Pinch of Snuff Basket-hilt

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Norman McCormick

Hi,
Here is one in a similar vein which was sold last year. It has an interesting plaque on the blade which I would suggest was accurately described thus-:

"Note: The applied 19th century gold plaque reads ‘The claymore was once the property of the Unfortunate Prince Charles and worn by him at the Battle of Culloden, after his defeat it fell into the hands of CAPt DRUMMOND of his suite who gave it to the late ROBt GRAHAM of Gartmore Esq’.
Although the information on the plaque surely cannot be correct, this sword is neither a claymore nor a pattern known at the time of the ‘45 it shows the great historical value placed on relics of this period by the early 19th century."

Regards,
Norman.

I fpund this reference in "Arms and Armour: The Northern Branch Arms and Armour Society", Manchester, 1968, plate 6.

In the text it mentions Sir Walter Scott, Rob Roy, and the associated allusions thereby,and that it is 'reputed' that two swords in Culloden House at the turn of the century (similar hilts) were 'assumed' to have been picked up off the field after the 45.
There is no mention of the 'pinch of snuff' phrase of course, and it is worthy of note that only 193 swords were found there after the battle. Prince Charlie was of course not a combatant, and was heavily guarded as he made his escape.
Of the 193 swords picked up, the rancor toward them is best described by the fact that a large number of these were dismantled and placed in the abhorrent 'twickenham fence' where they were disgraced being welded into this horrible work.

It is interesting here to see the probable root of this hubris laden description on the example shown from auction. While the attached plate is like most of these cases, entirely apocryphal, the 'romantic' in many of us wish it to be true. Who knows, maybe the hilt form existed before Delacour depicted it c. 1760.