Osprey's first publication of the new millennium in their Masterclass series is Pete Armstrong's book Ancient and Medieval Modelling. Those of you who have bought a copy hot off the press will recognise the mounted figure of the Earl of Warwick featured here. You can see how the model of the Kingmaker was constructed in the book, where the process is described and illustrated in step-by-step format.
However, before any modelling takes place, there's a good deal of research to be done and in the case of a medieval figure this invariably means piecing together the information needed from a wide variety of sources. When I started my research I thought there was a possibility that some likeness of the Kingmaker had survived from those turbulent times; perhaps a monumental effigy such as that of his famous father-in-law Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, in the Church of St Mary in Warwick. But the Kingmaker's defection to the Lancastrian cause led to his defeat and death at the Battle of Barnet. Athough Edward IV allowed him a decent burial in the family chapel at Bisham Priory the Earl's sudden and dramatic fall from power and favour can never have allowed him a memorial to rival that of his Beauchamp predecessor. In any case his tomb, like so many others, disappeared long ago during Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries.
Painted portraits were fashionable in the late fifteenth century and were widely copied to provide the gentry with images of those to whom they professed allegiance. It is perhaps not surprising that no likeness of the great Earl has survived. It seems likely that with the ascendancy of the house of York his erstwhile supporters would have removed him from their picture galleries.
Nevertheless, in order to provide modellers with the challenge of painting a face I sculpted a rather middle aged head, though cast in the heroic mould, to tempt them (he was 43 in 1471). To show my 'portrait' Warwick's visor was modelled in the raised position and I omitted the bevor that was worn with a sallet to protect the neck and chin area. I thought that in a castle courtyard setting Warwick could safely dispense with this item as it must have been constricting to have in place when no action was imminent. In fact its absence does not seem to have been unusual, for in 1452 Charles the Bold's son was killed by a pike thrust when he wore a sallet without the bevor and Charles himself was badly wounded by a sword cut when his bevor, which had been casually attached at the last moment, fell off in action.
I decided at the design stage that my model of Warwick would be most impressive if the horse had a caparison (a decorated cloth 'coat') and this would also provide a canvas for a colourful display of heraldry. Evidence from medieval pictorial sources suggests that, though earlier caparisons covered the horse's head, by the late fifteenth century they tended to end at the shoulder. This could be because the chamfron and crinnet (armour for the horse's head and neck) were coming into more widespread use. Both the Tower Armouries and the Wallace Collection have examples of complete horse armours from the late fifteenth century and in addition there are a number of interesting separate chamfrons in their collections too; these were the basis for my reconstruction of the armour of Warwick's charger.
Earlier horse armour presents a problem to model makers; we know of its existence from documentary evidence such as the summonses to military service issued in Edward I's time which refer to 'barded' horses. It seems most likely that this meant some form of armour but for lack of further evidence its appearance is unknown. A good deal of soft or padded armour was used in the early fourteenth century and it may be that this, possibly supplemented by mail, is what is meant by the term. We are on firmer ground with the equipment of Warwick's time and as I wanted to model some decorative reins for his horse I turned to a particularly interesting Italian quattrocento painting; Paolo Uccello's Rout of San Romano which is in the National Gallery in London. I'm sure that the picture will be familiar to many readers; its factual details of armour and saddlery provided me with a fascinating mine of information; even the tiny figures in the background repay close examination. The engagement of the title took place in 1432 between the forces of Florence and Sienna. And though the Siennese suffered a reverse in their fortunes, the main outcome of the business was the series of three paintings that Uccello completed, to judge by the style of the military equipment, in the 1440s. There are elements of fantasy in the painting such as the unlikely headgear worn by the Florentine commander and the improbable florid crests topping the armets of some of the knights. These details were probably simply to display the painter's skill in using perspective, which was at that time still a novelty.
