The Border Reiver
WHAT THEY WORE
The typical Border reiver would have
dressed in a steel bonnet and quilted
jack before riding on a foray.
On his legs, the reiver would wear
“BREECHES” covered by leather
“OVER-THE-KNEE BOOTS” for protection.
THE STEEL BONNET
When riding into battle, the average Border Reiver could be seen wearing a “BURGONET”
or Steel Bonnet on his head.
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
THE JACK
He would usually wear a quilted “JACK”,
a sleeveless tunic worn for protection.
In many cases, the heavy quilted material
would have pieces of metal sown in place between the layers of cloth.
Royal Armory, Leeds
THE BREASTPLATE
Those who could afford it, might replace the jack with a steel breast plate, which would cover both the chest and the back of the wearer.
border reiver weapons
THE BASKET-HILTED BACKSWORD
While the hilt was asymmetrical, the blade was double-edged, with the forward or cutting edge being sharp and the blunt or backedge being blunt. However, the last four to six inches of the back edge was also sharp to provide a good point for thrusting.
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
THE LEFT HANDED OR PARRYING DAGGER
This weapon was worn at the waist and
used either by itself, or more likely,
in conjunction with a sword.
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
THE BOLLOCK DAGGER
Commonly carried by the Border Reivers, it was used as a backup for the lance and the sword. Named because of the distinctive swellings at the guard which resemble the male testes (bollocks). It was the forerunner of the Scottish dirk and used for eating as well as fighting.
Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
BORDER LANCE OR PIKE
This weapon was a constant companion
of the Border Reiver. It generally averaged
about 8 feet in length.
LOCHABER AXE
Usually found in Scotland, this weapon had a staff of four to five feet in length with a long axe-like blade attached to the staff. A hook was usally attached to the backside of the blade.
JEDDART STAFF
A four foot staff with a glaive-like blade on one end, sometimes with a hilt on the other end.
LONG BOW
The long bow was a powerful weapon that was genearlly about 6 feet in length. I could travel accurately up to 350 yards and pierce all but the heaviest armor. One drawback was the strength it took to pull back the bow string and hold it until you were ready to realease the arrow.
Photo by Wolfgang Sauber, CC BY-SA 3.0
CROSSBOW
A type of bow that is used horizontally, where the bow string is pulled back manually, but unlike the long bow, the string is locked in place and released by a trigger mechanism.
LATCHET
A smaller and lighter crossbow with a lever action spanning mechanism that is built into the crossbow itself, making it easier to cock .