|
 Upon the death
of her sister Mary, Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on
the 11th November 1558. From the beginning of her reign
Elizabeth continued the practice of holding musters of
able bodied men in each county. Originally planned to
take place once every four years, they grew in frequency
as the threat of a Spanish invasion grew. Held in
several places throughout a county the muster usually
lasted for a day, and was essentially a display of men
and the equipment that they possessed, allowing the
government to check on the numbers of horse and foot men
available to them, and to check that everyone had the
proper armour and weapons according to the law. Little
training would have taken place as it was expensive.
More serious training of smaller selected groups began
around 1573.
In 1569 the government sent the commissioners the order
to muster and instructed them that the names and places
of residence of those taking part, and the armour and
weapons that they possessed, should be returned with the
certificate. A proclamation was sent out in February
1569. The order for the muster was dated the 12th March
and was sent out on the 26th March There were only five
commissioners for Cornwall: Sir William Godolphin, Sir
John Arundell, Richard Chamond, John Carminow, and John
Killigrew junior. They were provided with lehgthily
instructions relating to the keeping and breeding of
horses, and instructed to ensure that the laws relating
to the provision of armour and weapons were carried out.
The main Act, the statute of armour, imposed upon
wealthy people with upwards of £10 in goods or £5 income
from land the requirement to provide horses, armour and
weapons according to a rather elaborate scale of
payments. Other parish inhabitants were to join together
to provide any other armament ordered by the
commissioners. Henry VIII had proclaimed “By this every
man whose wife wore a silk gown, a velvet bonnet or any
necklace of gold was to keep a gelding fit for a light
horseman with sufficient harness and weapons” and this
was re-iterated to the commissioners.
Having received the order to muster the commissioners
appointed presenters to each parish who were put on oath
to enquire as to whether the obligations of the law had
been met. Two musters were held: one to check the
equipment and the second to check that any deficiencies
discovered at the first muster had been corrected. In
1569 the following men from Poughyll, aged from 16 years
to 60 years, complete with their armour and weapons,
attended the muster.
| a b |
Willm Wolfe |
bow, sh.arr, bill, scull |
|
a |
John Pudner |
bow, sh.arr, bill, scull |
|
a |
Walter Pudner |
bow, sh.arr, bill, scull |
|
a |
Robert Bryant |
bow, sh.arr, bill, scull |
|
|
John Hacker |
bill |
|
|
Edward Hacker |
bill, sallet |
| |
Willm Ballachet |
bow, 6 arr |
| a b |
Nicholas Pyne |
bow 6 arr |
| |
Stephin Smale |
bow, 6 arr |
|
a h |
Ric Welsford |
handgun & furniture to the same |
|
a a |
Willm Myll |
bow, 12 arr |
| |
Marten Short |
bill |
| |
Edward Short |
bow, 4 arr |
| |
Ric Oddrig |
bow, 3 arr |
| |
John Pudner of Mere |
|
|
a a |
John Posslatt jun |
|
|
a b |
Thomas Wolfe |
bill |
|
p a a |
John Bryant |
bow, 4 arr |
|
p a a |
Ric Bryant |
bow, 4 qarr |
|
a b |
Walter Warmyngton |
bill |
| |
Robert Warmyngton |
bow, 4 arr |
| |
John Cholwyll |
bill |
|
a b |
Marke Juell |
bow, 4 arr |
|
a b |
Walter Gyst |
bow, 4 arr |
| |
John Heasen |
bow, 4 arr |
| |
John Hamett |
bow, 4 arr |
| |
Nicholas Hamet |
bow, 3 arr |
|
a h |
Humfry Pudner |
herkebut |
| |
John Hucmore jun |
bow, 6 arr |
| |
Ric Ballachet of Mere |
bow, 3 arr |
| |
Willm Cobeldycke |
bow, 3 arr |
| |
Anthony Deamond |
|
| |
Willm Juell |
bill |
| |
Pascow Batten |
bow |
|
a b |
John Cleverdon |
bow, 3 arr |
| |
John Cotten |
bow, 4 arr |
| |
John Peardon |
|
| |
John Colman |
|
| |
Symond Blecford |
|
|
a b |
Ric Josse |
bill |
|
|
Humfry Fortescu |
Coat of plate, bill, bow, sh.arr, steel cap |
|
|
Robert Cholwyll |
Pr.alm.rivets, 2 bows, 2 sh.arr, 2 sallets,
bill |
| |
Willm Westlake |
pr.alm.rivets, 2 long bows, 2 sh.arr, 2
