Archers of the Dorset retinue and a brief study of early Tudor livery coats

My first project of the year has been to complete my existing retinue of the Marquis of Dorset by adding some supporting archers.

You can review the creation of Dorset's retinue in the original blog posting here

I completed the bill for this retinue back in 2016, this was the first unit I created after figuring out how to convert and sculpt coats on to the Perry WOTR plastics so it's been interesting to compare the new figures to the old. I've certainly got better at the sleeves and hair and moreover creating a production line and reducing waste in the green stuff as well as a couple of other details which I shall explore below.

The bases comprise 10 figures as follows;

3 converted using my dollies

2 converted with gambesons showing

5 fully converted figures in coats

This has proven to be a good formula to maximise variation and to push my abilities. There are 2 character figures of which I am particularly proud and also took the time to take some photographs so hopefully you'll be able to better appreciate how they were put together.

Rather than just having a base of archers doing what archers do I was keen to create something of a mini vignette within one of the bases and this chap was the basis for that. Perhaps he's shouting something to a nearby friendly unit or possibly abuse at the enemy.

To achieve this pose I used a trumpeter arm from the WOTR set along with one of the expressive heads from the Ansar set. I mention it each time but this set has really been instrumental in achieving variety and life in my collection, particularly as it features a considerable proportion in soft caps for which the heads make for easy conversion.

I also wanted to have the coat open for further interest as well as a quiver. I made the quiver first using the arrows from the WOTR set as a base. After this I then sculpted the coat and pushed the quiver into it whilst it was drying, finally I then sculpted the girdle which attaches it to the belt. 

At this stage I decided the figure was most definitely shouting abuse and required a friend to help him.

This was a bit harder than I thought to create, the gesturing arm is from the WOTR set but it was too high and needed to be cut down and re-modelled to get the right look, after some practise I decided the fingers needed to be at or slightly higher than the eye-line, this hobby has some interesting avenues ! To achieve this after a lot of failed attempts at kit bashing various arms and parts thereof I eventually went with cutting the hand off and modelling the rest of the arm from scratch.

Note, I know this gesture is dubiously associated with archers taunting the French. However if you're as interested in researching historical hand gestures as I was you'll find it's nonetheless still offensive as a variant of giving the finger so it's win win however you look at it.

As a vignette they work rather well together and after basing they really made the unit;

The rest of the figures were similarly modelled in coats though much less complex especially for those which utilised one of the dollies as a base;

In painting the figures aside the uniform coats I added elements of Dorset's livery of Mulberry and white to the clothing and quivers of some but not all of the figures, altogether they really complement the original unit.

With all this talk of coats I thought I'd add a couple of interesting historical details on that subject. Thanks to the inheritance of a full war chest this army was perhaps the finest Henry put into the field throughout his reign and yes they really were almost entirely in uniform.

 

First up here we have an account by a Venetian Ambassador commenting on 9 April 1513 on the fleet leaving England;

"69 ships sailed out of the Thames in Holy week, 10 or 12 of 300 to 1000 tonnes. 10 others were in Southampton. Besides, 6 rowbarges, bettwe for landing than galleys. 16,000 soldiers and 32,000 mariners. Captains, pilots, soldiers and mariners have jackets and coats of white and green."

Secondly many thanks to Nigel for sending me this wonderful German account of Henry VIII's meeting with Maximilian on 14th August 1513:

"He had not many mounted men, but had his footguards or halberdiers with him, of whom about 300 all clad in one colour ran with him on foot. [From a tower the King showed the Emperor] what belonged to the town (the town of Therouanne and state of the siege). Whilst both lords were on the tower the King had placed all his people who were in camp in lines everywhere three or four deep. He conducted the Emperor through to inspect this. They are really big strong men having a captain to every hundred, and their pennon on a long spear as our horsemen carry them. It is carried with both hands in front against the breast. Some have English bows, some crossbows, certain of them maces with long handles and certain of them long spears; and almost all are clad in long white coats edged with green cloth and wear breast plates, and steel caps on their heads. For their field music they have a fluteplayer (schalm) and a bagpiper (sackpfeiffer) who play together and certain of them a trumpet."

Lots in there to think of, not least the bagpipes !

Lastly the main sources in English referencing coats and other items are the letters and papers mentioning the cost of such items, here they are featuring in the lead up to the anticipated Scottish incursion;

‘Paid for wages, coats, and conduct money for the retinue of the Earl of Surrey, for one month, beginning 20 Aug. 4 Hen. VIII.; viz. for 500 coats of white and green at 4s. each; to Lord Surrey, for himself 5l. a day; to Lord Barnes, marshal of the Army, 6s. 8d. a day; 10 petty captains 2s. each a day; 22 demi-lances, 9d. each a day; one spear 18d. a day; 162 archers 8d. each a day; 2 surgeons 8d. each a day; 1 trumpet 16d. a day. Wages &c. for the treasurer of the wars and 15 men of his retinue; viz., a coat of white and green for the treasurer, 4s.; wages of the treasurer at 6s. 8d. a day, for 42 days from 5 Aug. to 17 Sept.; a coat of white and green for Thomas Warton, clerk of the wars, 4s.; his wages at 2s. a day for 40 days; for coats of white and green, for 13 soldiers at 4s. a coat; their wages at 8d. a day. To Wm. Butteler, sergeant-of-arms, for coats of white and green for himself and 2 soldiers; his wages at 2s. a day; his 2 soldiers at 8d. a day’

Note that these are for soldiers in Royal Livery being part of Surrey’s contingent then thereafter you have coats for some men of office and a few others. Uniforms were not provided for the rest of the Northern army so livery badges and in some cases (Stanley) livery coats were used though I suspect some may still have worn white for identification.

As for the French campaign here is a log of 1514 recording the return of arms and equipment from various sources following the French campaign;

‘11 June, 7,350 bowstrings, 1,900 stakes. Of Sir Sampson Norton, 28 July, 120 half-barrels of gunpowder, 100 gross of bowstrings, 2,000 iron and lead shot, 100 ditto, 500 marespikes (at different times) 3,691 ditto, 1,000 bills. Of Thos. Hart, 5 May, 21 lasts 6 barrels of gunpowder. Of Lord Lisley, by John Gelston, 10 June 5 Hen. VIII., 51 sheaves of arrows, 668 bills. From the customer of Pole, by order of the Bp. of Winchester, 3 brass guns, 1 iron gun. From Will. Bussheler, 4 April, 170 pair of harness and 12 cables. From John Hode, 12 April, 340 harness, 32 cables. Of John Blewbery, 9 Aug., coats of white and green cloth 638, white and green chamlet 13, white and green satin 4, damask’

There’s quite a lot to take from that but note the numbers and the different cloth used for the coats, you have the soldiers then the better fabric for the officers.

This time, same year but recording the navy;

‘Mr. Arthur Plantagenet for the Nicholas of Hampton and Ant. Poyntz for 3 Bristol ships. Coats, white and green, 80 to the Michell Compton, and 558 (including 1 of damask, 4 satin and 13 chamlet)’
I'm now about halfway in modernising the infantry via conversion;

NB that's not all of them, as I write I'm looking up at another cannon and some English Pike....oops

Next up could be a number of things as I have a few concurrent projects, perhaps a brief face tutorial as I've had a few requests for that, watch this space.

All the best

Stuart