Sub-Roman Britain (Cavalry etc)

[Conal]

because the majority were too poor,took little part in fighting.Why would they buy a mail shirt they would rarely if ever use-they would buy horses&cattle instead.A composite bow would be useful for hunting but a contus,no.
the nobility needed a 'warrior' reputation....cattle and loot were a nice bonus.

If you propose that there was a warrior elite in charge then we are not dealing with a set of individuals making decissions based on their own position. The decissions as to who spends what would not be dictated by the needs of those in charge. They were initiating a force to fight to keep their position, so it would be in their interests to get as many fully kitted out cavalry as possible. Provided there was an appropriate manufacturing base, raw materials & craftsmen then I think there would be enough wealth around to allow mail outside the immediate retainers.

Not all the populace would fight but they would certainly be expected to contribute, like the later Select Fyrd where a certain standard of equipment was expected.

It it possible to assess the actual cost of keeping an armoured (mail jerkin) cavalryman?

I have done some musing using http://www.keesn.nl/price/en2_sources.htm to give a very rough idea based on price by cow :|

Sword & Scabbard 7
Helmet 6
Mail Coat 12
Shield & lance 2
Horse 3

30 cows would get you the full kit and 18 all but a mail shirt. No saddlery is mentioned????

The population of GB at AD400 was approx 3 million ... at say one cow per 10 persons will buy you 10,000 fully armed nutters on horseback.

I don't know what the iron age ratio of cattle per person was but the Zulus manged to accrue 12,000 hide shields at the time of Rourkes Drift. If the ratio was more cattle than people then Riothamus may well have been able to arm 12,000 men with at least shield spear and sword and take them on holiday to Gaul to fight the Goths :roll:

So given a few decades I don't see why the armies of Arthurian Briton (made up of a few hundred at a time?) would not be fully kitted out as mail/scale armed cavalry. If this was not the case then I would suggest that cost was not the major factor.