Our understanding of the arms, armour, and other military equipment used in South East Scotland during the medieval period is surprisingly patchy. In the 1980s David Caldwell undertook detailed research into guns in late medieval Scotland – including studying the manufacture of firearms in Edinburgh and the Canongate (Caldwell 1982). However, further work could be undertaken regarding firearms and many other aspects of weaponry in South East Scotland during the medieval period.
Metal detecting activity in the region has produced fragments of several medieval weapons and some examples of equestrian equipment. For example, in the 2010s an amateur metal detectorist investigating near Selkirk uncovered a late medieval decorated sword pommel (claim number TT67/23). A number of the region’s museums also hold finds from earlier archaeological investigations and from the collections of antiquaries. For example, the National Museum of Scotland holds two sixteenth-century helmets discovered some time ago in the Ancrum area – one is of the burgonet type and was found near the River Ale (National Museum of Scotland H.LN 42) the other is a morion found at Mantle Walls (National Museum of Scotland H.LN 50). The morion is thought to have been made in Northern Italy – a reminder of the region’s international connections, particularly during the turbulent years of the mid-sixteenth century. Improved digital cataloguing of public and private collections, with good quality photography, would enable more research which linked together the scattered fragments of evidence regarding the region’s arms and armour.
Weapons and Military Equipment
- How did the arms and armour used in South East Scotland develop over the course of the medieval period?
- How did the armour used by Scots compare to that used by foreign forces (notably English and French)?
- What can we discover about the use of light and heavy cavalry?
- What can we learn about the production and adoption of firearms in South East Scotland?
- What are the most effective ways to record and share data on arms and armour, both regarding new discoveries and recording items held in existing collections?