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Originally Posted by toaster5sqn
The 1803 flank officers sabre had a slotted hilt guard rather than a simple stirrup so this is definitely not an 1803.
However sabres became popular with British infantry officers in 1796 when the much maligned spadroon was introduced and a wide range of sabres and hangers were carried unofficially. The British military recognized the issue and passed orders allowing flank officers to carry sabres in 1799 but no official pattern existed until 1803. What you have could well be one of the unofficial 1796-1803 sabres.
It is worth noting that some regiments "standardized" their non pattern sabres and continued to use them as regimental pattern after 1803.
Robert
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Thanks Robert for sharing this knowledge! That would be a logical explanation.