English pot helmet, 1640 (c)

This helmet has a hinged visor, cheek pieces and a fixed 'lobster' tail to protect the neck. It would have been worn by a harquebusier (light cavalryman) of the English Civil War. The common belief is that Royalist 'Cavaliers' all wore large floppy hats with feathers, while Parliamentary 'Roundheads' wore what the Victorians called 'lobster pot helmets'. This is a nineteenth century myth. Both sides in the war would have looked very similar and the quality of any item of dress would depend on the status of the wearer, not his allegiance.