Pavises and crossbowmen

[Swampster]

I like pavises. I think they give a lovely baroque feel to a unit.
So, how common was it for a crossbowman to carry a pavise in battle (rather than siege)?

There is the image of the siege of Duras with a crossbowman carrying his shield on his back. But this seems to be very unusual. Far more often, there is another man - sometimes with a spear or similar - carrying or supporting the pavise. (Even more commonly in the examples on Manucript Miniatures, the pavisiers seem to be operating without crossbowmen).

Nicolle's article on the Genoese at Crecy proposes that they would have had pavisiers to carry theirs.

De Vries has written an article about the employment of crossbows in the HYW, but I don't have access. I think it was his Courtrai book which mentions Flemish crossbowmen having 'boys' carrying their pavises.

Any thoughts?

[Duncan Head]

Either DeVries or Verbruggen definitely has documentation for the Flemish "boys", at one per two crossbowmen - probably using the same documents cited here. I found several instances of Italian mercenary companies at approximately one pavisier per crossbowman (though none are Genoese). The Bohemian pavisier apparently had a "boy" of his own. I can't offhand think of any documented instances of crossbowmen actually carrying their own pavises.

[Erpingham]

I'm not convinced crossbowmen regularly carried their own pavises either.  Images of Italian units seem to show pavises to the front carried by spearmen and the crossbows behind.  The equipment of Genoese galleys in 1340s contracts that survive specified they should carry pavises for the fighting crew on board, who are separate from the crossbowmen.  The castilian galleys of Pero Nino also carry pavises to protect their crossbowmen in landing operations, which are carried by other crew.  At the battle of St Aubin, these are drawn up on the flanks of the men-at-arms.

As to Flemish crossbow guilds, they employed targedragers, shield bearers, in times of war.  The Ghent crossbow guild had one targedrager per two shooters.  Some more information here