Element of suit of armour placed near memorial effigies of knights or nobility
An armet helmet
Funerary Helmets,Mortuary Helms, or Mort Helms were the major element of a suit of armour that was most often placed above or near the carved memorial effigy of the knights or members of the nobility concerned in a tradition that ran from at least the 14th through to the 17th century, particularly when the person concerned had gained a reputation in life as a warrior.[1] These helmets were often brightly painted or otherwise ornamented with floral designs, etc. Largely located within rural churches and other religious buildings, the practice was especially common in the south-west English counties and Cornwall with only a few examples known from Scotland.[2]
Some merchants sought the right to this honour and this was granted in the late 16th century, thereby recognising that the person concerned had lived an honorable, chivalric life. This privilege resulted in a greatly increased demand for helms with the reuse and redecoration of old examples and the manufacture of new ones.[3]
In the 17th century, it became more common for armour to accompany the funeral procession to the church rather than being permanently left on display at the funerary monument.[3]
The tradition was not restricted to the United Kingdom and was found elsewhere in Europe.[4]
^"Britain Express". Retrieved 5 April 2018.
^Muir, Colin (2018). Secrets of the Skelmorlie Mort Helm. Focus. Historic Environment Scotland. p. 39.
^ ab"My Armoury". Retrieved 5 April 2018.
^Punt, Jeroen (2017). "A Portrait of a Helmet: A Funerary Helmet from the Northern Netherlands". Arms & Armour. 14: 34–48. doi:10.1080/17416124.2017.1300433. S2CID 164313217.
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