England's Forgotten Tudor Armoury at Mendlesham in Suffolk

#armoury #weapons #armour
Come with me as I explore a unique space and rare survival, the Tudor armoury at Mendlesham parish church in Suffolk, still complete with armour and weapons.
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[@joycemichelin250]

I can’t imagine walking in to that astounding room. Took me forever to watch since I paused so many times to examine each frame more. Even the hewn timber on the walls!

[@allanbarton]

You do have to pinch yourself that you are in a room that is virtually unchanged since 1590s. I spent nearly two hours in there, for a while I just sat there taking it in!

[@joycemichelin250]

I was absolutely certain you did. I would’ve passed out with the awe I think.

[@aaronjaben7913]

As a carpenter, it's fascinating to me. It must have been difficult and expensive to acquire sawn lumber back then.

[@davidfaulkner8201]

What a wonderful room ! I am in awe of the fact that all of the furniture and arms and armor are still there It is a absolute treasure trove.

[@n990]

That was amazing! Thank you!

[@allanbarton]

Glad you appreciated it!

[@stevetaylor8298]

As an Australian anglophile, I have visited the UK and I have watched years of TV shows, every Time Team episode included. I am in awe of this church and it's collection. Britain never ceases to amaze me. Thank you for this video.

[@karenparinisi3182]

I'm always astounded by British history. So fascinating!

[@nancytestani1470]

I’ll say. So cool.

[@dereks1264]

"...the town musket..." For some reason I find this idea very amusing. "Right. Fred, you drew the short straw so here's the town musket and off you go. The return address is on the stock, so don't worry about it not being returned if you're topped. Cheerio and good luck."

[@excession3076]

I've been visiting quite a few old churches recently and it struck me as I was looking around one, that every church was a "mini" museum. Fair enough, some of them are a bit denuded of contents, but you would be hard pressed to find any that have nothing that is engaging or interesting. It's an incredible legacy and I wish people appreciated them a bit more and realised how lucky we are to have this history and these wonderful buildings dotted around the countryside. I've just been to Odda's Chapel, near Tewkesbury. Along with St Mary's Church (up the road) two of the most wonderful early Anglo Saxon buildings I have ever visited. And the font in St Mary's is breathtaking. It's said it's the finest Saxon font in the UK and when you see it that's believable. It survived for years being used as a manger/water trough on a local farm before being restored to the church.

[@brianwooton1992]

During my last trip to England, it accidentally turned into a cathedral tour. I found that if you divorce the building from religious overtones, it becomes an incredible historical document of a town or city.

[@garycurry4600]

I have learned so much since finding your channel. Now, if only I could remember half of it 😂

[@ChrisHunt4497]

I love the keys!! Straight out of a fairy tale. And the pictures in that room look interesting too. What a fascinating room, a little museum all of its own. Thank you for showing us round. 😊😊😊😊

[@allanbarton]

It really is Chris, the keys were wonderful and perhaps original too and the whole place had a remarkable atmosphere.

[@jansoule4395]

This was my favorite episode yet!! What an amazing place. Fascinating

[@stuartfisher8419]

A gem. Thank you Alan. 🙏

[@KevinHooker-oe2zx]

some of my ancestors ( the Codd family) were baptised, married and buried here ! They would have known about and maybe have seen this fantastic Tudor room - thankyou so much for uploading this.

[@TerryC69]

Hi Allan! I must say I envy you access to these wonderful spaces. Remarkably interesting. Blessings to you and yours.

[@pixbychris3182]

Well I went to funeral there once when I worked as a bearer for the co op. Never knew what was above me as we carried in. Once again many thanks

[@allanbarton]

It is a great surprise isn't Chris? You'll have to go and have a look next time they have it open, it is worth the effort.

[@spitfirekev]

Every day is a learning day. I never expected to a church with weapons. Thanks for sharing.

[@chrisball3778]

Fascinating. There are very few surviving examples of English Longbows from the time period when they were still considered an important weapon. Prior to the raising of the Mary Rose shipwreck in the 1980's, the one shown here was one of only five known to exist. And two of those had been recovered from the Mary Rose wreck. Gives you an idea of what a rare treasure this place is.

[@allanbarton]

I was lucky enough to be able to handle the bow, it is an extraordinary treasure - the PCC at Mendlesham are just beginning a project to more fully understand what they have here and ensure its conservation.

