Earl of Warwick
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Knight-errant, Captain of Calais, Pilgrim,
Knight of the Garter, noble and consummate warrior. The Earl
of Warwick was known across Europe for chivalry.
Beauchamp biography, 6C |
European martial arts
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The Chicago Swordplay Guild utilizes translated
15th century documents to instruct its members on proper
sword fighting techniques as the masters would have taught.
3C
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Photos of the Earl of Warwick harness
in progress. (Source: Éric Dubé.) |
The
'Iron Man' cometh |
| Earl
of Warwick harness finally completed |
Let me begin
in the middle of the story. If you are one of those
who simply cannot enjoy a television show that you did
not tune in to at the very beginning, you are probably
going to be a little disappointed here. In this space I
just want to tell you how it came to be that I found myself
spending countless hours drooling over digital images of
cold, lifeless steel being hammered into a brilliant,
creation of smooth surfaces and graceful lines. Of course
I am talking about Medieval armour being forged from sheets
of ordinary metal into true works of art. To understand
where that unrepressed dream was first realized, you would
have to travel back another two decades or so, but that
is a tale that I have recounted several times before and
do not want to take the time to explain it all over again. (For
the complete story, see KNIGHT DREAMS in the next column).
No, this chapter begins in the Fall
of 2006. I had recently traveled to London on business and
had found the opportunity to tour parts of the city. There
were some remarkable sights, no doubt that caught my attention,
but it was when I walked through the Wallace
Collection that my heart leapt. There in that nondescript
building were rooms filled with armour. It was simply not
fair. For almost over six years I had managed to keep the
armourlust at bay. Although I had treated myself to an untold
number of movies and novels set in the Middle Ages, I had
been able to repress the insatiable urge. It was when I stood
and marveled at the perfect specimen of the mounted Gothic
knight not hidden behind glass or metal bars that
I finally decided I could endure it no longer.
Call it a full-blown mid-life crisis or a complete and total
lack of regard for my own personal financial security. I,
myself, chose to blame it on the bloody English!
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Knight dreams
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| The story of
a boy and his wish for a suit of armour |
My
name is Lonnie Colson and I'm an armor-phile. Of course
I prefer the term "Medieval arms and armour enthusiast" because
it sounds a little less compulsive. There probably should
be 12-step programs for people like me, but unfortunately
there are not. My addiction started off simply enough. Ever
since I was a small boy, I yearned to be a knight in shining
armor. Unfortunately, I was born about five hundred years
too late. Without exception, each and every Christmas I wrote
'suit of armor' at the top of my wish list--only slightly
preceded by 'castle in the mountains' and 'million dollars.'
Perfectly normal childhood, right?
As I grew older, I came to realize that the Santa
Claus contingency would never pay off. For a time I entertained the notion of
building my own armor. Needless to say, it was much easier said than done. My
only notable success was a two-handed sword that I fashioned out of an old plow
shank that weighed about three times as much as it should have.
Over the course
of several years, I continued to look for an experienced
armorer who could custom build me a suit of armor within
my budget. A friend who was involved in the SCA,
also known as the Society of Creative Anachronisms, gave
me the contact information to several reputable companies.
I immediately sent off for their catalogs and waited impatiently
for them to arrive.
As
soon as I received the catalog from ILLUSION
ARMOURING, I became instantly fascinated with their
work. I saw a suit of 15th century Italian with its smooth,
rounded features in the Milanese style. It was exactly as
I had always imagined, and I knew right away that I simply
had to have it. Then came the unsolicited and distasteful
dose of reality. For anyone who has never commissioned any
sort of custom armor, it is not a speedy process. Measurements
must be taken and monetary deposits made. Then comes the
long and agonizing wait for your order to be filled.
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