QUARTERSTAFF: Polearm weapon which was merely a long wooded pole.
QUILLIONS: Bar (usually iron) forming the crossguard of a sword or dagger.
RAMPANT: In heraldry, describes quadrupeds (often a lion) shown erect, one back paw raised, looking to the dexter.
REBATO (1580-1635): Of Spanish origin, a collar or ruff wired to stand up around a low-necked bodice.
REBUS: A heraldic device that is a pictorial pun on the name of the bearer.
REEVE: A royal or manor official appointed by the lord or elected by the peasants.
RELIEF: The fee paid by the heir of a deceased person on securing possession of a fief. Tradition determined the amount demanded.
REREBRACE: Defense for the upper arm (arm greaves).
ROUNDELl: Round metal attachment at the base of a polearm to keep the hands from sliding down the shaft and onto the blade.
RUFF (1550-1630): A circular collar in the form of a starched and crimped or pleated frill. From 1562 to 1577, ruffs measured about three inches wide and two inches deep, becoming separate articles of clothing by 1570. The cartwheel ruff was in fashion from 1550 to 1610 and the fan-shaped ruff, made almost entirely of lace, from 1570 to 1625. Men's ruffs were generally higher in back than in front, following the line of the jaw, to frame the face and set off the shape of the skull.
SABLE: The heraldic color (tincture) of black.
SALLET: A light, rounded helmet with projecting neckguard and, often, a visor, worn in the 15th century.
SALTIRE: A charge in the form of a St. Andrew's cross.
SAMITE: A heavy silk fabric worn in the Middle Ages: it was sometimes interwoven with gold.
SAUSCIWERTER: European hunting weapon normally used by the nobility; consisted of a hand-and-a-half hilt; could be used with one or two hands if necessary
SCABBARD: A sheath or case to hold the blade of a sword or dagger.
SCALE ARMOR: Small rectangular plates of metal, attached to a leather or linen coat, lighter and more flexible than mail.
SCHIAVONA: Broadsword; used in the 16th century.
SCRIBE: A person who copied books by hand before the invention of printing.=
SCUTAGE: The sum that the holder of a knight's fee would pay his lord in lieu of military service. Sometimes used as a form of tax.
SERF: A semi-free peasant (cottagers, small holders, or villeins) who worked his lord's demesne and paid him certain dues in return for the use of land, the possession (not ownership) of which was heritable. These dues ("corvee"), were in the form of labor on the lord's land, averaging three days a week.
SERGEANT: A servant who accompanied his lord to battle, a horseman of lower status used as light cavalry, or a type of tenure in service of a non-knightly character who might have carried the lord's banner, served in the wine cellar, or made bows and arrows. Sergeants paid the feudal dues of wardship, marriage, and relief, but were exempt from scutage.
SHEAF ARROW: Heavy armour piercing arrow used by longbowmen at close range.
SHERIFF (from "Shire Reeve"): The chief administrative and judicial officer of a shire. He collected taxes and forwarded them on to the Exchequer, and was also responsible for making sure that the King's table was well stocked.
SIEGE: The military tactic that involved the surrounding and isolation of a castle, town, or army, by another army, until the trapped forces were starved into surrender.
SIMONY: The buying or selling of spiritual things, particularly Church offices and benefices.
SINISTER: In heraldry, designates the left-hand side of the shield, or the right for the spectator.
SLOP-HOSE: Sailor's breeches.
SMALL HOLDER: A middle class peasant, farming more land than a cottager but less than a villein. A typical small holder would have farmed 10 to 20 acres.
SNOOD: 1. A tie or ribbon formerly worn around the hair, especially by young unmarried women. 2. A netlike bag worn at the back of a woman's head to hold the hair.
SNUFKIN (also SNOSKYN): A muff made of cloth or fur, the smaller models of which hung suspended from a woman's girdle.
SPADROON: European cut-and-thrust sword with a light, flexible blade; double-edged near the point
SPAULDER: 14th and 15th century defense for the shoulder, featuring a small dished defense for the shoulder point and a number of lames extending down the arm.
STEWARD: The man responsible for running the day-to-day affairs of the castle when the lord was absent.
STOMACHER: A separate front panel of rich decorative fabric which ended in a point at the waist and was worn on top of the bodice.
SUGARLOAF: A transition helmet between the heaulm and the bascinet, where the skull of the helmet was pointed like a bascinet and the sides enclosed like a heaulm.
SULONG: A measurement of land equal to two hides.
SURCOAT: Long flowing garment worn over armour.
SWISH-WASH: A liquour made with honey and water and spiced with a dash of pepper.
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