[@KimThomas-vp4vm]

The Mendlesham Knights, lovely historical artefacts.

[@jilltagmorris]

Thank you again for this history lesson done in such an interesting and quality episode ❤❤❤

[@DrDsBooks]

Incredible! This is fascinating.

[@pjhunton]

Great video, incredible collection and record of social history. Thanks for sharing.

[@nancyvarkalis8660]

So interesting ! Thank you

[@nadiabrook7871]

Wow!! I NEVER knew that parishes used to have armouries!! How FASCINATING!! 👏❤💞👍

[@edwardsfamilychannel5807]

Fascinating, thank you for a concise video.

[@laurag7295]

Wonderful video, so interesting!😊❤

[@JR-my6bc]

Thank you from Texas!

[@cemitchell6496]

Very interesting subjects. Enjoy your videos during this era. Also, glad that you do videos on other eras. Some English you tubers get stuck in an era and after a while become boring, but not you! Thank you.

[@allanbarton]

That is very kind of you - I am fascinated by such a variety of things, I think I would get bored if I stuck to one topic.

[@wuzzlebottom]

That was great, thanks!

[@EllenCFarmGirl]

So fascinating, like stepping back in time! Thank you! ❤

[@YogaforeveryBodywithErika]

Beautiful Suffolk! My favorite county❤ During the time I lived there, I so enjoyed visiting the rural villages, especially visits to the parish church. Thank you for another video that’s chock full of fascinating history!

[@9er..]

Ugh!!! I’m in anglophile heaven with all Dr.B’s content.

[@nancyoffenhiser4916]

Thank You so much for such a terrific video!

[@ludovica8221]

Fascinating as always :)

[@marthavanbeek-putters]

That’s a nice collection. Nice that it is still there. Thanks for showing us. Martha

[@annettewillis2797]

Wonderful! It is a window into long lost times when parishes had to equip and send men to war. It is amazing that so much amour has survived the ravages of time. What is even more fascinating is that the three keys required to open the iron door have not been lost! Very lovely church as well. Thanks again for such an intriguing slice of history Allan.

[@allanbarton]

My pleasure Annette, I was very blessed to be able to be given those keys and just be allowed to enjoy the place all on my own. I had to share it!

[@annettewillis2797]

An absolute privilege Allan but so well deserved! Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Deeply fascinating that such a room exists and survives so intact still.@@allanbarton

[@kaoskronostyche9939]

Cool. Really into swords, armour, medieval warfare, British History, etc but have never heard of this. Thank you.

[@christinesuccop1812]

Thank you, this was very interesting. Love your mini history lessons ❤

[@SugarWildflower-si4ox]

Very interesting video regarding Tudor period and church history that was of a different sort. Thank you and the Parish Vicar for letting the world have a look.

[@Marjorie-yt7pb]

Fascinating !! Thank you 😇

[@Cornet_Tooter]

Top banana! Another great video, Allan!

[@allanbarton]

Many thanks!

[@AmynAL]

Your videos are so informative and interesting. Thank you so much!

[@allanbarton]

Glad you're enjoying my channel!

[@David.M.]

Thanks, Allan. I have enjoyed the October issue. Living in America, I appreciate the digital subscription.

[@rogerlafrance6355]

I know walled towns and castles had armories but rural parishes, is new to me. Any part of England could quickly have problems with bandits to invaders, even in later times. It would be interesting to know more, as while we talk of knights and sheriffs , more often it was up to the common folk.

[@jamestucker784]

Hi Allan I know it’s unrelated to the topic of this video but I was wondering if you could do a short video about what Queen Consorts usually wear on their body and head at State openings of parliaments as Charles and Camilla’s first is coming up. Thanks if you see this I am a history student and your content has helped and entertained me very much it is very informative and a pleasure to watch. If you could find the time to answer my inquiry I would be very grateful. Have a good day.

[@allanbarton]

Hello James, thanks for your comment and question. I'm going to be producing a video on the state opening so will address that question in it. The late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother when she accompanied her husband to the state opening usually wore the parliamentary robe and the George IV diamond diadem. We may see the same. The late Queen Elizabeth II's parliamentary robe was altered for the Queen and she wore it at the coronation, I can't imagine it will be its only outing.

