Hello, Fernando. Good to hear from you on this one...
I think Jim is absolutely correct in pointing out that a heavy 'Sinclaire' cutlass or brass-hilted affair would have been to Cap'n Teach's liking. All I am suggesting is that I think this hanger could be contemporary with the wreck and was the type favored by seamen of the period along with other styles.
Jim, I do agree that the decorative chain and pierced quillons are typically toward the later 1740's period, but I'm not exactly sure when this type of design came into favor, so certainly 1710-1715 is within reason. This absolutely could have been an article picked up as booty vs a weapon worn by said pirates on the ship. As far as opinions go as to whether the ship was deserted on purpose by Teach, my personal opinion is that absolutely, it was. One only has to read the story of Bartholomew Roberts, said to be the quintessential 'king of pirates', to see this. When the pirate hordes had become too much for any one captain to tame, it was every man for himself and take what booty one could. Certainly, we see this with Blackbeard's behavior in other events in his life (A must-read is Kevin Duffus 'The Last Days of Blackbeard the Pirate', Looking Glass Press).
My personal opinion is that this sword was probably just one of the sundry weapons left aboard that didn't hold much value to those trying to be rid of the ship. Pirates were known to carry an assortment of armaments, such as bandoliers of pistols, several swords, a dirk, etc, so a sword of this type could easily have been lost in the shuffle. The fact that few swords have been retrieved is also pretty typical of shipwrecks in salt water. I have been searching many shipwreck sites these last few years online looking for information on barshot/chainshot. The one thing that struck me about most was the absence of swords, save for an occasional pommel here, guard there or an occasional encrusted example. For that matter, most of the guns just consist of their scattered parts.
For those interested in source material I list some examples. These have the typical extended side guard.
P.G.T. Annis 'Naval Swords', pg 24, #5. A hunting sword, c.1700. Note the portait of Sir John Benbow (1701) holding said sword.
Harvey Wither's ' World Encyclopedia of Swords and Sabers', pg 139 English hanger, c, 1680, pg 140, English/German hanger, c.1690.
The one that is a near exact match to our shipwreck find is in Leslie Southwick's 'Price Guide to Antique Edged Weapons' (a rare book these days) pg 156, ex. 432-English silver-hilted hanger with up/down quillon, flat pommel cap, stag grip and no knuckle or side guard. Silver hallmarks on this sword show about 1690 (our time period). It does not, however, have decorative chain or pierced quillon.Similar examples of stag hilts in Southwick's book, all of the period 1690-1710, include plates 431, 433, 436.
Ahhh, its good to talk 'pirate' again, mates.
