blade mystery

urbanspaceman · 13th August 2021, 09:24 PM

I have to agree with you Jim and disagree with Stuart: you will recall that my initial question at the beginning of this thread was whether such a blade as mine was produced in Solingen in the early 1500s. Add to that, as you declare, why no maker's name, and even more to the point, why are there a variety of numbers found associated with a similar wolf/orb/sickle etc.

I fail to comprehend however what the significance of ANNO might be unless it is either a commemorative date or a production date; the former obviously appearing to me as the most likely.

When I first acquired my hanger, and discovered the significance of the year 1553, I made the mistake of associating the Earl of Northumberland with Syon House next to the Hounslow mills - which was the home of the Percys. In fact, the Earl of Northumberland in 1553 was a Dudley not a Percy. An easy mistake to make if you only have a superficial knowledge of the aristocracy back then... as did I. Had it been a Percy, then commissioning a hanger from your local swordsmith and commemorating such a significant date was highly likely. I asked the present Duke of Northumberland (a Percy) if there was any record of a sword being commissioned and was disabused of the connection.
All of this aside, I come back to my original question: could this blade have existed in England in 1553?

13th August 2021, 09:24 PM	#14
urbanspaceman Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Tyneside. North-East England Posts: 577	blade marks cont' I have to agree with you Jim and disagree with Stuart: you will recall that my initial question at the beginning of this thread was whether such a blade as mine was produced in Solingen in the early 1500s. Add to that, as you declare, why no maker's name, and even more to the point, why are there a variety of numbers found associated with a similar wolf/orb/sickle etc. I fail to comprehend however what the significance of ANNO might be unless it is either a commemorative date or a production date; the former obviously appearing to me as the most likely. When I first acquired my hanger, and discovered the significance of the year 1553, I made the mistake of associating the Earl of Northumberland with Syon House next to the Hounslow mills - which was the home of the Percys. In fact, the Earl of Northumberland in 1553 was a Dudley not a Percy. An easy mistake to make if you only have a superficial knowledge of the aristocracy back then... as did I. Had it been a Percy, then commissioning a hanger from your local swordsmith and commemorating such a significant date was highly likely. I asked the present Duke of Northumberland (a Percy) if there was any record of a sword being commissioned and was disabused of the connection. All of this aside, I come back to my original question: could this blade have existed in England in 1553?