18th Century Scottish basket hilt with cavalry saber blade

E.B. Erickson · 7th October 2020, 02:37 PM

Saw one at the Great Western show eons ago. The one I saw looked composite.

--ElJay

Battara · 17th October 2020, 06:28 AM

So Jim are you saying that this blade is older than the basket?

Jim McDougall · 17th October 2020, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battara

So Jim are you saying that this blade is older than the basket?

No, actually much 'newer', it is a M1788 light cavalry saber blade, which were being made in Birmingham by Thomas Gill and James Wooley, but this one is unmarked. At the time there was considerable friction in the industry (mostly initiated by Thomas Gill) about the ever present dominance of German blades in British swords. With this these makers push to present the quality of thier blades, they distinctly marked them, even to the level of such pronouncement with 'warranted' marked on them. I think Samuel Harvey also made blades.

The hilt is a munitions grade style made in London by Jeffries around 1757, and these were mounted typically with German made straight backsword blades for use by the British army, usually infantry.

It seems this hilt was remounted for use, probably by a 'flank company',
using a M1788 cavalry blade, in circumstances unknown, but flank companies tended to favor curved saber blades on swords used by them.

Jim McDougall · 18th October 2020, 05:04 AM

To add to the previous post on these distinctly 'English' hilts:
From "Scottish Swords from the Battlefield at Culloden", by Andrew Mowbray (1971) which is a summarized version of the very rare (1894) work written by Lord Archibald Campbell, who had acquired some 137 of the 192 swords collected on that battlefield in 1746.

p.11:
"...around 1740, Drury, Jeffries, Harvey and possibly others accepted contracts from the English government to produce swords of the Highland pattern. These smiths produced a cheap but quite serviceable basket hilted sword to arm Scottish regiments in English service along with certain Highland companies then being raised".
(these were a rough approximation of 'Glasgow' style and two of them were among the Culloden group).

"...This Birmingham sword of the 1740s was produced in considerable quantities, certainly enough to arm a few regiments, yet, paradoxically it is quite rare.
Many of this crude but most important and desirable type that have come down to us show evidences of fire or other rough treatment and it may be that the bulk of these swords suffered just such a common fate while iin storage in some arsenal or castle following their obsolescence as tactical fighting weapons for Highland troops".

It would seem that, as noted in this reference some years ago by a most esteemed collector and author gives us some key perspective on how this sword might have come to being remounted as in its present state.

This 'rarity' of certain pattern swords with several models occurred in the 19th century due to fire, one in the Tower of London armouries (I think it was the M1829 heavy cavalry troopers sword).

7th October 2020, 02:37 PM	#1
E.B. Erickson Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 61	Saw one at the Great Western show eons ago. The one I saw looked composite. --ElJay

17th October 2020, 06:28 AM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,280	So Jim are you saying that this blade is older than the basket?

18th October 2020, 05:04 AM	#4
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,281	To add to the previous post on these distinctly 'English' hilts: From "Scottish Swords from the Battlefield at Culloden", by Andrew Mowbray (1971) which is a summarized version of the very rare (1894) work written by Lord Archibald Campbell, who had acquired some 137 of the 192 swords collected on that battlefield in 1746. p.11: "...around 1740, Drury, Jeffries, Harvey and possibly others accepted contracts from the English government to produce swords of the Highland pattern. These smiths produced a cheap but quite serviceable basket hilted sword to arm Scottish regiments in English service along with certain Highland companies then being raised". (these were a rough approximation of 'Glasgow' style and two of them were among the Culloden group). "...This Birmingham sword of the 1740s was produced in considerable quantities, certainly enough to arm a few regiments, yet, paradoxically it is quite rare. Many of this crude but most important and desirable type that have come down to us show evidences of fire or other rough treatment and it may be that the bulk of these swords suffered just such a common fate while iin storage in some arsenal or castle following their obsolescence as tactical fighting weapons for Highland troops". It would seem that, as noted in this reference some years ago by a most esteemed collector and author gives us some key perspective on how this sword might have come to being remounted as in its present state. This 'rarity' of certain pattern swords with several models occurred in the 19th century due to fire, one in the Tower of London armouries (I think it was the M1829 heavy cavalry troopers sword).