sallets, bill |
|
John Bryant |
g bows, 2
sh.arr,2 sallets, bill |
|
p a b |
Walter Beare |
pr.alm.rivets, 2 bows, 2 sh.arr, 2 sallets,
bill |
|
Christopher Bryant |
bow, sh.arr, bill, scull |
| |
Willm Warmyngton |
bow, sh.arr, bill, scull |
| |
John Wolfe |
bow, sh.arr, bill, scull |
|
a b |
Thomas Pudner |
bow, 12 arr |
| |
John Hucmore sen |
pr.splints, gorget of mail |
| |
John Hucmore jun |
bow, 4 arr |
| |
Willm Shorte |
bow, 6 arr |
|
a b |
John Hiccoke |
bill, bow, 6 arr |
|
a b |
John Marshall |
bill |
|
a h |
Hugh Cudd |
herkebut |
|
a a |
Christopher Tremell |
bow, sh.arr, scull |
| |
Willm Bryant |
bill |
| |
Degory Browing |
bow, 3 arr |
| |
John Posstlatt sen |
|
| |
Robbert Cotton |
poollax |
|
a b |
Thomas Cotton |
bill |
| |
Roger Hoper |
bill, 6 arr |
|
p a a |
Willm Hoper |
bow, 12 arr |
|
p a b |
Anthony Westlake |
bill |
| |
John Gyst |
glid |
|
a b |
Ric Ballachet |
bow, 6 arr |
| |
John Unnacott |
glyd |
|
a b |
Gylbert Casennan |
bill |
|
a b |
Hughe Mortymar |
bill |
|
a b |
Ric Juell |
bill |
|
p a b |
Roger Heasen |
bill |
| |
John Pudner |
|
|
a b |
.... Smythe |
|
|
a a |
Ric Posslatt |
|
|
a b |
Christopher Pudner |
bill |
They had a shortfall in armour: "The inhabytaunts of the
said parishe not particularly charged by the said
statute of armore will furnish at ther common charges
and exoences tow corselet"
An explanation of the terms
The first column refers to the skill that the man possessed: the weapons and
armour that he possessed does not always agree with that skill. The able bodied
men aged between 16 and 60 were divided into four categories – a or ar = archer,
b = billsman, h or h = harquebusier, p = pikesman. The additional letters may
refer to grading = aa = able archer, paa = may be a principal able archer
What they wore
An archer wore a jack with a doublet underneath. He carried a long bow and
arrows but also had a short sword and dagger for in-fighting. Cornish men were
noted as good archers using longer arrows than normal which required a stronger
pull on the bow
The harquebusier was a general term for a man armed with a hand gun of any type.
He would have been similarly dressed to the archer.
The billsmans main role was infighting, particularly against cavalry. He wore an
almain rivet with splints and a collar.
The pikesman wore a corslet and a morion. They fought in close ranks,
defensively against cavalry, and as an opposing force. They provided a deadly
sea of spikes.
A glossary of armour and weapons
| pr.al.rivet |
almain rivet |
light armour made of overlapping plates
sliding on rivets. Pair of almain rivet was a
breast and back plate |
|
sh.arr |
sheaf of arrows |
There were two sorts or arrows, lightweight
and heavy. Heavy were capable of piercing metal.
A sheaf contained 24 arrows |
| |
bill |
similar to a bill hook, with a hooked cutting
edge mounted on a 6 ft shaft with a spike at the
other end |
| |
bow |
the long bow, usually made of yew and about 6
ft in length |
| |
buff jerkin |
a stoat coat of buff leather |
| |
corslet |
light body armour of a metal back plate and
breast plate held together by straps. It might
have sleeves |
| |
glide |
probably a broad bladed weapon on a long
shaft |
| |
gorget |
a piece of armour for the throat |
| |
handgun |
probably a harquebus |
| |
harquebus |
an early type of firearm about 3 ft long
weighing about ten pounds |
| |
jack |
a leather, canvas or quilted sleeveless
jacket reinforced with small plates. Worn by the
archers |
| |
morion |
a kind of helmet usually with a ridged crest |
| |
pike |
a long wooden shaft about 15 ft long with a
pointed metal head |
| |
poleaxe |
a 5 ft shafted weapon with an axe on one
side, a hammer or short blade on the other, and
a spike at the end |
| |
sallet |
a short, brimmed helmet |
| |
scull |
a close fitting helmet without a brim |
| |
splints |
strips of metal to protect the forearms |
Contributed by Judith Upton
| Sources:
|
"The Cornwall Muster Roll 1569" edited by H
L Douch published by T L Stoate 1984 |
| |
"Medieval Warfare" Terence Wise 1976 |
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