Copyright Alistair Ramsden 1997-1998
NB - All measurements in these note are in feet (') and inches (")

• A Philosophy of Construction

• Centre pole Tents

• A-Frame Pavilions

• Combination Structures

Hi, guys. Finally I have dragged my weary bones in front of a terminal again. It has, I must say, been a nice long break after Rowany Festival. But since our household is about to embark on a tent making expedition, I figure it is high time to coalesce my thoughts, plans and research on period tents and pavilions into a usable document.

- L. Stefano d’Urbino
Shire of St. Florian sur la Riviere
Principality of Lochac, West Kingdom

Tent building, like dress making, is an inexact science. It requires the builder to have a design in mind, and then be prepared to modify it. Modify it to fit into the width of the fabric and sizes of other raw materials which are available; modify it to take account of fabric selvage and the need for waterproof tent seams; modify it to take account of the dozen 'harmless' mistakes which one makes in the beginning but which may become obstacles in the end. A striving for perfection helps, but one must in the end be prepared to grant nature a certain and unavoidable level of chaotic irregularity.

Tent building is not hard. It does however consume a good deal of time and money. Imagine making several very large, very plain dresses, plus a table or a chest for good measure; that is more or less what making a tent is like. As always, there is a time money trade-off; one can pay a merchant his margin to get finished goods, or one can spend the time turning cheaper raw materials into finished goods yourself. Of course the latter also requires having the right tools for the job, so a real perspicuity of accounting is required to actually do things 'on the cheap'.

Finally, tent building (in the SCA) is primarily a means to an end, that end being an easily erected, waterproof structure which is both usefully sized and aesthetically pleasing. The best thing about 15th Century style tents is that they fulfil these goals superbly. In my own experience they are not overly more difficult to put up than modern tents, wonderfully waterproof, enormous and do indeed look the part.

From pictures and descriptions of military encampments from 1470 to 1530, a certain standard style of encampment can be determined. (See 15th Century Encampment Notes # 1.) There are also a few common descriptions with regards to regularly depicted tentage. This is not to say all period references use these names, but they are common enough for us to use safely. We will for the moment avoid the subject of 'super' tents erected for royalty and the richer nobility.

Structures with a centre pole, and four or more sides, generally with outward sloping sides, that is, the bottom of the side being pegged to the ground further from the centre pole than the top of the side attached to the roof; were called a tent. These were typically used for personal activities such as sleeping, bathing and armouring.

Structures with an A-frame design, without a centre pole but with two side poles higher than the corner poles and used to form the 'A' of the roof, generally with sides straight to the ground, were called a pavilion. These were typically used for group activities such as cooking, eating, carousing and storage.

Those that combine both styles, such as round-ended structures with two or more centre poles, would most likely be named depending on their usage. In general, we can safely call personal tentage tents, and group tentage pavilions. Nomenclature aside, the planned structure for tents being made will be determined by their planned usage, and the two basic structures for late 15th Century tents are centre pole tents and A-frame pavilions.

One of the primary considerations in any tent should be space. Unfortunately, centre pole tents have one major deficiency, being that the space in the tent has a large obstruction in it, that is, the centre pole. The most obvious solution is to build such a tent large enough to fit any large furniture requirements on one side of the tent and keep the other side open for other uses, such as dressing, general storage, walking around, and so on.

Centre pole tents have a conical roof and a cylindrical wall. Unfortunately that is where tent to tent similarity ends. The diameter of the tent, the height of the tent walls and the height of the centre pole, the number of sectors the tent is to be made up from, whether to use corner poles, a rigid rim or just cordage to tauten the roof, the artwork desired on the valence and the rest of the tent; all these are up to the discretion of the individual.

These are exceptionally common in period. Compared to my original twelve sided design, this tent is slightly larger, yet I expect easier to make and easier to transport. It would be a comfortable tent for two people, and quite happily accommodate four or even six at a pinch. The good thing about using a hexagonal design is that all of the lengths and angles are uniform, as a hexagon can be broken up into six equilateral triangles like this.

The tent is also designed for an inner lining of cheaper fabric, the same size as the outer wall and roof. It sits over the centre pole and is tied at and thence tucked under each corner pole. The lining provides extra waterproofing, insulation in the form of an air thermal layer, and can be decorated as the occupants see fit. Because the outer wall sides are sloped and we are using a lining, the area underneath the outer wall sides is not used and does not need to be waterproofed. A separate groundsheet can be used when camping, but is not detailed here.

This tent is 14' in diameter, 7' along each side, and 7' from main edge to centre pole. The six corner poles are 8' high, the centre pole 12' high (two 8' poles with a 4' overlap, bolted together). It is made from at least 6' (183cm) 12oz canvas for the roof, 3'3" (100cm) heavy cotton duck or drill for the walls, and 2"(50mm) cross section hardwood for the poles.

[dia 1 & 2]

Arrgh!!!

^{Bibite bene! - Alistair aka Father Stephen AKA Stefano d’Urbino}