Description

John Pettibone, former curator and executive director of Hammond Castle Museum, and Scott Cordiner, curator and creative director will host a lecture and demonstration in the History of Medieval Arms and Armor. Pettibone has spent much of his career studying the ancient art of armor and will discuss the Museum’s collection.
On display will be a Norman helmet, a tournament helmet used in sports, and helmet from the era of Joan of Arc. Other pieces of armor presented and discussed will include, mail and plate gauntlets, maile coif, arm defense, breastplate, and heraldic shield. This presentation will answer questions about the weight of armor, its durability, and why medieval knights had at least three different types of armor. Re: for battle, for the tournament and for festivals and parades. Pettibone will also discuss how to identify a friend or foe once suited up in an armor suit and how family histories were determined by what knights armed themselves. At the conclusion of the program there will be a question and answer session.

John Pettibone was the founder of The Arms and Armor outreach program while on staff at the Higgins Armory Museum in Worcester, MA and has performed for thousands of people at the San Antonio Museum of Art in Texas, at the Metropolitan Museum in New York and during the 35 years he served as curator at Hammond Castle Museum.