Buckler use in the 17th century (English civil war)

[Gary ffitch]

A sealed knot supplier advertises a reproduction buckler suitable for use in 13-17th century battle reenactment,

As does this article:
http://www.myArmoury.com/maly_othr_aa_buck.html

My question is, was the buckler seen at all (or could it possibly have been seen) on the battlefields of the English civil war that late on? Perhaps soldiers too poor to purchase armour would keep their granddad's buckler around to pair with a sword when it came to the melee? Or perhaps it was a civilian weapon still around being taken onto the battlefield. Clearly it would not have been a common sight on the field as I haven't found any references/sources for it (although I may simply have not looked hard enough).

Can the HEMA guru's help me out on this one? What use did the buckler see in the 17th century if any?

[James Brazas]

I haven't really studied that era in detail, but I know that bucklers were used in Jamestown, VA in the early 1600s. There are a number of surviving bucklers and targets used by the English to defend themselves against the natives. Surviving historical documents also indicate that sword-and-buckler was still in use in Jamestown.

It's been a while since I last researched swordsmanship at Jamestown, but I seem to recall the mixture of swords being used including sideswords (military cut-and-thrust swords, what George Silver called "short swords"), rapiers, cutlasses, etc. So there was a good mix. John Smith was evidentally quite fond of his Falchion.

There are surviving records and artifacts for all of the above, plus breastplates, helments, and polearms like halberds and bills.

As far as manuals go, George Silver was teaching sword-and-buckler in the 1590s. It was his preferred weapon style. He considered it excellent both for warfare and civilian self-defense. So it would be strange to think that sword-and-buckler would instantly disappear the moment the year hit 1600.