http://www.houseofnames.com/sturgeon-family-crest
So, my last name is Sturgeon. This might seem nerdy as hell, but I was thinking of putting together a costume for a Renaissance fair this summer. I've never worn one before.
Anyway, judging from this site my family may have been some kind of minor house in England after the Norman conquest. If I wanted to dress myself as someone from a minor house for the fair, what kind of things should I have? Chain mail and a tunic? What kind of swords were popularly used? 1066 is still pretty far back for anything too fancy, I just figured if I was going to put together a costume I'd make it meaningful.
So what kind of look should I shoot for?
I assume norman and not saxon.
Chain or scale with a long tunic would be your best bet. A conical sort of helm with a noseguard would be the prototypical helmet. You could use a norman broadsword which would be what you imagine likely. Axes were likely common as well as spears. three point, large, Kite shields would be used as well.
But yeah if you look at the bayeux tapestry you can see representations. But in all honestly just google norman knight and if it sounds like what I described you should be good to go.