This heavy helmet was used in the Thirty Years' War (1617-47) and again in the English Civil Wars. It is from a group particularly associated with Littlecote House, Wiltshire, England, where other examples were preserved with its remarkably complete Civil War armory, now acquired by the Royal Armories. A further example from this group is in the Higgins Collection, #2014.1125, now preserved in the Worcester Art Museum. Sappers were specialized infantry who, in addition to fighting alongside their comrades, were adept at excavating sappes, trenches that protected the troops, while closing the distance to the enemy. Their armor was heavier than that of ordinary troops, to provide additional protection against the cannon fire which they faced.