Arms and Armor of the Pilgrims, 1620-1692

When the first English settlers set foot on the New England coast, their survival depended as much on the tools they carried as on the land they hoped to claim. The book explores how the Pilgrims equipped themselves with a mix of defensive armor, edged weapons, and firearms to face unknown wilderness, hostile encounters, and the practical need for hunting. By tracing the choices they made, the narrative reveals how a small group helped push military technology ahead of its time in Europe.

Readers are guided through the three main categories of gear, beginning with the helmets most colonists wore—simple cabasets, broad‑brimmed morions, and more elaborate burgonets with sliding cheek plates and a distinctive “lobster‑tail” neck guard. Detailed descriptions show how breastplates, gorgets, tassets, and even specialized pikeman’s armor protected the wearer while remaining functional for daily tasks. The text also examines swords and match‑lock muskets, explaining how they served both in combat and in hunting for food and fur.