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History of the Shield

A Knight's shield could be round, square, or the kite shaped and was used to defend the knight from attack. They could be made of metal (strong protection), but during the 14th and 15th centuries they were usually made of wood (for easy carrying). A knight's shield protected him from the blows of battle as he held in one hand while we carried his sword or lance in his right. A knight's shield might provide identification in a manner similar to a banner, but a shield's markings could easily be beaten off completely in a battle. The shield was held with one of two types of straps: the enarmes (familiar hand straps) or the guige (the shoulder strap). The most common type of shield was the Heater, which has the familiar kite shape to it. During tournaments small Heaters would be used, but during wartime, larger shields would be brought out to defend against missiles and arrows. The Buckler was another popular shield. It was small and round, and was the type most often used in duels.

The main defensive item of the Anglo-Saxon warrior was the shield. The Anglo-Saxon shield was of the center-grip type, and consisted of a round wooden board, often covered with leather or heavy cloth, with an iron boss in the center. Often the grip was reinforced by an iron strip, which sometimes extended across the back of the shield to reinforce it. A few shields were bound at the rim with bronze, but most would have had a leather rim stitched on. Some of the shields were ornately decorated with ornate metal foils and studs or by painting. Most of the shields shown in early pictorial sources appear to be of the 'buckler' type, but this is possibly just an artistic convention so that details of the figures carrying them are not obscured. 

Shields known from excavation vary in diameter from 16" - 36" (42 - 92cm), with the usual size being between 24" and 28" (60 and 70cm), but it has been observed that generally, the older and/or wealthier the person buried was, the larger their shield was. It has also been noted that in the earlier part of the period the shields were generally of the smaller type, gradually becoming larger as the period progresses. It is interesting to note that continental examples of this type of shield tend to be larger, being 22 - 44" (57 - 112cm), the commonest size being around 36" (90cm). The shields were surprisingly thin, varying between 3/16 - ½" (5 - 12mm) in thickness, with most being around 5/16" (7mm). Most poetry and prose from the period refers to Linden wood (lime) shields, but this timber only accounts for about 3% of the excavated examples; excavated examples have been found made of alder (37%), willow or poplar (37%), maple (10%), birch (7%), ash (3%) and oak (3%). Continental examples are almost exclusively of oak. 

The shield boss was usually conical, with a wide flange, secured to the shield by 5 rivets. They often had a small section of vertical or concave wall, and the boss is often tipped with a button which can sometimes be elaborately decorated with a silver or bronze plaque. Strangely, the hemispherical boss which was so common on the continent seems to have been almost entirely absent in England at this time. It is possible that a few of the poorest warrior's shields did not have a boss as this type are known on the continent, but are extremely rare. 

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