This helmet dates from 1649-1660 and is in the Continental or 'Dutch' pot style, sometimes called a Zischagge. It seems likely to have been worn by a Parliamentarian in the English Civil War as the accompanying armour bears a Tower Armouries mark. This indicates the helmet was made in London which was the headquarters of the Parliamentarians. Armour made at this time represents the last development of plate armour in the UK as the evolution of firearms made armour, including helmets like this, redundant.
The helmet is part of the Barham collection which is kept by the Brent Museum in northwest London. George Titus Barham (1859-1937) collected from a young age and acquired objects from all over the world. When he died his collection consisted of books, medals, armour, Egyptian and Sumerian antiquities, paintings and ethnographic material.
Barham admitted that he was not a systematic collector and said "I am not a connoisseur, but I know what I like". He left his collection to the London Borough of Wembley and it formed the foundations of the Brent Museum.
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