cutlass ID ?

thinreadline · 12th March 2011, 03:58 PM

Hi
I have a cutlass which is marked ENFIELD & crown over CR ... any ideas on this piece gratefully received.

M ELEY · 13th March 2011, 07:07 AM

Hello,
Do you happen to have a picture of the whole blade? Does it recurve back on itself, like a yataghan? The reason I ask is the Enfield marking makes me suspect this is a bayonet blade for the enfield rifle. Hard to tell from the pic if the grip is iron or brass? If the hilt is the iron-ribbed type we have discussed in past threads, it remains unresolved concerning naval use. There apparently were naval cutlass types with brass ribbed hilts similar to your pattern, but this hilt type also was found on British Mountaineer trooper's swords, Brit Life-Guard swords, etc. If the blade is not recurved, than I would assume this is a Brit Mountain Artillery sword ca.1890.

It is also entirely possible you might have a naval type private-purchase type sword, the CR appears to me to really be GR under crown which stands for George Rex (III or more likely IV), a popular marking on c.1800-30 swords. Although this marking used on gov't property (H.M.S. navy), the mark was also widely used in the merchant/privateer lines as well. The Enfield marking, however, bothers me as I don't think it was around pre-1850 and long after the GR reign.

thinreadline · 14th March 2011, 07:57 PM

Hi
Thanks for that ... it is an iron hilt , definitely not the Mountain Artillery sword.. not a yataghan just a typical sabre type curve. I really now think it is GR on the blade not CR ... so presume that is a Georgian mark .. though the Enfield stamp is more Victorian as on my Brunswick bayonet .

M ELEY · 15th March 2011, 05:31 PM

An interesting sword indeed with some mystery still remaining. As I said, these types have been attributed to naval use via private purchase. They copied their issued naval cousins in general design. If you have Gilkerson's 'Boarders Away", you will see a similar type listed under private purchase swords. Likewise, another in 'Naval Swords", P.G.W. Annis, pg 61 marked (WIDC No11 for West India Dock Company) and another in "Navies of the American Revolution", David Lyon, pg 76.
The interesting thing about yours is that the iron grip appears to have been primed. This was a common enough practice to retard rusting from salt air. Typical priming (not japanning) was done with black paint or tar, but brown and barn red primer were also popular, as seen on some boarding axes of the period.
It is quite possible that this sword dates to the War of 1812 era or slightly there-after, thus the first gov't marking and was reissued during the reign of Victoria to a merchant ship to discourage piracy (this was the era of the Malay piracies, Sepoy Mutiny and end of the Barbary Corsair era. I have since come across other private purchase types of boarding cutlass of the ca.1800 pattern, but marked VR. One in my collection is definately of the m1803 Brit boarding cutlass pattern with a weak VR stamp. It makes sense that these types could have been re-used, just as early boarding axes were sometimes found on ships late into the 19th century. This might explain the Enfield marking if that esteemed maker re-issued this sword. A very nice find, BTW.

12th March 2011, 03:58 PM	#1
thinreadline Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Wirral Posts: 1,204	cutlass ID ? Hi I have a cutlass which is marked ENFIELD & crown over CR ... any ideas on this piece gratefully received. Attached Images Last edited by thinreadline; 12th March 2011 at 04:10 PM. Reason: add pics

13th March 2011, 07:07 AM	#2
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,097	Hello, Do you happen to have a picture of the whole blade? Does it recurve back on itself, like a yataghan? The reason I ask is the Enfield marking makes me suspect this is a bayonet blade for the enfield rifle. Hard to tell from the pic if the grip is iron or brass? If the hilt is the iron-ribbed type we have discussed in past threads, it remains unresolved concerning naval use. There apparently were naval cutlass types with brass ribbed hilts similar to your pattern, but this hilt type also was found on British Mountaineer trooper's swords, Brit Life-Guard swords, etc. If the blade is not recurved, than I would assume this is a Brit Mountain Artillery sword ca.1890. It is also entirely possible you might have a naval type private-purchase type sword, the CR appears to me to really be GR under crown which stands for George Rex (III or more likely IV), a popular marking on c.1800-30 swords. Although this marking used on gov't property (H.M.S. navy), the mark was also widely used in the merchant/privateer lines as well. The Enfield marking, however, bothers me as I don't think it was around pre-1850 and long after the GR reign. Last edited by M ELEY; 13th March 2011 at 07:27 AM.

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14th March 2011, 07:57 PM	#3
thinreadline Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Wirral Posts: 1,204	Hi Thanks for that ... it is an iron hilt , definitely not the Mountain Artillery sword.. not a yataghan just a typical sabre type curve. I really now think it is GR on the blade not CR ... so presume that is a Georgian mark .. though the Enfield stamp is more Victorian as on my Brunswick bayonet .

15th March 2011, 05:31 PM	#4
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,097	An interesting sword indeed with some mystery still remaining. As I said, these types have been attributed to naval use via private purchase. They copied their issued naval cousins in general design. If you have Gilkerson's 'Boarders Away", you will see a similar type listed under private purchase swords. Likewise, another in 'Naval Swords", P.G.W. Annis, pg 61 marked (WIDC No11 for West India Dock Company) and another in "Navies of the American Revolution", David Lyon, pg 76. The interesting thing about yours is that the iron grip appears to have been primed. This was a common enough practice to retard rusting from salt air. Typical priming (not japanning) was done with black paint or tar, but brown and barn red primer were also popular, as seen on some boarding axes of the period. It is quite possible that this sword dates to the War of 1812 era or slightly there-after, thus the first gov't marking and was reissued during the reign of Victoria to a merchant ship to discourage piracy (this was the era of the Malay piracies, Sepoy Mutiny and end of the Barbary Corsair era. I have since come across other private purchase types of boarding cutlass of the ca.1800 pattern, but marked VR. One in my collection is definately of the m1803 Brit boarding cutlass pattern with a weak VR stamp. It makes sense that these types could have been re-used, just as early boarding axes were sometimes found on ships late into the 19th century. This might explain the Enfield marking if that esteemed maker re-issued this sword. A very nice find, BTW.