Hi All,

Does anyone have information on the construction and mounting of gamboised cuisses, and some idea of when in the 14th century they really went out of style? I'm aiming for something that would have been worn a poitiers by a man at arms.

I'm thinking of making a pair but I'm not sure whether to make them of multiple layers of linen like a jack, or stuff them with cotton waste or tow.

I'm also not sure how to suspend them, I hang my current legs off of a pourpoint, which is perhaps a little post-period for me but it works well enough.

There is a picture of some gamboised cuisses poking out of the bottom of a surcoat in photos Christian Tobler took of a reconstruction at the Royal Armouries at Leeds. They are at the Arador Armour Library, url http://www.arador.com/gallery/leeds.html.

Does anyone else have useful information or hints on them to share?

Thanks.

Al,

I would assume them to be put together with wool cotton fill. I am not sure they should be stuffed though but perhaps layered in then sewn in. The only padded garments that I know of that have been really looked at inside are the Black Prince Coat Arms which showed the fill material had been sandwiched inside.
I made some padded cuisses some time ago. Work dang well. I attach them to an under shirt like pourpoint no idea how they did it but figure the 15th century had to evolve from something.

RPM

That's intersting as I was planning on making some myself (or getting a professional I know to make them for me), I'm doing a mid to late 13th century knight armour and I want to sew poleyns directly to the padded cuisses. From my understanding they would be made from linen or wool and stuffed with cotton.

Phil,

it depends where you live and the wealth you have. Cotton into the 14th is fairly expensive in N. Europe. That said it was definatly there. Now if in the East no problems as it is not so expensive. I read some accounts of bails of cotton coming into London and they were many times as expensive as other fibers.

RPM

Oh absolutely, I was thinking of doing it like a Knight of Outremer which would probably have better access to it, and it's an easier option these days. Of course you could just as easily stuff it with layers of wool or flax fibres.

Thanks for the replies guys.

To answer your original questions, they should attach to a belt around the waist like chauses and they can go either over chauses or underneath. The design wouldn't be much different to normal hose, except for the padding and the patterns for them shouldn't be too difficult to find on the internet.
If you would like a contact for a top-quality tailor who is very experienced at making medieval costumes and gambesons in Australia PM me and I would be happy to provide her details.

I am making a pair right now. I used a pattern for a normal hose, but cut it off just below the knee. I added some centimeters to all directions of the pattern to be safe, easier to sew it in than to start fiddling with gussets. Mine are made of 2 layers of thick felted woollen blankets in the middle, two layers of fairly thin linen on the outside, and one layer of linen on the inside.

I've tested the unfinished version, and it seems to work. I left the area around the upper part of the thigh and around the knee a bit larger than needed, helps movement somewhat. The last few centimeters under the knee are sewn fairly tight. Remember that you will be wearing breeches and hose underneath the cuisses, so a bit of room is not a bad thing. In addition, the area behind the knee only has one layer of wool, I may remove that one too if it proves to be too stiff.

Johan Schubert Moen

I've got a pair, for mid 13th century. They are made of linnen, with stuffed channels. (the stuffing is second had drapes ;) )
I've made mine to attatch to the side, instead of to the front, like normal hose.
The mail leggings are attached directly to the cuisses, for convenience (By riveting a strip of leather to the top, which is then sown to the cuisse; sowing them on directly causes the rings to grind the thread to pieces in short order.)

This works reasonably well; you want a good belt, and need to make sure there is nothing underneath this that can cause friction, like the hose or braie strapps.
With these well adjusted, you can wear them all day, even when fighting.