A bevor ( ) or beaver is a piece of

plate armour Plate armour is a historical type of personal body armour made from bronze, iron, or steel plates, culminating in the iconic suit of armour entirely encasing the wearer. Full plate steel armour developed in Europe during the Late Middle Ages, es ...

designed to protect the neck, much like a

gorget A gorget , from the French ' meaning throat, was a band of linen wrapped around a woman's neck and head in the medieval period or the lower part of a simple chaperon hood. The term later described a steel or leather collar to protect the thro ...

Etymology

The word “bevor” or “beaver” is derived from Old French ''baver'', meaning ‘to dribble’. This is a reference to the effect on the wearer of the armour during battle.

Description

The bevor was a component of a medieval suit of armour. It was usually a single piece of

protecting the chin and throat and filling the gap between the helmet and breastplate. The bevor could also extend over the knight’s left shoulder doubling the thickness of the armour. The bevor was originally worn in conjunction with a type of helmet known as a sallet. With the close helm and burgonet, developments of the sallet in the late medieval and Renaissance period, the bevor became a hinged plate protecting the lower face and throat. In the 16th century, the bevor developed into the falling buffe. This was a composite piece made up of several

lames Lame or LAME may refer to: Music * "Lame" (song) by Unwritten Law * ''Lame'' (album) by Iame People * Ibrahim Lame (born 1953), Nigerian educator and politician * Jennifer Lame (), American film editor * Quintín Lame (1880–1967), Colombian ...

protecting the lower face and throat, but which could be raised or lowered as the lames were articulated.

References

External links

The bevor's description on myarmoury.com

''The Art of Chivalry : European arms and armor from the Metropolitan Museum of Art : an exhibition''
Issued in connection with an exhibition in 1982 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art Medieval armour Western plate armour {{medieval-armour-stub