Display of Barding Styles - Introduction and Full Barding

Full barding in use on several horses
at Siege of Glen Gary, 2013

This is the documentation for a project which I entered in the Ice Dragon Pentathlon in 2009. That was the first year I entered the competition and it was my desire to display equestrian related items. This entry, Display of Barding Styles from the 12th through 14th Centuries; England, Europe and Asia was entered in the Curiosa category because, at that time, there was no Animal Arts category.  Through my efforts, with Viscountess Rannveigr who also entered equestrian related items, a new category was added for the Animal Arts.

INTRODUCTION

 

A variety of barding types have been used during in the Middle Ages for an equal variety of reasons.   Some barding was strictly ornamental, while other styles served as protection for the horse. Styles also varied from country to country. This exhibit will attempt to introduce these basic styles and variations. Because of special event requirements in the SCA for horses, as well as the obvious logistical issues with having live horses model the pieces, I chose to utilize Breyer Horse models to display barding styles in miniature. Except for the size differences, I tried to maintain authenticity in all other areas as much as possible, including materials and techniques. The following examples are displayed here:  Three English and European styles including Full Barding, Strap Barding and Blanket Barding; Japanese Style Barding and Arabian Style Barding.

 

FULL BARDING:

 

Full barding was in use throughout the later part of the Middle Ages, and many examples exist showing its use during the 12th through 14th Centuries. Similar styles were found in England, France, Germany and other European regions. The full barding example comes from the sources: Tournaments: Jousts, Chivalry and Pageants in the Middle Ages, by Richard Barber and Juliet Barker^[1]and Wagner, Drobna, and Durdik's  Medieval Costume, Armor and Weapons.^[2] In the former source, the picture  (shown to the right) is titled, "Ulrich von Lichtenstein, from the fourteenth century Manesse anthology."

 

This type of barding was ordinarily constructed or linen or silk cloth. Velvet materials were introduced during the later part of the period. Heraldic devices were often displayed on the barding and were commonly embroidered on the cloth.

 

"Colorful designs appeared on surcoats by the mid 12th Century, presumably to show off the style and taste of the wearer, but at some point the designs evolved into formal symbols that signified who the wearer of the surcoat was....it served an important role in helping to identify combatants on the field.......Thus, large colorful emblems with symbols associated with particular families came to be embroidered or appliqued onto surcoats, horse trappers, and banners or painted on shields to identify who was on the field so that their own men, as well as the enemy, would be able to tell who was there and identify ally from foe."^[3]

The Miniature:

I chose to use linen materials for its durability and more readily available nature. I wanted to make this piece as authentic as possible (with the obvious exception to size, due to constraints in displaying the items on live horses at this venue), but also use it as a trial run for a later, larger, more horse sized piece that I want to make. Therefore, several issues were of importance: I wanted to represent the commoner version used by the majority of warriors of the time, as opposed to something that would have been used by the very wealthy. I also wanted to represent the style of barding more commonly found and suited for use on the battlefield, as opposed to the more elaborate and expensive versions found in the 14th Century Tournament. Thus, I stayed with linen as opposed to silk or velvet. Likewise, for durability, I chose to use cotton thread instead of silk.  

 

The stitches I used also followed this theme of durability and battlefield barding. I avoided running stitches for the most part in the construction because of the weaker nature of the stitch. I used back-stitches for seam construction as well as hems. I also used whip-stitches and over-cast stitched on edges of seams and on hems for greater strength and to protect the raw edges. The embroidery stitches were chosen for durability as well. I experimented with various types. The main thing I wanted to work on was to minimize or decrease the amount of thread on the back-side which would be subject to considerable wear while worn on a horse. Therefore, I used a variety of techniques and stitch patterns, trying to balance style, durability and efficiency of stitching. The main embroidery stitches include back-stitch, split stitch, satin stitch and chain stitch.

 

I chose the colors to closely represent the example to which I would refer to for the project. I deviated slightly, using purple in lieu of red, and a lighter version of blue based on availability of colors that I had on hand. Because I used beige colored, un-dyed linen, I omitted the white spots which would have been lost on my piece. Maintaining the aesthetic appearance as well as a correct heraldic display were also of importance. I added the gold chain stitch along the bottom in order to finish this off. During the period, it was common to see fringe, tassels or bells added to this area for greater beauty. The small golden beads were attached to match the example. It is likely these were actually bells, which is frequently documented during the period as being used on horse barding for Tournaments. I used the beads to represent them as I was unable to find small enough bells for this project, while maintaining scale. 

 

The model used to display the piece is a light warhorse (destrier) which was typically used for battle and tournament around the 12th-13th Century.  (Horse size is not a subject of this project, but larger horses were found only in later period, unlike the commonly held belief that all knights rode huge warhorses.)

 

Full Sized: 

The full sized Barding displayed here is a piece which I made and have used for Equestrian activities in the SCA.  The style is in keeping with examples from the period and is typical of barding found during the 13th Century throughout Europe. I chose to use cotton cloth of a lighter weave due to the fact the horse would be wearing this during the hotter summer months. Linen would have created too much of an over-heating issue for the horse, while silk would lack the durability I needed.  [Editorial note: I later found this was not the case, but that linen was cooler and better for use in warmer temperatures.]I used the style of displaying heraldry on the barding as was common. The arms displayed represent my affiliation with the Mountain Confederation household at the time. I chose these arms when I started this project because of the colors and dramatic display they would make on the piece. I thought these combinations of color and charges would look particularly good displayed in this manner. Due to the size and the fact that I was unsure how well embroidery would hold up to frequent use and washings, I chose to applique the charges on the material. The bottoms are dragged as was common in the period, with a contrasting binding. This was a common embellishment of the barding during the period. I recently worked on this piece to make it more authentic, by correctly appliqueing the heraldic charges with stitches and adding cording on the edges of the appliqued items, which I found was commonly done in period.^[4]

The picture above shows the barding on a horse that was typical of the period - between 14.2 and 15.1 hands, weighing between 800-1000 pounds. This was the ideal size for a warhorse, or destrier of the 13th Century.

