Notes: Gambesons, which formed part of the "soft armour" were in general use by the mid-12th century. These were defences of thickly padded, quilted cloth were a cheap, practical and comfortable alternative to those made of metal. The term "gambeson" was part of a confusing terminology, persisted till the 13th century. Terms such as "gambeson", "aketon" and "pourpoint" tended to be used arbitrarily. By the end of the 13th and into the 14th centuries, there was sufficient documentary evidence to enable scholars to draw some conclusions as to the precise nature of these garments.

Notes: Gambesons, which formed part of the "soft armour" were in general use by the mid-12th century. These were defences of thickly padded, quilted cloth were a cheap, practical and comfortable alternative to those made of metal. The term "gambeson" was part of a confusing terminology, persisted till the 13th century. Terms such as "gambeson", "aketon" and "pourpoint" tended to be used arbitrarily. By the end of the 13th and into the 14th centuries, there was sufficient documentary evidence to enable scholars to draw some conclusions as to the precise nature of these garments.

Notes: The coat-of-plates was a development that appeared in the 13th century which evolved from the surcoat, which was occasionally reinforced with oblong vertical plates riveted to the cloth. Throughout the 14c the coat-of-plates was the most common form of body armour all the way through 1360's. It was constructed of either a textile or leather garment lined with plates. In illustrations from the period, the coat-of-plates appeared to be worn over the hauberk and beneath the surcoat.

Notes: Breastplates made their appearance in the latter half of the 14th century. These evolved from early single large plate as seen by effigies dated prior to the 1350's to segmented breastplates appearing post 1370. These were comprised of nine vertical plates, each edged with engraved brass strips and attached to a leather lining. The breast was defended by three plates with smaller plates under each arm and held by cross-straps at the rear. Typically, a V-shaped bar was riveted just below the neck to act as a stop-rib to prevent the point of a weapon from sliding into the wearer's neck.

Notes: Gorgets made their appearance in the 15th century. They were a precursor to the bevor, a cup-shaped plate shaped to the wearer's chin. However, the bevor was worn over the gorget. AEMMA has made a compromise to include the gorget in a 14th century harness to improve the safety factor.