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A jack of plate is a type of armour made up of small iron plates sewn between layers of felt and canvas. They were commonly referred to simply as a "jack" (although this could also refer to any outer garment). This type of armour was used by common Medieval European soldiers as well as by the rebel peasants known as Jacquerie. The present day equivalent is perhaps a 
The jack is similar to the brigandine. The main difference is in the method of construction: a brigandine is riveted whereas a jack is sewn. Jacks of plate were created by stitching as many as 1000 small overlapping squares of iron between two canvases. The garments weighed about , which made them much more acceptable to the wearer than solid breastplates. They also offered a tactical advantage: they allowed soldiers to rest the butts of weapons firmly against their shoulders, which wasn't feasible with smooth-surfaced plate armours. Unlike plate they made no attempt to be bulletproof. Jacks were often made from recycled pieces of older plate armor, including damaged brigandines and cuirasses cut into small squares.
The jack was particularly favoured in Scotland. After the death of James V of Scotland in December 1542, Cardinal Beaton ordered the keeper of the royal wardrobe John Tennent to give the king's jack of plate to his lawyer Adam Otterburn. In July 1547, Regent Arran had a new jack covered with purple taffeta, then changed his mind, choosing purple velvet. During the rebellion against Mary, Queen of Scots known as the Chaseabout Raid it was said in September 1565 that while her husband Lord Darnley wore a gilt corslet or breastplate, the rest of the lords "after their country fashion" wore jacks.Joseph Bain, ''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1905), p. 202.
Jacks remained in use as late as the 16th century and were often worn by
bullet-proof vest
A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or a bullet-resistant vest, is an item of body armor that helps absorb the impact and reduce or stop penetration to the torso from firearm-fired projectiles and fragmentation from explosions. ...
.
The jack is similar to the brigandine. The main difference is in the method of construction: a brigandine is riveted whereas a jack is sewn. Jacks of plate were created by stitching as many as 1000 small overlapping squares of iron between two canvases. The garments weighed about , which made them much more acceptable to the wearer than solid breastplates. They also offered a tactical advantage: they allowed soldiers to rest the butts of weapons firmly against their shoulders, which wasn't feasible with smooth-surfaced plate armours. Unlike plate they made no attempt to be bulletproof. Jacks were often made from recycled pieces of older plate armor, including damaged brigandines and cuirasses cut into small squares.
The jack was particularly favoured in Scotland. After the death of James V of Scotland in December 1542, Cardinal Beaton ordered the keeper of the royal wardrobe John Tennent to give the king's jack of plate to his lawyer Adam Otterburn. In July 1547, Regent Arran had a new jack covered with purple taffeta, then changed his mind, choosing purple velvet. During the rebellion against Mary, Queen of Scots known as the Chaseabout Raid it was said in September 1565 that while her husband Lord Darnley wore a gilt corslet or breastplate, the rest of the lords "after their country fashion" wore jacks.Joseph Bain, ''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 2 (Edinburgh, 1905), p. 202.
Jacks remained in use as late as the 16th century and were often worn by Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
Border Reivers. Although they were obsolete in Britain by the time of the English Civil War many were taken to the New World by the Pilgrim Fathers as they provided excellent protection from Native American arrow
An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...
s; one dating back to 1607 was found at Jamestown in 2005.
References
Medieval armour Body armor Western plate armour {{Medieval-armour-stub