Hi Mark,
This is indeed exiting news, and I do recall that particular event, but at the moment not the details. It does seem that having been located in the proximity of the QAR wreck, the hilt was suggested to have possibly been from that vessel. I think the headline suggesting it might have been Blackbeards sword was a bit sensationalized.
I believe that we perceived that the presence of the chain guard on this type of hanger preempted the period of the scuttling of the Queen Annes Revenge in 1718, and that since the wreck site was in rather heavily trafficked channel, this may have been collateral debris from later period.
The fact that such a feature as chain on the hilt of these Dutch hangers existed considerably earlier than 1718 as shown would suggest it is indeed tenuously possible that the sword could have come from the QAR. The question remains however, since the QAR was not wrecked, but scuttled, and the crew simply left the ship, why would they have left a valuable such as a portable weapon. Obviously the cannon remained, not easily transported to the smaller vessel Blackbeard moved to.
All the best
Jim
|