Category: Male clothing > arming garments

English archer gambeson

English archer gambeson

Century: XV

CODE	Material	Standard ? × SPES products - technology & methods of manufacturing Machine-made standard - products with visible signs of using modern methods and tools in their production; e.g. visible outside and inside seams in clothing made with the use of a machine. Mixed standard - products with visible signs of using both modern and traditional methods and tools in their production; e.g. main, inside seams in clothing are made with the use of a machine while outside stitches and details are sewn by hand. Hand-made standard - goods with visible signs of using only traditional methods and tools in their production; e.g. all seams in clothing are sewn by hand. *NOTE. We always use high quality materials and fabrics while making our products - the above standards of their production are not related to the materials used.	Price
PMLR0177	Linen	Hand-made	450.00 EUR
PMLS0176	Linen	Mixed	183.00 EUR

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Archer gambeson of this type is an essential element of archer costume. Our gambeson is dated to the 15th century. It will work perfectly as an archer costume, but also as a late-medieval reenactment piece of clothing.

English archer gambeson is made of materials of the highest quality. Its outer layer and lining are made of linen. The padding of this archer costume is made of a cotton-polyester material of various thickness.

Our English archer gambeson has various levels of amortization:
↪ on chest, shoulders and elbows - Y2
↪ in rest of medieval gambeson - Y1
More information about thickness you can find here.

This costume for an English bowman is closed with four leather laces and it has a high collar. It also has distinctive puffs on shoulders filled with fleece. It has straight stitchings on its whole surface, both torso and sleeves. We can recommend this archer costume to anyone completing their archer clothing.

NOTE - there is an option of modifying the thickness of amortization layers in this model of medieval archer gambeson. To customize this product, please contact our Sales Department before you place an order.

More information on the thickness of the gambeson can be found here!

When you place an order, please choose one of the available colors. The table of colors can be found here.

Our English archer gambeson is available in standard sizes from XS to XXL or in custom size, fitted to individual needs for an additional 20% charge. To choose the proper size, please follow the chart below:

Size	Chest girth	Waist girth	Hips girth	Height
XS	84-92 cm	72-80 cm	88-96 cm	164-170 cm
S	92-100 cm	80-88 cm	96-104 cm	170-176 cm
M	100-108 cm	88-96 cm	104-112 cm	176-182 cm
L	108-116 cm	96-104 cm	112-120 cm	182-188 cm
XL	116-124 cm	104-112 cm	120-128 cm	188-194 cm
XXL	124-132 cm	112-120 cm	128-136 cm	194-200 cm
Custom	Individual measurements. Price + 20%.

Please write down the chosen size in an additional information box when you place the order.

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Archer gambeson on a painting

Similar archer gambeson can be found in the work of Hans Memling titled as Martyrdom of Saint Ursula. This painting can be found in the Memling Museum in the Belgian Brugge. You can find a man wearing this type of archer costume in this painting.

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The basic features of our English archer gambeson

- tied up with four leather laces which eases the process of putting the archer gambeson on
- high collar, protecting the neck
- available in standard sizes (XS - XXL)
- costume based on a historical source
- option of layer modification
- puffs on shoulders

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How to complete your archer costume?

To complete one’s English archer clothing, we suggest starting with a lightweight, convenient archer’s gambeson. Other essential elements will be medieval pants, a shirt and medium braies. We also recommend a coif and a hood type 4. To fulfill your archer costume, don’t forget about soldier’s shoes, an archer badge, arrows and gloves.

Such costume will work perfectly during any reenactment of a medieval battle.

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English archers - elite soldiers

One of the most famous military formations of the medieval period were English bowmen. The distinctive feature of their equipment was a long English bow. It was made of yew wood and its length reached approx. 180 cm. Bowstring, on the other hand, was made of linen or hemp threads, resistant to moisture. Arrows were approx. 100 cm long and after shooting from a bow they were able to get through the armor.

The English bowman was able to shoot 10-12 arrows per minute. French knights during the Hundred-years War turned out to be the real power of this formation. Its accuracy and quick-firing gave England victory in numerous battles during the conflict. The outer garment of the archer costume were thick gambesons.

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Gambesons in the medieval period

Gambesons were a cheap protection for the fighting men in the Middle Ages, but only the poorest ones used only them as their single armour. For others they were a part of a complete protective armament, providing amortization of the hit and the protection of attritions from the armour. Among padded protective elements we can find: simple gambesons protecting the trunk and hands, padded gloves, padded coifs and separate hoses. They were sewn from layers of a fabric.

In the 13th century gambesons were long and rather badly-fitted to the figure. Medieval padded armors were usually put over the head and buttoned only near the neck. Later, with the development of other elements of the armour, gambesons were shorter and better fitted to the body. In the 14th and the 15th centuries they were usually buttoned at the front or laced up.

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The upgrading of SPES gambesons design

Currently, we are working on implementing to our assortment the upgraded versions of our well-known medieval padded armors. Changes include:
- improving the functionality and mobility of our aketons
- layers’ thickness (check the chart with levels of amortization)
- directions and shape of stitchings
- minor changes in cut (for better fitting)
- and most of all, matching the gambesons to our six-levels size set: XS-XXL (NOTE: you can still order a custom-sized gambeson)

Therefore, you can be sure that upgraded SPES gambesons are even better suited to your needs. And if you have any questions about mentioned changes in any model, contact us - we will dispel the doubts!

To make each gambeson stand out even more, we gave them unique names. From now on, the archer gambeson is named the English archer gambeson.