More than 150 years ago, Eastnor’s 3rd Earl Somers became so obsessed with collecting armour that his friends described him as suffering from “armouritis”.
To be fair to him, medieval chivalry was very much in vogue during the 19th century – possibly as a subconscious response to rapid industrialisation, a bit like how, today, we might look fondly on the time before the internet. For the Victorians, a knight in shining armour summed up their key values of honour and virtue, and so we began to see knights appearing in literature and poetry, and their shining armour beginning to be coveted by collectors.
The Earl had also inherited Eastnor, a castle that looked like it had stood there since the Middle Ages. The least he could do was fill it with on-theme armour.
And fill it he did. The Earl amassed an astonishing armour collection during his time at Eastnor – including this Maximilian-style suit, made in Germany in about 1520. By the time he acquired it, it was already an antique – three centuries old and counting. We’re not entirely sure where he got it from (possibly a London dealer), nor are we sure who once wore it: those details have been lost to time. But we can understand a little about why it was made from the design.
The suit is an example of Maximilian-style armour, which was introduced, as its name suggests, during the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (1459-1519). The key feature of a Maximilian-style suit is “fluting”, parallel ridges across the breastplate, arms and legs, which demanded extraordinary skill from the craftsmen who created it. To put it in context: to a 16th-century nobleman, this would have been such advanced technology, it would have been a bit like owning a Ferrari.
The fluting also reflected the pleated fabrics fashionable at the time. So in many ways, you can think of this suit as the haute couture of the Renaissance period: hi-tech and high fashion.
However, the design wasn’t purely decorative. It was also for fighting. The fluting added strength without adding weight. Raised shoulder pieces guarded the neck, while streamlined mitten gauntlets protected the hands. Tiny holes on the breastplate reveal that the armour once carried a lance rest, suggesting the suit was intended for use in the pageantry and spectacle of Renaissance tournaments.
Today, the suit hangs in the Red Hall alongside other pieces gathered by the 3rd Earl. What his friends jokingly called "armouritis" helped create much of the layered atmosphere visitors experience at Eastnor today. It is a reminder that what makes Eastnor Castle so special is not just its architecture, but the passions and peculiarities of its inhabitants.