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Old 20th July 2025, 10:11 PM   #18
Jim McDougall
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
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Default The heart shape in Glasgow hilts

One of the fundamental pierced designs seen in shields of the Glasgow hilts has been the familiar heart shape, which according to Wallace (1970, #26), "the heart decoration was used extensively on the structured basket hilt from the late 17th c. and afterwards".

I have tried to discover what possible tradition, symbolism or convention might have prompted this shape for many years, even contacting certain well known authorities on these topics, but thoughts toward such matters are typically avoided. While the pierced shields on Glasgow hilts use various geometric designs and circles in the pierced configurations, I often wondered if perhaps this familiar design in this context might be one of the number of secret Jacobite symbols.

The Scots, well known often as mercenary soldiers fighting in other lands, fought Turks in Poland and Austria. In these places arms and armor often used pierced heart designs as seen often in Catholic themed blade motif. I thought possibly the Stuart/Catholic association might be at hand....obviously tenuously speculated, but we are dealing with highly subjective matters.

I have seen heart shapes in Victorian Scottish furniture, and Im sure it occurs in other material culture as well, but I am curious about this context.
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