36 DORSET SOLDIERS. 



sons and servants of these were not usually expected to 

 serve. From some instructions for holding musters con- 

 tained in one of the Lansdowne MSS. it appears that the 

 convenience of those attending was respected. The place 

 of muster was to be so fixed that no man within the district 

 need journey more than half a day in order to attend, and, 

 though all the men were to appear, a householder was not to 

 be compelled to bring all his sons and servants at the same 

 time. Husbandry was to be interfered with as little as 

 possible. Defaulters were to be punished. Those keeping 

 servants were enjoined to prefer such as were " fit for 

 archery," &c. ; poor men were expected " for love of their 

 country " to club together in providing arms and armour, 

 and men without arms might be employed as carters, pioneers, 

 smiths, and carpenters. 



The purpose of the early Dorset Musters was evidently 

 not to exercise soldiers, but to obtain a survey of the local 

 resources in men armour and weapons, all of which are set 

 forth in great detail in the Commissioners' certificates. The 

 rolls are of especial interest, both because they afford the 

 only available example of an assembly of the great mass of 

 the male population of the county, and because they give 

 some idea of the condition of the force previous to the 

 systematic provision of firearms. Several thousands carried 

 bows or bills, and in the whole array there were but six guns 

 or hand-guns. Glancing down the lists one observes a few 

 halberds and spears, a fair number of swords and poleaxes, 

 some axes merely designated " haks," one survival of the 

 ancient battleaxe, and a solitary specimen of the ragged 

 staff. The armour was equally varied and, to some extent, 

 a luxury. Harnesses outnumbered all other kinds of 

 protection for the body ; but there were many pieces of 

 almayne rivets (composed of overlapping plates) from the 

 larger country houses, and jacks or quilted coats were 

 produced by less important men. The small headpieces 

 called salades, sallets, or sculls were fairly common, while a 

 few men possessed such odds and ends as a pair of splints, 



