Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

M ELEY · 13th March 2011, 06:07 AM

Hello,
Do you happen to have a picture of the whole blade? Does it recurve back on itself, like a yataghan? The reason I ask is the Enfield marking makes me suspect this is a bayonet blade for the enfield rifle. Hard to tell from the pic if the grip is iron or brass? If the hilt is the iron-ribbed type we have discussed in past threads, it remains unresolved concerning naval use. There apparently were naval cutlass types with brass ribbed hilts similar to your pattern, but this hilt type also was found on British Mountaineer trooper's swords, Brit Life-Guard swords, etc. If the blade is not recurved, than I would assume this is a Brit Mountain Artillery sword ca.1890.

It is also entirely possible you might have a naval type private-purchase type sword, the CR appears to me to really be GR under crown which stands for George Rex (III or more likely IV), a popular marking on c.1800-30 swords. Although this marking used on gov't property (H.M.S. navy), the mark was also widely used in the merchant/privateer lines as well. The Enfield marking, however, bothers me as I don't think it was around pre-1850 and long after the GR reign.

13th March 2011, 06:07 AM	#2
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,141	Hello, Do you happen to have a picture of the whole blade? Does it recurve back on itself, like a yataghan? The reason I ask is the Enfield marking makes me suspect this is a bayonet blade for the enfield rifle. Hard to tell from the pic if the grip is iron or brass? If the hilt is the iron-ribbed type we have discussed in past threads, it remains unresolved concerning naval use. There apparently were naval cutlass types with brass ribbed hilts similar to your pattern, but this hilt type also was found on British Mountaineer trooper's swords, Brit Life-Guard swords, etc. If the blade is not recurved, than I would assume this is a Brit Mountain Artillery sword ca.1890. It is also entirely possible you might have a naval type private-purchase type sword, the CR appears to me to really be GR under crown which stands for George Rex (III or more likely IV), a popular marking on c.1800-30 swords. Although this marking used on gov't property (H.M.S. navy), the mark was also widely used in the merchant/privateer lines as well. The Enfield marking, however, bothers me as I don't think it was around pre-1850 and long after the GR reign. Last edited by M ELEY; 13th March 2011 at 06:27 AM.