Hounslow Hilt

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Peter Hudson

Hello Jim ...ah yes I see that and it is a puzzle and so close a date to the Queen Jane situation although she was executed in 1554......I just cannot see how it is a relevant date...but I could be wrong. The Great Bible came out in 1553... The answer is; I dont know!!

There is another ANNO but with another date on http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...highlight=1553 and the 1553 sword also appears at # 11

Peter Hudson.

Exactly, a lot of ideas have suggested Biblical passages and key dates (years) as being possible representations, but commemorative dates typically have other context, and Biblical passages are not typically singularly placed alone without some specific purpose.
The word 'anno' of course means 'in' , but what else. A makers name or the name Solingen or 'me fecit' usually would accompany 'anno'.
However the fact that blades with spurious markings were well known in shops in Solingen, and the conventions of the use of these rather consistent marks, words, phrases and names of famed makers were used in variation by various shops and workers.

The fact that Solingen blades were indeed being filtered into Solingen despite the objective of 'imported' German workers intended to produce the blades in England, suggests deliberate 'salting' of Hounslow produced swords.

In present research, regarding the possible origins of the Hounslow 'type' hilts, I found some valuable insights in the late Ewart Oakeshott's "European weapons and Armor" (1980), p.153.
It shows a line drawing of an English bowmans sword c.1450, with a hilt that has remarkably similar structure in the guard with knucklebow. If compared to the Hounslow hilt, it is simply a more embellished version with the capped pommel, and the bilobate shell type counterguard.
This would seem more in line with the type of baroque designs that were becoming popular at the beginning of the 17th century, and the expanded shell guards simply more of a palate for often more elaborate motif.

These hanger type swords had evolved from the Continent and the much earlier stout chopping blade falchions, and the upswept knuckle guard simply the kind of developing types of guards.

It would seem that the 'Wakefield' hanger of that battle of the "Wars of the Roses" (1455-1487) and from an English bowmans sword (ironically an oblique connection to the concurrent thread on the English longbow).....might plausibly be the source for the hilt style. After all, in the early 17th century, the same strife between the Royal Houses in English monarchy between that of Lancaster and York still prevailed.
Sword hilts and forms often prevailed for long periods as we know, and the basic form of this historic English form, in more embellished style in accord with the then modern period early 17th c. would seem likely emplaced

The attached plate from Oakeshott (1980, p.153) figure A shows the compelling structural resemblance noted. .