ecranche

plural ecranches

1. historicaluncommonA type of shield, used in jousting, which had an indentation or notch to hold the lance.

   As mentioned previously, the ecranche is a small shield usually intended for use on horseback. It has a small cut out on one corner called a bouche to allow the lance to be held correctly […]

   , Hugh Knight, The Gladiatoria Fechtbuch

   3 more examples

   The Ghent altarpiece by Jan van Eyck, dating to 1430, [...depicts men] who carry several different forms of ecranche. […] Ecranches, including those from the Gladiatoria group, have an indentation on the right side, the so-called bouche, which served as a means to keep the lance stable on horseback.

   2018, Dierk Hagedorn, Bartlomiej Walczak, Medieval Armoured Combat: The 1450 Fencing Manuscript from New Haven, Casemate Publishers, →ISBN

   Eli lowered his as well but not squarely, not in position to hit Cassius's ecranche unless he pivoted it at the last second. Scoring wasn't Eli's intention this pass, though. By the time the two were on top of each other, ...

   , Sadie Waters, Ruled by the Princess: A Reverse Harem Romance (ID Johnson)

   Also in Norfolk, at Gissing St Mary, the Kemp family name appears to be referenced in the jousting shield or ecranche, with a hole for a lance, held by angel US1 in a privileged position at the south-east end. This motif recurs further west, on and facing both sides of the scheme in spandrels SUNW2 and SCNE6.

   2020, Philippa Turner, Jane Hawkes, The Rood in Medieval Britain and Ireland, C.800-C.1500, Boydell & Brewer, →ISBN, page 165