Ewart Oakeshott
Encyclopedia
Ewart Oakeshott was a British
illustrator
, collector
, and amateur historian
who wrote prodigiously on medieval arms
and armour
. He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
, a Founder Member of the Arms and Armour Society, and the Founder of the Oakeshott Institute. His classification of the medieval sword
, the Oakeshott typology
, lives on today as the premiere work on the systematic organization of medieval weaponry.
UK school, building up a significant collection. In addition he was an artist and illustrated most of his books, and was also a speaker.
Oakeshott's typology of medieval and early renaissance swords is among his most influential and most lasting works. Though his work was not entirely original, it was certainly groundbreaking. Dr. Jan Peterson had previously developed a typology for Viking
swords consisting of twenty-six categories. Peterson's typology was simplified by Dr. R.E.M. Wheeler in short order to only seven
categories (Type I-VII). This simplified typology was then slightly expanded by Oakeshott by the addition of two transitional types into its current nine categories (Type I-IX). From this basis, Oakeshott began work on his own thirteen-category typology of the medieval sword ranging from Type X to Type XXII.
What made Oakeshott's typology unique was that he was one of the first people either within or outside of Academia to seriously and systematically consider the shape and function of the blades of European Medieval swords as well as the hilt, which had been the primary criteria of previous scholars. His typology traced the functional evolution of European swords over a period of five centuries, starting with the late Iron Age Type X, and took into consideration many factors: the shape of blades in cross section, profile taper, fullering, whether blades were stiff and pointed for thrusting or broad and flexible for cutting and etc. This was a breakthrough. Oakeshott's books also dispelled many popular cliches about Western swords being heavy and clumsy, he listed the weights and measurements of many swords in his collection which have become the basis for further academic work as well as templates for the creation of high quality modern replicas.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe3NhaR-fSw
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
, collector
Collecting
The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining whatever items are of interest to the individual collector. Some collectors are generalists, accumulating merchandise, or stamps from all countries of the world...
, and amateur historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
who wrote prodigiously on medieval arms
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
and armour
Armour
Armour or armor is protective covering used to prevent damage from being inflicted to an object, individual or a vehicle through use of direct contact weapons or projectiles, usually during combat, or from damage caused by a potentially dangerous environment or action...
. He was a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
, a Founder Member of the Arms and Armour Society, and the Founder of the Oakeshott Institute. His classification of the medieval sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
, the Oakeshott typology
Oakeshott typology
Ewart Oakeshott's typology of the medieval sword is based on blade morphology. It categorizes swords into 13 main types labelled X to XXII. Ewart Oakeshott introduced it in his The Archeology of Weapons: Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry in 1960.The system is a continuation of...
, lives on today as the premiere work on the systematic organization of medieval weaponry.
Biography
Oakeshott became interested in arms and armour as a boy. He started collecting swords while he was still a boy at DulwichDulwich
Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
UK school, building up a significant collection. In addition he was an artist and illustrated most of his books, and was also a speaker.
Typology
- Main article: Oakeshott typologyOakeshott typologyEwart Oakeshott's typology of the medieval sword is based on blade morphology. It categorizes swords into 13 main types labelled X to XXII. Ewart Oakeshott introduced it in his The Archeology of Weapons: Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry in 1960.The system is a continuation of...
Oakeshott's typology of medieval and early renaissance swords is among his most influential and most lasting works. Though his work was not entirely original, it was certainly groundbreaking. Dr. Jan Peterson had previously developed a typology for Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
swords consisting of twenty-six categories. Peterson's typology was simplified by Dr. R.E.M. Wheeler in short order to only seven
categories (Type I-VII). This simplified typology was then slightly expanded by Oakeshott by the addition of two transitional types into its current nine categories (Type I-IX). From this basis, Oakeshott began work on his own thirteen-category typology of the medieval sword ranging from Type X to Type XXII.
What made Oakeshott's typology unique was that he was one of the first people either within or outside of Academia to seriously and systematically consider the shape and function of the blades of European Medieval swords as well as the hilt, which had been the primary criteria of previous scholars. His typology traced the functional evolution of European swords over a period of five centuries, starting with the late Iron Age Type X, and took into consideration many factors: the shape of blades in cross section, profile taper, fullering, whether blades were stiff and pointed for thrusting or broad and flexible for cutting and etc. This was a breakthrough. Oakeshott's books also dispelled many popular cliches about Western swords being heavy and clumsy, he listed the weights and measurements of many swords in his collection which have become the basis for further academic work as well as templates for the creation of high quality modern replicas.
List of published works
- The Archeology of Weapons: Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry Boydell Press, 1960. ISBN 0-486-29288-6
- The Sword in the Age of Chivalry Boydell Press, 1964. ISBN 0-85115-715-7
- Records of the Medieval Sword Boydell Press, 1991. ISBN 0-85115-566-9
- European Weapons and Armour: From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution Boydell Press, 2000. ISBN 0-85115-789-0
- Sword in Hand Arms & Armor, Inc. 2000. ISBN 0-9714379-0-4
- A Knight and His Weapons Dufour Editions 1964, 1997. ISBN 0-8023-1299-3
- A Knight and His Armor Dufour Editions —, 1999. ISBN 0-8023-1329-9
- A Knight and His Horse Dufour Editions 1962, 1995. ISBN 0-8023-1297-7
- A Knight in Battle Dufour Editions —, 1998. ISBN 0-8023-1322-1
- A Knight and His Castle Dufour Editions 1965, 1996. ISBN 0-8023-1294-2
- Swords of the Viking Age Boydell Press 2002. ISBN 0-8023-1294-2
- The Sword in Anglo-Saxon England Boydell & Brewer 1962. ISBN 0-85115-355-0
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe3NhaR-fSw
External links
- Ewart Oakeshott: The Man and his Legacy (myArmoury.com article)
- http://www.thearma.org/oakeshottinterview.htm
- http://www.oakeshott.org/EOBio.html