During the early years of the colony each Englishman who planned to
emigrate to Virginia was advised to supply himself with the following
"Armes":
"One Armour compleat, light.
One long Peece, five foot or five and a halfe, neere
Musket bore.
One sword.
One bandaleere [a bandoleer was a belt worn to carry the
cases which held the powder charges].
Twenty pound of powder.
Sixty pound of shot or lead, Pistoll and Goose shot."
Most of the kinds of arms listed have been found at Jamestown and will
be described briefly along with other types of weapons which were
unearthed.
POLEARMS
Parts from several polearms, including bills, pikes, and a halberd, have
been excavated. The recovered halberd (a polearm with sharp cutting
edges and a spearlike point) is typical of the late 16th century, and
may have been made as early as 1575. A few bills were unearthed, all
dating around 1600. (A bill is a polearm, having a long staff
terminating in a hook-shaped blade, usually with spikes at the back and
top.) Two pike butts were also unearthed.
[Illustration: TWO EARLY 17TH-CENTURY POLEARMS--A BILL AND
HALBERD--UNEARTHED AT JAMESTOWN. BOTH WEAPONS HAD LONG WOODEN HANDLES.
Pages:
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68