About 1620
Steel
Made in England

This helmet, characterised by its deep bowl and wide, slightly turned-down brim, is of a type worn by pikemen, soldiers armed with pikes who were used as a defence against cavalry. This form of helmet was popular from the first decade of the 17th century up to the Civil War of 1642-1646 and large numbers have been preserved in arsenals and armouries.

This helmet was almost certainly made in London. Although the fact that it was made from two separate pieces is usually taken to be an indication of a lack of skill on the armoury's part, it is quite difficult to make the separate halves fit together satisfactorily.

The decoration consists of formalised leaves and a series of rivet heads arranged in rows. The edge is turned over a wire. The wide turned-down brim was intended to protect the face from sword cuts. The helmet would have had a padded lining held by rivets and two embossed steel ear-flaps attached inside the brim to protect the ears.

M.2812-1931
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O78522/pikemans-helmet/

Breastplate (bottom)
1620-1640
Steel
Made in England

This armour for a pikeman, which protected only the body, was known as a corslet. It consists of a breastplate and tassets (defences for the thigh) and was worn with a helmet, known as a pikeman's pot, with a broad rim.

By the early 17th century armour covering the entire body was no longer worn, except by specialist troops. This was principally due to the increased efficiency of firearms. Bullet-proof armour had to be very thick and was as a consequence very heavy. Therefore, only the vital parts of the body such as the head and the trunk were protected. This comparatively simple defensive armour allowed the pikeman to march and carry the very long pike that was still used against cavalry during the English Civil War.

Certain stylistic features - such as the embossed false plates, the purely decorative rivets on the tassets and the shapeless form of the breastplate, which does not follow the contours of the body as well-made armour always did - indicate that this armour was made at a period when it was about to be abandoned completely. Another indication that it is late is the construction of the helmet. It was not raised from a single plate, like the best quality work, but was made in two separate halves then welded together.

This armour was made in London by one of the many armourers working in the city in the 1620s. It is stamped with his mark - an H.

M.526 to B-1927