Small sword; cut steel hilt, Colichemarde blade, for comments

Jim McDougall · 10th June 2021, 06:06 PM

This response by Keith is virtually 'the tip of the iceberg' regarding the true history of these swords and types he has uncovered in the several years he has been researching for his book on the history of the Shotley Bridge enterprises.

I am fortunate to have 'been along' in this, and quite honestly have learned more on these fields of sword history than I could have imagined beyond what I had studied over many years. As if the wars, campaigns and strife between countries and Great Britain as well as within the countries themselves were not complicated enough, the mysteries and intrigues of Shotley Bridge are a solid mix of history and James Bond! and the mysterious 'Hollow Sword Blades' have never been as deeply approached as by Keith, as can be seen in this brief view he has entered here.

His research has set aside many generations of misconception, lore and generally held assumptions regarding these swords, and I could not resist saying so here. Having said that, I will say that these great examples posted here the past week of small swords, along with what Keith has shared, has greatly piqued my interest in them, and anxious to learn more.

I hope we will be seeing more examples!

fernando · 11th June 2021, 01:23 PM

Thank you so much Gentlemen, for your comprehensive comments and the treatises on these swords.
I will be digesting and saving to my archives, all those precious details.
And once Keith notes that there aren't many of these swords out there, i will here upload a high end example, that comes in AS ARMAS E OS BARÕES, by Eduardo Nobre. The silver hilt has gilded decorations, and zoomorphic figures.

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urbanspaceman · 11th June 2021, 01:35 PM

This is a magnificent sword Fernando: truly superb. Is it part of your collection?
It is not possible to see in detail, is the blade a hollow trefoil blade?
It looks like a style of colichemarde blade (accurate name unknown to me) that I have wanted to acquire for some time and features in the Diderot page of blade shapes number 5g. Is it called a flattened diamond shape?
There are even less swords of this style than the regular colichemarde.

fernando · 11th June 2021, 04:28 PM

No Keith, this is not mine, although i have in time acquired a few pieces from this collection; in fact this is a book/catalogue that the author (Eduardo Nobre) published to promote its sales.
There is no detailed description on the blade, except that it is a Colichemarde . ... and the Konigsmark story.
The images i posted are as good as those in the book. To my eyes there is no actual hollow ground profile; however the three parts of the forte look slightly concave. On the other hand, as both images show the same side of it, i can't even say if the other side is flat... yet it could (should) be.
Blade length 780 mm. thickness 30 mm. Total length 940 mm.
Sorry i can't be more precise

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On the sword, the guard, the grip, the knuckle guard and the pommel are all pierced and chiselled. There is an animal head in the knuckle guard where it meets the pommel, with eyes and plumage.

fernando · 14th June 2021, 08:35 PM

Guys, adding a picture of the no longer broken point and the comparison of all three face ricassos, where we can (hopefully) see that one is not an arabesc but the blade smith signature.

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fernando · 24th August 2021, 11:12 AM

Some (silver) arrangement ... for the missing chain

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Jim McDougall · 25th August 2021, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fernando

Some (silver) arrangement ... for the missing chain

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This looks like an English chiseled steel type c. 1790-1800 with 'Adams' pommel, most fashionable.

11th June 2021, 01:23 PM	#2
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	Thank you so much Gentlemen, for your comprehensive comments and the treatises on these swords. I will be digesting and saving to my archives, all those precious details. And once Keith notes that there aren't many of these swords out there, i will here upload a high end example, that comes in AS ARMAS E OS BARÕES, by Eduardo Nobre. The silver hilt has gilded decorations, and zoomorphic figures. . Attached Images

11th June 2021, 01:35 PM	#3
urbanspaceman Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Tyneside. North-East England Posts: 577	Eduardo Nobre Colichemarde This is a magnificent sword Fernando: truly superb. Is it part of your collection? It is not possible to see in detail, is the blade a hollow trefoil blade? It looks like a style of colichemarde blade (accurate name unknown to me) that I have wanted to acquire for some time and features in the Diderot page of blade shapes number 5g. Is it called a flattened diamond shape? There are even less swords of this style than the regular colichemarde. Last edited by urbanspaceman; 11th June 2021 at 01:38 PM. Reason: extra sentence added.

14th June 2021, 08:35 PM	#5
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	Guys, adding a picture of the no longer broken point and the comparison of all three face ricassos, where we can (hopefully) see that one is not an arabesc but the blade smith signature. . Attached Images

24th August 2021, 11:12 AM	#6
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	Some (silver) arrangement ... for the missing chain . Attached Images

10th June 2021, 06:06 PM	#1
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,194	This response by Keith is virtually 'the tip of the iceberg' regarding the true history of these swords and types he has uncovered in the several years he has been researching for his book on the history of the Shotley Bridge enterprises. I am fortunate to have 'been along' in this, and quite honestly have learned more on these fields of sword history than I could have imagined beyond what I had studied over many years. As if the wars, campaigns and strife between countries and Great Britain as well as within the countries themselves were not complicated enough, the mysteries and intrigues of Shotley Bridge are a solid mix of history and James Bond! and the mysterious 'Hollow Sword Blades' have never been as deeply approached as by Keith, as can be seen in this brief view he has entered here. His research has set aside many generations of misconception, lore and generally held assumptions regarding these swords, and I could not resist saying so here. Having said that, I will say that these great examples posted here the past week of small swords, along with what Keith has shared, has greatly piqued my interest in them, and anxious to learn more. I hope we will be seeing more examples!

11th June 2021, 04:28 PM	#4
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	No Keith, this is not mine, although i have in time acquired a few pieces from this collection; in fact this is a book/catalogue that the author (Eduardo Nobre) published to promote its sales. There is no detailed description on the blade, except that it is a Colichemarde . ... and the Konigsmark story. The images i posted are as good as those in the book. To my eyes there is no actual hollow ground profile; however the three parts of the forte look slightly concave. On the other hand, as both images show the same side of it, i can't even say if the other side is flat... yet it could (should) be. Blade length 780 mm. thickness 30 mm. Total length 940 mm. Sorry i can't be more precise . On the sword, the guard, the grip, the knuckle guard and the pommel are all pierced and chiselled. There is an animal head in the knuckle guard where it meets the pommel, with eyes and plumage.