It is thought among historians that the Montero originated in Northern Spain as a hunting hat. Contemporary paintings and etchings of the English Civil War period often depict soldiers wearing the Montero hat. Artists most commonly associate the Montero with musketeers in both England and Continental Europe.
Written accounts record the use of the Montero by the Oxford Army in 1643 and in Parliamentary chronicles for 1646. There is pictorial evidence of a number of variations, but they all have the same basic features of a peaked cap with an outer hooded brim. The most prominent visual reference point for the Montero hat is depictions of Royalist officer Colonel Thomas Lunsford. It is Lunsford’s depiction in this cap that has become a reference point for historians and re-enactors aiming for authenticity in representing 17th-century military attire.
The Musée de l’Armée holds a reproduction of a higher status Montero cap associated with the Duke of Buckingham’s political endeavours in France during the 1620s. This cap is part of their extensive military collection, reflecting the Montero’s use in 17th-century European military uniform.
