Lt Col. John Gaspard Le Marchant

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Ian Knight

Hello Jim,
I have five British P1796 LC sabre in my collection at the moment. They all have 33" blades apart from one which is 32".
One of my sabres, made by Osborn (the same maker who made Le Marchant's sabre), has much of its blue & gilt remaining, it also has the pre-1801 coat of arms. The blade is 33".

Would they have made shorter sabres for Officers of a smaller stature I wonder?

Ian

Hi Ian,
I always wondered the same thing, and it seems the blade on the one I had may have even been 29 or 30", I need to find my notes to check. It does not seem that stature would have been an issue as it seems it was quite the fashion of the times for cavalry officers to wear these sabres rather in a low slung manner, accounting for the pronounced drag on the scabbard tips.

Until now I had not realized that these pre 1801 arms were Osborn products, which would make distinct sense as he was working with LeMarchant on this form. I truly regret now having sold that sabre!!! Who knows, maybe somebody out there knows who has it now.

All the best,
Jim