A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



material. The headpiece, with a similar orle 

 to that of De Wittelbury, has 3lfjc naja in- 

 scribed on the front, and the defences for the 

 body and arms are practically the same, with 

 the addition of a camail with a free-ringed 

 edge appearing below the gorget, and, sur- 

 prising though it is, unmistakably shown to be 

 worn under a mentonni^re of plate, the gorget 

 covering both these protections. The simpler 

 form of the coudicres and the fastening buckles 

 of the brassarts and avant bras are notice- 

 able. The jupon is charged with the arms 

 of Ralph Greene's father. The gauntletted 

 left hand holds the right gauntlet, gallantly 

 removed to clasp the right hand of the faith- 

 ful Katherine. These protections for the 

 hand exhibit the advance of gadlings on the 

 fingers as well as on the knuckles. The 

 close-fitting jupon, ddchiquet^ after the earlier 

 fashion, is bound round the hips by the 

 baudric, the free-ringed edge of the hauberk 

 appearing below. This belt now sustains the 

 misericorde only, which disappeared with the 

 disuse of the baudric and reappeared during 

 the Wars of the Roses, the sword being slung 

 from a narrow transverse strap, a recurrence 

 in modified form to the broad sword-belts of 

 the early part of the fourteenth century. How 

 it was kept in position at the back there is no 

 evidence to show. The cuissarts, genouillires 

 and jambes are richly bordered and seamed, 

 and the sollerets, which rest on a muzzled 

 bear — ' un ours k ses pies ' — are reinforced 

 by instep plates and armed with spurs with 

 crimped straps, after the peculiar and short- 

 lived fashion of the time. The head rests on 

 the tilting helm — as the agreement has it, 

 * un helm de soubs son chief,' with the crest. 

 The effigy of Katherine Greene shows her 

 in accordance with the terms of the agree- 

 ment as ' gisant en sa surcote overte, avec 

 deux anges tenant un pilow de soubz sa teste, 

 et deux petitz chiens a ses pies,' and wearing, 

 besides the mantle or surcote, a tight sleeved 

 gown and a cote hardi. The head-dress, sup- 

 ported by two angels with a pillow, is very 

 remarkable, the hair being widely displayed 

 on either side over pads under a net, a long 

 veil falls behind, and this is surmounted by a 

 heavy coronal, more than twice the size of, 

 and with the same details as the orle on the 

 husband's helmet. 



Sir John Cressy. Died 1444. Dodford. 



A period has now intervened during which 

 brasses to a large extent took the place of 

 effigies as monumental memorials. Such 

 brazen records are well supplied in the 

 county, but to a much smaller scale than the 

 effigies. A space of rather more than twenty 



years being thus bridged over, the capital 

 alabaster effigy of Sir John Cressy presents 

 itself for consideration. 



This distinguished soldier is represented in 

 a suit of armour that is noteworthy, both in 

 itself as well as in showing how great an 

 alteration had gradually and continuously 

 taken place in military dress since the death 

 of Henry IV. in 1 413. The old-fashioned 

 jupon, the lineal descendant of the ancient 

 surcote, is now clean gone, the baudric has 

 vanished, and gone are the bascinet and 

 camail. With the exception of the new 

 gorget of mail and a mail skirt, the man is 

 now ' lock'd up in steel,' and the change has 

 been complete and remarkable. 



The effigy of De Cressy represents him in 

 a gorget, or more properly a standard of 

 mail, and wearing a collar of SS to which a 

 trefoil pendant is attached. The shoulders 

 are protected by a series of articulations, the 

 lowest being deep, forming the main shoulder 

 plates, and cut out on the right side to facili- 

 tate the working of the sword arm. In other 

 and cotemporary and later examples, these 

 defences took the form of reinforcing plates, 

 fixed to the under armour, having great variety 

 of shape, and attaining, like the elbow guards 

 of the time, extraordinary dimensions. De 

 Cressy's elbow guards are of comparatively 

 moderate form, the brassarts are buckled in- 

 side, and the avant bras tubular. The gaunt- 

 lets are fine examples with gadlings on the 

 knuckles. The body is covered by a cuirass 

 ' a emboitement,' formed of two parts, of 

 which the lower overlaps the upper, giving 

 flexibility. To the cuirass are attached five 

 tassets, each hinged on the left and buckled 

 on the right side ; channelled tuiles are fast- 

 ened by straps to the lowest tasset, and under 

 them the mail skirt, which had now taken the 

 place of the ancient hauberk, appears. The 

 legs are cased in cuissarts, the knees protected 

 by genouillires with plain and engrailed articu- 

 lations, and the jambes are richly seamed and 

 hinged as usual. Reinforcing plates are fast- 

 ened below the knees by a nut fixed by half 

 a turn, and the feet, covered with articulated 

 sollerets, and armed with rowel spurs with 

 enriched leathers, rest upon a sleek animal. 

 The sword, its hilt decorated with tl)C — 

 ' Goddes hygh name thereon was grave ' — is 

 suspended by a broad transverse richly studded 

 belt, and the head reposes on the tilting helm 

 with the crest — a demi Saracen, armed. 



The effigy lies upon a high altar-tomb of 

 alabaster. The sides are divided into com- 

 partments containing angels holding shields 

 of arms, and between them are small figures 

 under trefoil arches. Round the verge of 



410 



