Hi,
From 1859 the history is very confusing for British cutlasses. Swords for Sea Service make an attempt at explaining all the various modifications and design changes mixed in with the cutlass bayonet but even that account is confusing. It did not settle down again until the adoption of the of the 1889 model.
Some were made in Solingen and some in Britain and some put together in Britain using German blades. I can't identify that head. British cutlasses were well marked during this period with inspector's stamps. The lack of which may indicate a private lead cutter but I do not think this one is a lead cutter as they tended to have much wider blades at the ricasso.
The 1859 had a 27" long blade and was 1 1/4 inch wide at the shoulder. The length may not help much as many 29" cutlasses were cut down to 27" without bothering to re-temper the blades which caused lots of problems and failures.
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