‘Unfitt for any moderne service’? Arms and armour from James Fort

Abstract

Following a devastating Indian attack in 1622 that killed a quarter of the Virginia colonists, King James I bestowed a 'princely and free guift' of weaponry on the Virginia Company of London for the colony's use. The gift included calivers, pistols, jacks of plate, brigandines, shirts of mail, and other arms and armour that were deemed 'unfitt for any moderne service' in England. At first glance, this shipment of obsolete arms appears to substantiate the traditional historical view that the English colonists were too ill equipped in both materials and skills to settle Virginia successfully. Recent excavations at James Fort, Jamestown, the site of the colony's initial settlement and its seat of government, have unearthed a wealth of arms and armour that attests the character of early military life at Jamestown. The evidence suggests that the Virginia experience led to adaptation of traditional military practices and equipment, rendering the 'unfit' arms and armour effective and useful for the context.