Livery of Calais Garrison during WotR

[Arlequín]

Please do share... we likes us some WotR here. 

[Captain Blood]

Please do share... we likes us some WotR here. 

We does.

It's only a small cabal, but dedicated 

[shandy]

I don't want to spam the forum with bibliographies, but I'll be happy to be of service 
Please keep in mind that I haven't yet looked at the books and articles, so I can't guarantee they are any good.
Here they are:

Grummitt, David: The Calais Garrison. War and military service in England, 1436-1558, Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer, 2008

Grummitt, David. “The Defence of Calais and the Development of Gunpowder Weaponry in England in the Late Fifteenth Century,” War in History 7 (2000), 253-72

Harriss, Gerald L. “The Struggle for Calais: An Aspect of the Rivalry between Lancaster and York,” English Historical Review 75 (1960), 30- 53

Hattendorf, John B and Unger, Richard W. (eds.): War at Sea in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Boydell Press 2002 (Chapter 5: Oars, Sails and Guns: The English and War at Sea, c.1200-1500)

Kingsford, Charles Lethbridge. “The Earl of Warwick at Calais in 1460,” English Historical Review 37 (1922)

Lefranc, Guy and Francis Perreau. “Mottes et sites fortifiés médiévaux du Pas-de-Calais: Pour la constitution d’une documentation topographique,” Bulletin de la commission départementale d’histoire et d’archéologique du Pas-de-Calais 12 (1989), 329-344

Rainey, John Riley, Jr. The Defense of Calais, 1436-1477. Unpublished Dissertation. Rutgers University, 1987

Richmond, Colin. “The Earl of Warwick’s Domination of the Channel and the Naval Dimension to the Wars of the Roses, 1456-1460,” Southern History 20/21 (1998-99), 1-19

Rose, Susan: Calais: An English Town in France, 1347-1558, Woodbridge: Boydell and Brewer 2008

Sandeman, George: Calais Under English Rule, Oxford: Blackwell 1908 (online at https://archive.org/details/calaisunderengli00sanduoft)

I have downloaded the articles by Harriss and Kingsford. I've also got the book by Rose and Sandeman (which was easy  ). Unfortunately, the university I am working at the moment doesn't have access to the other journals - if somebody can get texts, I could offer to share mine… just drop me a personal message.

Enjoy,
Shandy

[shandy]

For anyone still interested in the subject, I have found some interesting hints in the book on Calais by Susan Rose. It seems that the garrison consisted mainly of the indentured retainers of the Captain of Calais and his lieutenant and that the status of the soldiers was similar to the liveried retainers of other nobles. Rose also refers to a description of the garrison by Philippe de Commines from the time when Warwick took the side of Henry VI. Commines says that the entire garrison wore the livery of Warwick with the badge of the bear and the ragged staff.
So it seems plausible to assume that the garrison would wear the livery of the current Captain of Calais, and that I won't go wrong painting the garrison in the colours of Warwick for gaming the Calais campaign.

Cheers,
Shandy

[Arlequín]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing that. 

... and seeing that none of the other ingrates has, thanks for the reference list too!   

[TadPortly]

For anyone still interested in the subject, I have found some interesting hints in the book on Calais by Susan Rose. It seems that the garrison consisted mainly of the indentured retainers of the Captain of Calais and his lieutenant and that the status of the soldiers was similar to the liveried retainers of other nobles. Rose also refers to a description of the garrison by Philippe de Commines from the time when Warwick took the side of Henry VI. Commines says that the entire garrison wore the livery of Warwick with the badge of the bear and the ragged staff.
So it seems plausible to assume that the garrison would wear the livery of the current Captain of Calais, and that I won't go wrong painting the garrison in the colours of Warwick for gaming the Calais campaign.

Cheers,
Shandy

I would agree with this to a point.  Warwick was the last Captain of Calais.  After his demise Edward VI made several changes to the way that Calais was run. From that point on it was very much part of the King's direct rule, with a Lieutenant royally appointed, such as Hastings, to do the actual day to day management. This would suggest that for the later WotR practices were similar for the renaissance period, with the garrison wearing royal colours.

Just my musings - happy to stand corrected.

[shandy]

Thanks for the feedback, I am glad I am not the only one still interested in the subject! If I come across more information, I will post it - I tracked down most of the articles now, hopefully I will find some time to do the reading during the christmas holidays...

