Rain-guard

A rain-guard or chappe is a piece of leather fitted to the crossguard of European swords of the later medieval period.

The main problem in researching the development of this feature is the fact that it is lost to decomposition in all swords recovered archaeologically.

It is possible that the function of this feature developed to offer added hand-protection to the wielder, or alternatively into a mostly decorative addition to the cross-guard.

Note that the term "rain-guard" is modern, and reflects the hypothesis that the purpose was to protect the sword in the scabbard (c.f.

But Oakeshott also embraces the "rainguard" hypothesis explicitly in his European weapons and armour: from the Renaissance to the industrial revolution (1980), where he talks about how the metal sheath-covers of early modern swords are derived from the medieval chappe.