C17th English Rapier Blades

Triarii · 18th September 2022, 12:20 PM

Hi,

I read a long thread on another forum (myarmoury.com - which seems to have an IT problem with admitting new members right now) about C17th English rapier blades.
That discussed the English rapier blade forms which seemed to exist in parallel during the first half of the C17th;

The flattened hexagon with deep fullers which often transitions to a lenticular section,
The diamond section (or square if you like) with no edges until the last section nearest the point, and
The single edged 'isosceles triangle'.

[I've also seen some with backsword blades but they weren't discussed]

The last description of isosceles triangle section blades got me thinking - I have a dish hilt with a blade like this, which I had assumed was an old replacement, but have since seen one or two others at auctions. The thread petered out at this point after a comment that they seemed to be rarer and peculiar to England, so no further information wasn't forthcoming.

Has anyone any knowledge of these blades, or owns one or has seen one around?

Thanks.

18th September 2022, 12:20 PM	#1
Triarii Member Join Date: Oct 2021 Location: Bristol Posts: 97	C17th English Rapier Blades Hi, I read a long thread on another forum (myarmoury.com - which seems to have an IT problem with admitting new members right now) about C17th English rapier blades. That discussed the English rapier blade forms which seemed to exist in parallel during the first half of the C17th; The flattened hexagon with deep fullers which often transitions to a lenticular section, The diamond section (or square if you like) with no edges until the last section nearest the point, and The single edged 'isosceles triangle'. [I've also seen some with backsword blades but they weren't discussed] The last description of isosceles triangle section blades got me thinking - I have a dish hilt with a blade like this, which I had assumed was an old replacement, but have since seen one or two others at auctions. The thread petered out at this point after a comment that they seemed to be rarer and peculiar to England, so no further information wasn't forthcoming. Has anyone any knowledge of these blades, or owns one or has seen one around? Thanks.