Helmet and Helmet Parts from DHR Collections

Helmet

Few complete helmets have been recovered archaeologically in Virginia.
Several of the cabasset type that
were commonly worn by infantrymen in the 17th century exist in the collections of Jamestown Island (NPS),

APVA
Jamestown Rediscovery , and those of Jamestown
Settlement.

The example shown here is a
burgonet and is the only helmet in the DHR collections. The
burgonet
is
a light, open-faced helmet with large, hinged cheekpieces.

Each
of these three cheekpieces belonged to a different burgonet and each was
recovered from a different site of the Jordan’s Journey group, an early-17th-century
settlement, near
Hopewell in Prince George County.

Burgonet —

recovered from 44PG300 in the spring of 1989. It was smashed slightly and in
very bad condition. Extensive conservation was required in order
to stabilize it and recover its shape. The cheekpieces are
missing from this example.

Cheekpiece with
brass rivets from 44PG302

Cheekpiece
recovered from 44PG307.

Cheekpiece
recovered from 44PG332.