Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 2).djvu/143



First quarter of XVth century. Hanging above the tomb of Sir Nicholas Hawberk, Cobham Church, Kent

There are two fine helms in Cobham Church, Kent, associated respectively with the name of Sir Nicholas Hawberk, who died in 1407, and with that of Sir Reginald Braybrook, who died in 1405. Unlike most helmets found in churches, both these head-pieces probably belonged to the knights to whose ownership they are attributed; for the dates of their deaths correspond with the fashions of the helms, and the helms resemble those engraved on their brasses. To many persons this general aspersion on the attribution of church helmets may, at first sight, appear to be uncalled for; but it must be remembered that helmets are frequently found placed over monuments with which they have no rightful association whatsoever. The explanation of these fallacious attributions seems fairly obvious. Abstracted from the churches for various reasons during the troublous times of the Civil Wars, or removed for their better protection when the fabric of the building was undergoing repair, these head-pieces have been put