Dear all, I've just received the 1689 will of Richard Sherlock, DD, Winwick, Lancashire, and was fascinated to see in the inventory: Itm in Silver plate, one Body suit of Armour Buff Coat & c - £30=14=10 Was armour really/normally made of silver plate? It seems a very expensive piece of 'kit' to have? Kind regards, Yvonne Purdy (nee Sherlock)

Sounds like a ceremonial suit to me. Audrey ----- Original Message ----- From: "YvonnePurdy" <von@yvonnepurdy.free-online.co.uk> To: <old-english@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 10:15 PM Subject: [OEL] Has anyone come across suits of armour? Dear all, I've just received the 1689 will of Richard Sherlock, DD, Winwick, Lancashire, and was fascinated to see in the inventory: Itm in Silver plate, one Body suit of Armour Buff Coat & c - £30=14=10 Was armour really/normally made of silver plate? It seems a very expensive piece of 'kit' to have? Kind regards, Yvonne Purdy (nee Sherlock) ==================================== WEB PAGE: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~oel/ ARCHIVES: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=OLD-ENGLISH ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to OLD-ENGLISH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.173 / Virus Database: 270.8.2/1735 - Release Date: 20/10/2008 14:52

Hi Everyone Just because there was a suit of armour in the inventory doesn't mean to say, of course, that this particular deceased Doctor of Divinity necessarily ever wore it himself. It may have been passed down the family from a King's supporter in the then recent Civil War or it may have been a gift from a wealthy patron or grateful friend. There's quite a lot of background around Doctor Sherlock on the internet which provides plenty of 'leads' with regard to education, social standing, contacts and lifestyle. I wonder whether the suit still exists today or whether it was recycled in the furnace. By 1689 it would have gained interest as an item of the past as army uniforms were being made of cloth. Also from the internet, 'Late in the 16th century armourers were still making fine armour, magnificently embossed and damascened with gold and silver, and also armour specially designed for the tournament. However, full armour, except for the cuirass and helmet, was rarely worn after 1650, though commanders might use it when sitting for portraits.' Fascinating! Best wishes Barbara ----- Original Message ----- From: "YvonnePurdy" <von@yvonnepurdy.free-online.co.uk> To: <old-english@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 10:15 PM Subject: [OEL] Has anyone come across suits of armour? Dear all, I've just received the 1689 will of Richard Sherlock, DD, Winwick, Lancashire, and was fascinated to see in the inventory: Itm in Silver plate, one Body suit of Armour Buff Coat & c - £30=14=10 Was armour really/normally made of silver plate? It seems a very expensive piece of 'kit' to have? Kind regards, Yvonne Purdy (nee Sherlock) ==================================== WEB PAGE: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~oel/ ARCHIVES: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=OLD-ENGLISH ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to OLD-ENGLISH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

<<I've just received the 1689 will of Richard Sherlock, DD, Winwick, Lancashire, and was fascinated to see in the inventory: Itm in Silver plate, one Body suit of Armour Buff Coat & c - £30=14=10 Was armour really/normally made of silver plate? It seems a very expensive piece of 'kit' to have?>> Hello Yvonne, 'plate' at this period almost always meant tableware, so I think that should be read as "in Silver plate [and] one Body suit of Armour, Buff Coat etc". In other words there were two separate items, his silver plate and his armour. As someone else said, a Doctor of Divinity might have owned military equipment because he had inherited it, but at this date it is more likely that he owned it because he was obliged, like all other men above a certain level of wealth, to provide and maintain armour and weapons for the local militia . It seems he was wealthy enough to have been required to provide a cavalryman's buff coat and armour. Matt