The period of the English Civil Wars (1642-49) was important for
changes in both arms and armour, as well as the types of
soldiers employed in battle. Firearms became more important and
armour was used less than before. The Royal Armouries houses one
of the finest collections of arms and armour of the mid-17th
century in the world. In addition to the arsenal collection
preserved at the Tower of London since the time of its use, the
museum acquired in 1985 the armoury from Littlecote House, the
last major Civil War armoury then remaining in private hands.
This collection is important for its groups of buffcoats,
baldricks and carbine slings and for its muskets, carbines and
pistols. Leather buff coats offered good protection against
sword cuts but not pikes or guns. They were however lighter than
steel and worn with a bullet-proof breastplate allowed the
harquebusier to be more flexible and mobile as a force. Dates
from 1650 | Object number: III.1942 To read PDF documents you
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