[@italianbirdvideos6190]

What a delight.

[@allanbarton]

It really is, a genuinely unique space.

[@sweptashore]

Wonderful! I love these pocket-sized treasures.

[@educanassa100]

Thank you,Allan, Always watching

[@yubdailee]

Wonderful to hear and see from you again :)

[@allanbarton]

Thank you, it’s been a busy time, but I have loads more to come.

[@richardhoover4471]

Fascinating!

[@coop66kc]

I never knew that only just down the road from Mendlesham

[@allanbarton]

It is worth a visit when it is next open.

[@nancytestani1470]

Look at the size of the keys…so cool.

[@shanegrass889]

Wish I could see that room in person 😊

[@allanbarton]

It is sadly closed at the moment for conservation, but will reopen.

[@jacquelinerogers9356]

Thank you for another amazing bit of history

[@vbrooker1]

What an amazing place! Thanks so much for this video.

[@cannett8966]

Wow! I have never seen anything like this! But most of our churches have been destroyed. Very sad. Cee from the little haunted cottage in ireland 💚💚💚🍀🍀🍀

[@jongoldman9279]

An amazing room. A very small space housing an immense history.

[@allanbarton]

It is extraordinary, you can really feel that history too. You can imagine the Elizabethan men of Mendlesham climbing that spiral staircase and trying on the different bits of armour to see what fits.

[@oldhippy1947]

Another of your interesting videos. Thank you Alan.

[@adriaanboogaard8571]

I love it. Truly beautiful workmanship all around. I've seen one other Armoury. It's in Gratz Austria. It supplied dozens of soldiers. Fully stocked. If I get to the U.K. I will check this one out.

[@allanbarton]

Glad you liked this!

[@bogarte7185]

A museum I worked for borrowed a couple of pieces of the armour for an exhibition a few years ago. Bit tricky getting it down the stairs once it was wrapped up in the acid free tissue and bubble wrap if I remember correctly 🤔

[@jldrake3424]

How fascinating! I wonder if those wax seals have been cataloged anywhere. They are in such good condition. One looked to be a royal seal.

[@guaporeturns9472]

Very interesting . Thanks for sharing

[@StevenJeNova]

Thank you! Tough times, no doubt. They did what they could.

[@S2Sturges]

Quite remarkable...! Thank you !

[@allanbarton]

Glad you liked it!

[@S2Sturges]

@@allanbarton a delightful little snapshot into our past...!

[@chrisosborne6957]

I remember going in there on a school trip for a church project, must have been around 1990-91

[@allanbarton]

It must have made quite an impression!

[@davidc6510]

Very interesting video. Thanks for sharing.

[@allanbarton]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@glorias6517]

Absolutely fascinating, thank-U 4 the look back in history. Greetings from 🇺🇸

[@janwitts2688]

Real history..

[@allanbarton]

History you can smell and touch - a time capsule.

[@jontalbot1]

I occasionally stay in Mendlesham Green so next time l will arrange a visit

[@007JHS]

One omission when you mentioned trading ports... That of the Port of Norwich... Ships of some size regularly plied the waters of the Yare and Wensum right up until the 1960s... Norwich in Tudor times was an important port.

[@allanbarton]

It is incredible to think of that now. Norwich was more or less the second city of the kingdom for a large part of the Middle Ages.

[@007JHS]

@@allanbarton All done pretty well on the sheep's back with help from Flemish weavers

[@flamencoprof]

In 1996 on a driving tour of Europe I found in Graz, Austria a town armoury of multiple floors, many periods, and much interest. Highly recommended.

[@PhD777]

Outstanding informative video!👍🏻🎅👍🏻

[@allanbarton]

Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it!

[@Oldsmobile69]

Wouldn't an authentic long bow be quite a valuable archeological find?

[@allanbarton]

Very valuable, apart from the 100 or so found on the wreck of the Mary Rose, few remain.

[@JamieW-o7b]

Ha! I live quite close and have never even heard of this!!

[@rhiannonpoole6019]

Thank you for this enlightening video, I had no idea (and am not totally comfortable with) that armour and weapons were stored in churches - but as you say, they were probably the only suitable communal space. How wonderful that documentation of that age has survived, I would be interested to know if the men concerned actually signed their own names - somehow I wouldn't have expected that level of literacy.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

I understand you not being entirely comfortable with arms and armour being stored in a church, but in those days churches might have to serve as makeshift fortresses, which is why so many medieval churches have massively strong doors.

