Robin,

I can't provide measurements, but I can point you to a document on-line with graphic representation of a buckler "Anonymous Fechtbuch: Manuscript I.33" 13th century German Sword & Buckler Manual. Here is the link.
http://www.thearma.org/Manuals/i33/i33.htm

Based on this artwork, the buckler varied in size quite a bit, so I'm not sure you'll get a definitive answer.

Connie

Robin Netherton wrote:
This question relates to a costume issue I'm working on, but it's out of my own field.

I am working with a document from England, c. 1400, that describes a brooch, worn on the chest, as being as wide as the boss of a buckler. There is no additional detail. I need to know what that would mean to the medieval reader.

So: What is the typical diameter of a buckler boss (meaning the round metal stud-like thing in the middle of a small round shield) from c. 1400 England? I have no idea if any artifacts exist, but I know that shields with central bosses are evident in artwork. Rather than just look at illuminations and guess, though, I would feel better consulting people who work in armor of this period and have a broader sense of the available evidence.

Bonus points if I can get a citation -- to either a written work (period document or a modern study), an extant artifact, or an expert who has studied these well enough to be considered an authority (e.g. not just "this is what works for me when I make them" or "my Laurel says...").

If anyone here has a contact with an armor expert, or is on a list or board that includes armor researchers with a strong grounding on period evidence, I would greatly appreciate your forwarding this query along. I will gladly take answers either by private e-mail or to this list.

Thanks,

Robin

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