Hi Drack,
That is a neat 1803 you have there, does it have a maker's name or cutler on it?
To answer your first question, the tip of your sword wouldn't have been officially shortened. These were never government property and private purchases by the officers so if it had been shortened, then it would have been done by a past owner.
As for the regulation length, you mentioned from 1796, the wording of which was:
"The sword to have a brass guard, pommel and shell, gilt with gold; with grip or handle, of silver twisted wire. The blade to be straight and made to cut and thrust; to be one inch at least broad at the shoulder and 32 inches in length, conformably to former orders given out in April 1786"
This regulation is actually for a different pattern sword from your's namely the 1796 Pattern Infantry officers sword.
(not to be confused with the
- 1796 Light Cavalry trooper's sabre
- 1796 Light Cavalry Officer's sabre
- 1796 Heavy Cavalry Trooper's sword
- 1796 Heavy Cavalary officer's undress sword
- 1796 Heavy Cavalry officer's dismounted service sword
1796 was a busy year for British sword patterns)
The 1803 Pattern for Officers of the Grenadiers and Light Companies was introduced in early 1803 following the tacit acceptance of the General Staff that officers of the Grenadiers and Light Companies were doing their own thing anyway and have been carrying sabres since as early as 1792.
This was officially given recognition in August 1799 with an order that authorised officers of the flank companies (Grenadiers and Light Companies) to wear sabres. However, no pattern was specified.
In 1803 an official pattern of sword was approved for officers of the Grenadiers and Light Infantry. Together with the Pattern sword for Regimental Officers of the infantry and that for General Officers and officers of the General Staff of the Army.
The flank companies considered themselves the elites of the infantry and developed their own fashions in uniforms and swords. Some even ignored the 1803 pattern in favour of their own regimental pattern. A lot was permitted at the time if your superior officer allowed it.
In practice, there is a lot of variation in blade length and curvature in this pattern, with some being as short as 27 inches and others as long as 32, with most being around 30 inches. The curvature of the blade varied widely as well with extreme examples of 9 - 10 inch curved blades existing.
Complicating matters further were the militia and volunteer forces that formed back in Britain in anticipation of a French invasion. These were a kind of National Guard / Territorial army that could only be deployed on British soil. At the height of the Napoleonic wars, this force was about as large as the actual army. Again we see a discrepancy in what was supposed to happen and what actually happened. A lot of these volunteer groups were formed by wealthy gentlemen as a display of their gallantry and patriotism which of course necessitated that they looked splendid when out on the mandated 26 days of annual military exercises. As a consequence, they too often adopted swords that followed fashion more than military patterns (keep in mind that this all came out of their own pockets).