[@kevinchambers1101]

Normally, when a person couldn't sign their name, they would write an x and and the person who witnessed the signing would then write in the name as the witness.

[@allanbarton]

I also understand that feeling too - it does seem jarring, but churches were such a centre of people's entire existence. It is very likely that a lot of these spaces in areas above porches and in towers that now seemingly have no purpose were built for secular purposes like these - for storage of communal goods, records, or even as meeting places. Literarcy levels are debated, but many scholars are now of the view that the levels of literarcy in Tudor England were really surprisingly high, particularly among the artisan classes, that perhaps as many as 60% or men and 50% of women could read and write.

[@douglasaustin86]

Amazing! Is the room freely available to access? No great distance from Ely... Great video!

[@judycater2832]

Fascinating. Are there any theories as to how this survived. ❤❤❤

[@allanbarton]

It simply fell out of use and they couldn't be bothered to get rid of it. Apathy really.

[@HighWealder]

An interesting and amazing survivor. I hope that it is kept very secure, because I am deeply saddened by the pillaging of our historic items in churches and museums.

[@deniseatkins9407]

Wow what a treasure trove

[@patrickharris5903]

Fascinating.

[@allanbarton]

Glad you liked it!

[@angelskyler3377]

Mr Tobias Capwell should see this if hasn't already

[@allanbarton]

I understand from my friends that he visited yesterday.

[@donnadees1971]

So informative an real.

[@jamesellsworth9673]

Here is a look at a part of Church usage I was not familiar with.

[@dorothysutton5162]

❤

[@samdumaquis2033]

Interesting

[@sophieiremonger4885]

wow! this is amazing!

[@amandajstar]

Very interesting, thank you. (Also interesting that even an Englishman has taken up 'reference' as a verb, which I confess I still haven't cottoned to, myself.)

[@indianasunsets5738]

How amazing to have something like that!

[@allanbarton]

It’s a rare survival!

[@terencebennison6275]

I wonder how they got those iron bound chests, up that narrow winding staircase!

[@allanbarton]

They were probably put up there during construction and have been there ever since - the chests are 1420s, the porch forty or fifty years later.

[@alexguest9937]

16th Century Dad's Army! "Don't panic Captain Mainwaring!" I can see them all wearing it now............ 😂😂😂😂😂

[@robnewman6101]

Papperback DK Eyewitness Book of ARMS & ARMOUR.

[@Swine-O-Sonic]

Very local and no one has ever mentioned this existed.. that makes me kinda grumpy. Why do we not get told?

[@allanbarton]

They have just had a big bank holiday event all about it. It was really well advertised. It needs considerable conservation.

[@nuguns3766]

after they discovered the magic shortbow, the yew longbow had practically vanished from use

[@Optimusprimerib36]

I approve. If you have to wear armor, you want to be in German or Italian steel.

[@malcolm2587]

At the beginning of this it looked like they were planting somebody is old is that place is you wouldn't think there'd be any vacancies

[@CrowSkeleton]

So you're saying that by the Civil War they had a standing militia only when he wasn't sitting down?

[@brucebrunner3268]

We need more time capsule reports like this instead of the nonsense that they put out now!😮

[@samiam619]

I want to know what that “Thieves Beware!” sign on the front door says…

[@annegray176]

'Churches in this area have roof alarms'

[@mburland]

Is it open to the public?

[@allanbarton]

Sadly not at the moment as it is a fragile space.

[@ashleysmith3106]

The Question, more to the point, is why a national treasure like this is rusting and rotting away in some little room instead of being conserved and displayed by a National Museum ? ?

[@allanbarton]

A conservation scheme to display it in museum conditions is in progress. However, to remove it from here would be to destroy its historical context, so it needs to stay in situ.

[@robnewman6101]

I have a Hardback DORLING KINDERSLEY DK EYEWITNESS GUIDES Book of MEDIEVAL LIFE. Discover medieval Europe - from life in a country manor to the streets of a developing town.

[@redtobertshateshandles]

Never trust a warlord to pay you. 😂 I remember hearing about some Scottish mercenaries being paid by their Irish employers by being poisoned.