Heraldry
The Kingmaker's coat of arms, which he displays on his surcoat and on the horse's caparison, would have been well known in his day and would have identified him on the battlefield. His long tapering standard carries the cross of St. George of England in the hoist (nearest the staff) and, in the fly, displays the Earl's badges on a field of his livery colour. Warwick's retainers and household troops would have been distinguished by his 'ragged staff' badge, which was used to indicate ownership of goods as well as the allegiance of men and was more widely known and recognised than his coat of arms. A knight's standard was a more personal flag than his banner, which was a more formal square flag that displayed his coat of arms and served as a statement of the lands and titles that he held. A knight's retinue would adopt his badge and livery colours but not his coat of arms as this was a personal distinction and was only used by the individual.
The Kingmaker's father, Richard Neville, was a younger son of Ralph, Earl of Westmorland who married the heiress of Thomas Montague and became the Earl of Salisbury. His paternal arms were 'gules, a saltire argent' which as a cadet he differenced with a 'label compony argent and azure'(these are the arms on the surcoat and caparison). He used the silver and blue colours of the Lancastrians because his mother was a daughter of John of Gaunt the famous Duke of Lancaster. Salisbury's son the 'Kingmaker' became Earl of Salisbury as well as Earl of Warwick in 1460 when his father was beheaded after the Yorkist defeat at the battle of Wakefield. His personal arms were inherited from his father but he continued to style himself Earl of Warwick. Of course I could have painted the model to represent any well-equipped knight of the Wars of the Roses period and I'm sure that many modellers who buy the kit will choose to do a little research and paint a different knight. There is a great deal of information readily available on the coats of arms and the standards of knights of this time so there is no excuse for using 'bogus' heraldry.
Armour in the later fifteenth century.
A surviving example of a fifteenth century armour is a great rarity and it is fortunate indeed for students of the subject that the collection at Kelvingrove in Glasgow houses the finest and earliest homogenous armour in Britain. This is a Milanese armour of about 1455 which was acquired by the Scottish shipping magnate R.L. Scott in the 1930's from the Trapp family's castle of Churburg in the Italian Tyrol. The first model knight I ever made was in fact no more than a careful reconstruction in miniature of this armour and the Italianate armour of my 'Kingmaker' is based on it too. Italian armour was much in vogue with the nobility of England at the time of the Wars of the Roses and this is borne out by the evidence of many contemporary monuments such as the monumental brass of Sir Robert Staunton of 1458 illustrated on p.52. The Staunton brass does not include the gorget that was worn with the visored sallet in action. Gorgets often had a falling upper plate and something of this nature seems to be represented on the del Bothe brass (see below). The armour is of Italian form and remarkable for its huge couters or elbow guards and though these may be overstated they do illustrate why the shield was no longer necessary in battle. The Staunton brass displays symmetrical pauldrons (shoulder armor) whereas the del Bothe brass displays the usual cut away shape of the right pauldron that allows a lance to be couched under the arm. The curious v-shaped depression at the point of the shoulders below which is what could be a strap or fastening is difficult to interpret and at the moment impossible to account for.
In addition I have illustrated the brass of Sir Robert del Bothe (Booth) (p.50-51), a staunch Lancastrian who was killed at the battle of Blore Heath in 1459 and that of Sir William Stapleton of 1458 from Edenhall in Cumbria that I used as the source for Warwick's surcoat. Sir Robert's armour includes unusually elongated poleyns or knee armour. Remarkably this unlikely feature is not uncommon in monumental art and is repeated on a surprising number of brasses and effigies of this period. I think that curiosities of this nature occur because medieval craftsmen relied on pattern books for images rather than on observation from life. Copies were made of the drawings in pattern books then copies were made of copies, mistakes were made and the original source became debased.
Most of the knightly armour of the Wars of the Roses period was imported from Italy and southern Germany. Italian armour was characterised by its smooth flowing lines and rounded functional form whereas German armour, as well as displaying some constructional differences, had a more spiky gothic appearance. To confuse matters it seems that armour was produced in Italian workshops in the German style to appeal to the tastes of the gentry of Northern Europe.
By Pete Armstrong
About the author
Peter Armstrong developed an interest in military history and modelmaking during a varied career including a decade as a Secondary School art teacher in Cumbria. He is the founder, owner and sculptor behind Border Miniatures and Ancient and Medieval Modelling Masterclass is the fruit of his many years of modelling experience and research.