts at Queen Joan's coronation.
How the blazing star called Stella comata appeared, and the beginning of the war in Wales.
How Earl Richard behaved himself at the Battle of Shrewsbury.
How Earl Richard was made Knight of the Garter.
How Earl Richard fought with and wounded Sir Pandolf Malateste at Verona.
How Earl Richard was received by the Patriarch's deputy at Jerusalem.
How Earl Richard gat him great worship at a tourney on his way home.
How Earl Richard was made Captain of Calais.
. An English Liveried Retainer in Armies of the Middle Ages, Volume 1 by Ian Heath, based on John Rous' Pageant of the Birth, Life and Death of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick
How Earl Richard jousted with Sir Gerard Herbaumes, called the Cheveler Ruge.
How Earl Richard jousted with the Blank Knight, Sir Hugh Lawney.
How Earl Richard jousted with Sir Colard Fynes.
How Earl Richard jousted with a mighty Duke before the Emperor and Empress.
How Earl Richard won two carracks in a sea fight.
How Earl Richard besieged the town of Caen.
How Earl Richard was at the Siege of Rouen.
How the Dauphin of France waylaid Earl Richard and his men.
How the Duke of Burgundy was driven from before Calais.

mirror site:
Pageant of the Birth, Life and Death of Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick attributed to John Rous, c. 1485-90. British Library MS. Cotton Julius E IV

Druzhina
15th Century Illustrations of Costume & Soldiers

An excellent collection of pictures.

Excellent indeed. While the illustrations are too late to show the armour styles of Richard Beauchamp's time (he had died in 1439) they are a fascinating glimpse of military styles and equipment pertaining at the end of the so-called 'Wars of the Roses'.

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Note also in this one:

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that two of the cannons project OVER the bulwark of the ship and not through it. There is no gunport as such. In documents of the time some artillery is referred to as 'waist guns' with the inference that these were the heaviest. The two pieces shown are in the 'waist' on the ship (the low part between the fore and after castles). This also differences them from other pieces which may have been lighter swivels or hand-held pieces which simply hooked over the bulwark to fire.

Note also that documents of the time refer to such heaver 'stone guns' in the waist (i.e. throwing stone cannon balls) as having more than one breechblock. The loose and removable wrought-iron breechblock contained the powder and wadding. The numbers suggest that up to three breeches per gun were carried on ship as standard.
If this is the case then such breech-loaders may have been capable of some rapid fire at the beginning of the action. With one breechblock loaded and two more standing-by, ready charged, the gunner and his mate would simply have to fire, knock out the wedge behind the first block and remove it, load a shot and the second breechblock and wedge, fire that, and repeat this for breechblock number three. By this time an apprentice may have had time to recharge breechblock number one with some powder for a fourth quick shot. After that firing would slow down as each breechblock was recharged. In effect the breechblock would act like a modern cartridge.

Do not dismiss these stone shot as ineffective either. Mythbusters notwithstanding, stone shot continued into the 16th century – the Spanish Armada used them. Modern tests in Britain have shown that a Spanish stone shot could smash through a wooden railway sleeper, scattering hundreds of wooden splinters behind it and into the ship. About half the stone projectile survived the penetration and had enough force to bury itself in the sand back stop to a considerable distance.

Now… if the multiple breechblocks were standard on land also, and not just a sea-borne luxury, it may give artillery a higher rate of fire in the first few minutes of a battle OR a wise gunner might fire and load only the one breechblock and saved the other two until an enemy assault threatened, banging them off in quick succession loaded with chain shot or wooden cylinders of flints and flint flakes. Such cylinders were recovered from the wreck of the Mary Rose – in effect, flint 'canister' shot.

Barry