gardbrace

English

A pauldron and gardbrace, its end turned up like a neck guard.

Etymology

Apparently a variant of gardebras.

Noun

gardbrace (plural gardbraces)

1. A piece of armor which augments the pauldron in protecting the shoulder.

   Coordinate terms: grand guard, passguard

   • 1963, Sean Morrison, Armor, Ty Crowell Company

     Some plates were bent up at the edges, or “turned.” Turns were made at the top of the breastplate and around the armholes. The top edges of the pauldrons were turned until the gardbraces were added. Then the turn was added to them.

   • 2010, Noel Fallows, Jousting in Medieval and Renaissance Iberia, Boydell Press, →ISBN, page 205:

     In the case of both Real Armería a16 and Kunsthistorisches Museum hjrks1 the right pauldron has a gardbrace that could conceivably get ripped off, especially if the coronel of the opponent's lance caught the leading edge.

   • 2010, Noel Fallows, Jousting in Medieval and Renaissance Iberia, Boydell Press, →ISBN, page 87:

     By far the most common type in use at this passage of arms were pauldrons reinforced with gardbraces and with a slightly flanged or winged hautepiece, or pauldrons reinforced with large rondels. […] large rondels over their left pauldron and two (top row centre; bottom left) are wearing fitted gardbraces similar to ...

   • 2011, Mike Ingram, Battle Story: Bosworth 1485, The History Press, →ISBN:

     Other features included symmetrical couters attached by arming points and symmetrical pauldrons, often with reinforcing plates (gardbraces).

   • 2013, Paul F Walker, History of Armour 1100-1700, Crowood, →ISBN:

     The pauldron showing long, pointed articulation lames that enable […] Additional reinforcing plates (gardbraces), which […]

   • 2014, Antoine de La Sale, Jean de Saintre: A Late Medieval Education in Love and Chivalry, University of Pennsylvania Press, →ISBN, page 106:

     […] carried it away on his lance point, and Saintré struck him high on his gardbrace and buckled it and the couter, and tore away the arming-points, and the gardbrace flew to the ground, and at that the cheers of the crowd and the braying  […]

   • 2016, Tracy Hickman, Richard Garriott, The Sword of Midras: A Shroud of the Avatar Novel, Macmillan, →ISBN, page 26:

     The one concession was a single large and spikey gardbrace attached to the pauldron of the right shoulder, which became a symbol of rank among the warlords based on the shape and design. Aren made certain that the gardbrace could be detached [if need be].

   • 2016, Adam Greven, Matt Deller, The Knight Proper, Inkshares, →ISBN, page 248:

     George looked down at his gardbrace and gave a moment's stare at the golden arrow emblazoned upon it.

   • 2016, W B Baker MBE, The Twelfth Empyrean, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN:

     In opposition, silvered chain mail and shoulder pauldrons were secured by heavy straps of leather above the articulated plates of the steel gardbraces; culminating in studded leather vambraces on either forearm that cuffed to buckled, ...

   • 2020, Christopher Gravett, The Medieval Knight, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN:

     5) A gardbrace attaches to each pauldron by a staple and pin, the left being much larger. 6) The lames of the couter attach on pivoting rivets, to prevent gaps appearing when the arm is bent. The lower cannon is attached to the lower ...

   • 2021, David Murphy, Condottiere 1300–1500: Infamous medieval mercenaries, Bloomsbury Publishing, →ISBN, page 63:

     These features included exaggerated gardbraces that extended up over the wearer's left shoulder in an attempt to stop blows landing on the body. The Maximilian style of armour incorporated a series of fluted ribs that were designed to ...

See also

• gardebras