Secret Helmet, Iron Cap For Felt Hat Lining, 17th-18th Century

Secret helmet for felt hat lining
Wrought iron, brass solder
17th-18th century
20 x 17.5 x 10 cm [W x D x H]
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This Secret is both the heir of the Middle Ages and the ancestor of the iron skullcaps of the First World War.
The small perforations, all around the base, made it possible to sew the secret into the lining of the feathered hat or the tricorn; the cavalier gentleman was then ready to fight without sacrificing anything to the elegance of his attire.
It consists of a band of wrought iron, closed at the back by crenellated brass solder, and a cap fixed to the band by a solder of the same type.
Note the small rectangular hole on the front of the helmet, which is also found on examples in England where, it seems, this cap was worn a lot in the middle of the 17th century. The existence of a large number of secrete helmets of a very similar type all stored together in the Tower of London suggests that they were occasionally issued to troops as a uniform piece of military equipment.