[Atheling]

Almost certainly the cross of St George prior to Henry VIII's reign- this is what many English soldiers were issued with as far as I have gleaned. Post Henry VIII then you could add a red rose as a badge.

Darrell.

[Orlock]

Interesting discussion you have here. One thought I have is as the garrison were stationed in France they may have also worn the livery with the cross of St. George, as many of their predecessors did whilst campaigning in France. This distinguished them from the french troops and put a marker down to those about, a reminder that the English were still about.As I say these are just some thoughts.

[Atheling]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing that. 

... and seeing that none of the other ingrates has, thanks for the reference list too!   

Ditto! Superb stuff

Darrell.

[Arlequín]

I'm somewhat dubious on the whole universal "white with a St.George's Cross" livery thing to be honest. Certainly troops raised by the Crown for a campaign are likely to have worn them sure... but the day to day occupation of France is likely to have seen the more usual individual Lord's liveries. If you look at the banners, you have livery colours with a token St. George's cross badge at the staff... domestic ones seem to lack this, so I'm inclined to think that they only featured on campaign in Scotland or France.

From a common sense point of view too, if everyone is wearing 'white', how do you find your own contingent? The whole 'national' army concept is largely a creation of the Victorian era (like the kilt), which you can thank Arthur Conan Doyle and George Henty for. I suspect that most troops (as was the case across Europe) wore their lord's livery, with a St. George's badge added, just like the standards, or perhaps, as was the case with the French and Burgundians, a red cross was applied over whatever livery they were wearing. My money is on a badge though.

St. George's flags added to a contingent and flown alongside their own banner I can go for (you see them a lot), but you would have to find me a medieval illustration that shows a white livery with the cross, rather than the motley multi-coloured depictions I've seen to date before I would subscribe to there being any kind of 'national uniform' around at that time.

[Atheling]

If you look at the banners, you have livery colours with a token St. George's cross badge at the staff... domestic ones seem to lack this, so I'm inclined to think that they only featured on campaign in Scotland or France.

There is a high probability that the St. George Cross on the Standards of various lords (not the banners- sorry to be pedantic) was not used in England and i agree that it would be of most use on the continent when you take into account the importance of pageantry prior to and in a Medieval battle/siege.

In other words I'm inclined to agree in a way but there is evidence of English soldiers in the Calais garrison wearing the cross of St George (see Painterman's/Simon's comments) and not much, at least to my knowledge of the soldiers wearing Lords liveries, but this must also have happened probably exemplified when Warwick was acting out his piracy campaign- at least that would seem to be a good example(?).

Darrell.

[Arlequín]

Sorry, I wasn't very clear there. Yes I can imagine the Calais Garrison itself wearing 'English' or 'Crown' livery, of whatever form that took, but men sent to supplement the garrison in times of crisis, are to me, likely to have been in their lord's livery.

So for Warwick's tenure for example, you would have the Garrison itself in maybe white with a red cross, but Warwick's own men in his livery and those of his subordinates 'brought in' to reinforce it against the Lancastrians... probably.

I can see a 'national livery' being a very important statement and display of power, especially in a small area surrounded by 'enemy' (or whatever the Burgundians were that week) territory.   

[Orlock]

Interesting discussion folks. Just to throw more into the mix - soldiers would have worn badges denoting their lord too. If a soldier wasn't wearing a livery coat he could display allegiance through wearing a badge.

The livery coat was worn over the top of other clothing and could be easily discarded (Losecoat Field). I am quite sure there would have been a mix of clothing, liveries worn. They may well have had a store of English liveries for when things got tough and a fight was brewing.

Reading what people have said above I suppose you could use a little of everything...to a degree. Out of interest does anyone have any information on the Yorkist 1475 campaign to France?

Cheers

Richard

[Atheling]

Sorry, I wasn't very clear there. Yes I can imagine the Calais Garrison itself wearing 'English' or 'Crown' livery, of whatever form that took, but men sent to supplement the garrison in times of crisis, are to me, likely to have been in their lord's livery.

I concur 

So for Warwick's tenure for example, you would have the Garrison itself in maybe white with a red cross, but Warwick's own men in his livery and those of his subordinates 'brought in' to reinforce it against the Lancastrians... probably.

Concur again.

I can see a 'national livery' being a very important statement and display of power, especially in a small area surrounded by 'enemy' (or whatever the Burgundians were that week) territory.   

I concur again 

Darrell.