Secrete (helmet) facts for kids
The secrete was a special kind of helmet that people could hide under their hats. It was designed to keep your head safe without anyone knowing you were wearing a helmet!
Why People Used Secret Helmets
In the 1600s, many horse riders, especially fancy gentlemen, wanted to wear stylish wide-brimmed hats. But they also needed to protect their heads in battles. So, they used a hidden helmet called a secrete.
Even regular people, like some judges during the trial of King Charles I, wore these helmets. They felt unsafe and needed extra protection. A lot of these secret helmets were found together in the Tower of London. This suggests that sometimes, soldiers were given them as part of their uniform.
What a Secret Helmet Looked Like
Most secrete helmets were small caps made of iron or steel. They had tiny holes around the edge. These holes allowed the helmet to be sewn inside a hat. This way, no one could see it, but it still protected your head much better than a felt hat alone.
There were different designs. Some were solid domes, like a regular skullcap. Others were ring-shaped to be lighter. A few rare ones even had a folding metal cage. This cage could be pulled down to protect the face during a fight.
Another clever type of head protection looked exactly like a regular wide-brimmed hat, but it was made entirely of iron or steel! These "hat-helmets" were covered in cloth or painted dark to look like felt. King Charles I himself owned one of these.
