Seeking Help with Excavated 1728 Pattern Bilbo Sword

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by fernando

Definitely this is a small world, Jim.
Ah ... the 'Spanish' cuphilt, Jim. Never miss the whole route. Look where you can find a unique example in the hands of an angel, on the top of a Portuguese church not far from my hometown.


.

Very true Fernando, and please pardon my inadvertent forgetting to specify the importance of Portugal in the legendary use of the cuphilt. Over many years here you have included valuable insights into many examples of these.

To return to our mystery sword...and how a 'Spanish' type arming sword would end up in Martinique, an entirely French place.

With the French. there were no Royal manufactories, but contractors in various cities, most notably St.Etienne.

from "The French Military Sword in the 18th c." (C.Aries, M. Petard, 'Gazette des Armes' #57, Feb.1978):
"...swords are always of foreign origin"
"..in 1730, the King is obliged to have recourse to foreign weapon factories"

He created Klingenthal, in Alsace, for producing swords for the army, however issues with quality etc. led to preference of swords from Germany.
Hilt were typically of local mfg.

clearly these conditions preceded into the 17th c. and acquiring swords already hilted from Spain in the factories producing in Basgue areas in the north producing the familiar 'bilbo' swords must not have been unusual.
The 'Bourbon' motif added accordingly would seem an expected affectation for this blade.
Though the main impetus describing these Caribbean regions always refers to 'the Spanish Main', these areas, trade, slaving, piracy included not only Spain, but England, France and Holland as well.