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Old 12th June 2016, 04:00 AM   #6
Jim McDougall
Arms Historian
 
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
Posts: 9,770
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Hi Will,
I'm glad you posted it again!!!! I must have missed the other posts.
Anyway, we don't have a limit one to a customer and trust me, I make lots of misteakes getting worse every year.

As Mark has well and observantly noted, this example does look like British hilt components, and that bun shaped pommel is seen on British basket hilt cavalry swords c. 1750+ (Neumann, p.70, 27.S).
The guard is the characteristic 'four slot' guard of 1760s-80s, but with lateral branches added, as on varying examples. (Neumann p.179, 352.S).

It must be remembered that in these times, people of the American colonies were actually still quite British, and weapons and components were of course remarkably mixed. Innovative smiths and various artisans in the Colonies assembled many weapons using components available .

While most hilts British I have seen have the four slot guard without the branchs, usually the tall olive pommel, and usually straight backsword blades.
The 1788 patterns were well established as far as the light cavalry sabres but the so called 'heavy' cavalry (dragoon) types sometimes thought of as M1788 remain unconfirmed. There were of course variations with the lateral bars or even more complex 'basket' design.
These were pre-regulation (that began 1796) so variation was typical.

The blade with the curious clipped point (termed 'pandour point' in Europe) were it seems well known on hangers and sabres in Europe. In Neumann, I could find no comparative examples, but am inclined to think this may well have been a blade from a European sabre, probably mounted with a British hilt in America in these times.

While the British seemed to retain their straight blades, the Americans favored the curved. The stamping of the name on the ricasso seems to be an American proclivity. In Nuemann ( 316.S, p167) a hanger whose blade had similar wide single fuller along back of blade is stamped at ricasso POTTER.
While I cannot find Wyatt among listed smiths, silversmiths et al often furbished arms as required I believe .
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