To securely fasten each piece together at the withers, I used velcro, that, though not period, I felt was necessary to ensure the garment would not slip off and risk a tripping hazard to the horse. I concealed this underneath as to minimize their over-all effect on the appearance of the piece. The more visible and authentic ties on the front portion are used to close the front. Research shows that this was the method commonly used during the period. I used machine stitching as opposed to hand stitching because of the need for strength and durability.

This piece looks dramatic and well as authentic when in use on a horse. It certainly adds to the pageantry of SCA events, as was an early intention of adding equestrian activities to the SCA environment. This particular piece was designed to be able to fit a variety of sized horses, which is always a challenge with any horse tack. The pictures attached show the barding in use on several horses.

EDUCATIONAL BENEFITS OF THIS PROJECT

In the completion of this project, I learned a great deal about several subjects beyond just that of barding styles used throughout the world during the later part of the Middle Ages. I had a pretty good understanding of the basic styles, through my prior research. But I also learned what materials were used and construction techniques. Additionally, I learned a great deal about topics such as embroidery during the Middle Ages, applique techniques, and hand sewing techniques. Of equal importance, I learned about the process of entering SCA A&S competitions and documenting my work. This has opened up a whole new avenue of exploration and participation in the SCA. In the past 30 years that I have been involved in the SCA, I have been very involved in the "doing" of things - participating in various active activities such as archery, fighting, equestrian, etc. While I have enjoyed making garb and various equipment, and based my work on examples I found in various references, I had not gotten deep into the research and documentation of these items. This project has inspired me to seek further research and look into making more projects which are as authentic as possible. This has been a very worthwhile project for these reasons and bring their own reward.

[Editorial note: I also learned about the suitability of lien for these types of equipment. Through entering the competition, I received valuable feedback from the judges which I applied to later projects. These display pieces have been used several times, as teaching aids, for classes I have taught on horse equipment.]

Parts 2-5 cover the other parts of the display, including strap and blanket barding, as well as Japanese and Arabic styles of horse coverings.

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^[1]Richard Barber  & Juliet Barker. Tournaments: Jousts, Chivalry and Pageants in the Middle Ages. (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press,2000.) 55.
^[2]Wagner, Drobna, and Durdik. Medieval Costume, Armor and Weapons. (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc, 2000) Plate 14-1.
^[3] Joshua Prawer. The World of the Crusaders. (Quadrangle Books, 1972). 238.
^[4]Website, AIs this Stitch Period (#5 of a Series): Applique: Lay On! by Christian de Holacombe, West Kingdom Needleworkers Guild Deputy, Feb 2009, <http://www.bayrose.org/wkneedle/Articles/applique.html

Sources:

Barber , Richard & Juliet Barker. Tournaments: Jousts, Chivalry and Pageants in the Middle Ages, Woodbridge: The Boydell Press,2000.
Clark,  John ed. The Medieval Horse and its Equipment, c. 1150‑c.1450. NY:Woodbridge: Museum of London, 1995.
Dent,  Anthony Austen. The Horse Through Fifty Centuries of Civilization. NY: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1974.
Devries, Doughtery, Dickie, Jestice and Jorgensen.  Battles of the Medieval World, 1000‑1500.  NY: Amber Books, Ltd, 2006.
Hopkins, Andrea.  A Chronicle History of Knights. NY: Barnes and Nobles Books, 2004.
LaCroix,  Paul and Walter Clifford Meller. The Medieval Warrior. NY: CL Press/Book Creation, LLC, 2002.
Prawer,  Joshua. The World of the Crusaders. Quadrangle Books, 1972. Available on GoogleBooks, Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized Jun 9, 2008,
<http://books.google.com/books?id=KslmAAAAMAAJ&q=crusader+surcoat&dq=crusader+surcoat&pgis=1>.
Wagner, Drobna, and Durdik.  Medieval Costume, Armor and Weapons. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc, 2000.
Website: Atlantian MOAS site (links), Jan 2009, <http://moas.atlantia.sca.org/wsnlinks/index.php?action=displaycat&catid=56>
Website Barding article, Jan 2009, <http://ilaria.veltri.tripod.com/overviewbards.html>.
Website on  Period stitches, Jan 2009,<http://jauncourt.i8.com/stitches.htm>
( referenced information on running Stitch, back stitch, and over‑stitched or over‑sewn, as well as Hem treatments includingCrunning, whip stitch)
Website on Split stitching, Jan 2009, <http://www.bayrose.org/wkneedle/Articles/split_stitch.html>
Website, AHeraldic Embroidery@ by Senhora Rafaella d'Allemtejo, GdS, Feb 2009,
<http://moas.atlantia.sca.org/wsnlinks/index.php?action=displaycat&catid=56>.
Website, AIs this Stitch Period (#5 of a Series): Applique: Lay On! by Christian de Holacombe, West Kingdom Needleworkers Guild Deputy, Feb 2009,
<http://www.bayrose.org/wkneedle/Articles/applique.html