Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 1).djvu/355

 *gether, round-headed, clinched nails are used upon the Pembridge helm. Both head-pieces have aiglette holes. Sir Noël Paton, in whose possession the Pembridge helm remained for thirty years before it passed into the hands of the nation, was incorrect in stating that the surface of the helm had at some time been silvered. This is not the case; for in 1872, on part removal of the layers of oil-paint with which it had been coated, its original burnished surface appeared, of the most beautiful lustrous black, and so hard that no ordinary sharp-pointed instrument could affect it. This we can confirm from a personal examination of the head-piece made a few years ago. It has been suggested, as we said above, that the Black Prince helm was made for funerary purposes. This opinion is based on the thinness of its plate (it weighs 7 lb. 2 oz.); but inasmuch as the Pembridge helm which weighs even less (5 lb. 12 oz.) must be considered in every sense a true piece of fighting armour, we are bound to place the Black Prince helm in the same category.

Found under the ruins of the Castle of Tannenberg, near Jugenheim, in 1850

Zeughaus, Berlin. From Hefner-Alteneck's "Waffen, etc."

The next helm we speak of was found beneath the ruins of the Castle of Tannenberg, near Jugenheim, on the Bergstrasse (Fig. 325). Castle Tannenberg was captured and burned to the ground in 1399; we may therefore suppose the helm to be of somewhat anterior date. The ruins of the castle were excavated by order of the Grand Duke of Hesse in 1850, when this helm, along with other armour and weapons were found. This helm, which