A rare late 17th century hanger

M ELEY · 12th May 2013, 03:11 AM

Pics to follow soon, I promise!

Here's an interesting piece I was happy to pick up a while back. It is one of the first of the hangers that pre-dated the later naval cutlasses. Obviously, there were falcions dating earlier, but most sources consider this type and others of similar construction and date to be the first true hanger-types. They were popular with huntsmen, infantry troops and sailors, who found that the other swords of the period didn't work well on the tight confines of a deck.

Based on the flat butt cap and non-curving extended shell guard, this example dates to around 1670-90. Many were of iron construction, but cast brass was starting to take hold, especially in England, where the guilds were unsuccessful in blocking its production. The blade is longer than many encountered (27"), with a slight flaring towards the point, with a fuller that stretches from the guard to three quarters of the length towards the tip. The grip is stag that appears to have been painted blue ages ago (flecks of paint remain).

The decoration to the sword is what fascinates me most. These type swords can be very plain or highly embellished. Mine is somewhere in between, with a cherub face/wings on the flat extended shell, another on the pommel and a third at the mid-point of the knuckle bow. It seems that these cherub designs were very popular on hangers of this type from the 1650-1710-ish period, around the same time or slightly after the 'mortuary swords' were in favor. I'm not sure if the angel faces are to inspire happiness or a reminder of where we will all return. I truly suspect there might be a connection with the faces on mortuary hilts, the cherub markings and angel wings on tombstones from this time period (the same grave markings used on pirate flags of the period, BTW, such as hour glasses, skull/crossbones, death faces, etc, and cherubs on swords). Note how the quillon is attached to the guard, as is the knuckle bow, in an open fashion. One sees the evolution away from the flat pommel cap, extended non-curving guard and knuckle bows that flared in the mid-section after 1700-20's. With its loner length and brass fixtures, I feel this could be a contender for an early naval piece.

For similar examples, see-

'Arms and Armor in Colonial America', Peterson, pg 81.

'Swords and Blades of the American Revolution', Neumann, plates 2S, 6S, 85S, 86S.

"The World Encyclopedia of Swords and Sabers', Withers, pg 139 (English hanger, c.1680), pg 139 (English/German hanger, c.1690)

'The Price Guide to Antique Edged Weapons', Southwick, plates 432,433,435.

'The Sword in Britain- An Illustrated History' (Volume 1:1600-1700), Withers,
pg 107, pg 108, pg 111, pg 172, pg 173.

'Boarders Away', Gilkerson, pg 109 (example 4)

'Naval Swords'. P.G.W. Annis, pg 24(#5).

12th May 2013, 03:11 AM	#1
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,093	A rare late 17th century hanger Pics to follow soon, I promise! Here's an interesting piece I was happy to pick up a while back. It is one of the first of the hangers that pre-dated the later naval cutlasses. Obviously, there were falcions dating earlier, but most sources consider this type and others of similar construction and date to be the first true hanger-types. They were popular with huntsmen, infantry troops and sailors, who found that the other swords of the period didn't work well on the tight confines of a deck. Based on the flat butt cap and non-curving extended shell guard, this example dates to around 1670-90. Many were of iron construction, but cast brass was starting to take hold, especially in England, where the guilds were unsuccessful in blocking its production. The blade is longer than many encountered (27"), with a slight flaring towards the point, with a fuller that stretches from the guard to three quarters of the length towards the tip. The grip is stag that appears to have been painted blue ages ago (flecks of paint remain). The decoration to the sword is what fascinates me most. These type swords can be very plain or highly embellished. Mine is somewhere in between, with a cherub face/wings on the flat extended shell, another on the pommel and a third at the mid-point of the knuckle bow. It seems that these cherub designs were very popular on hangers of this type from the 1650-1710-ish period, around the same time or slightly after the 'mortuary swords' were in favor. I'm not sure if the angel faces are to inspire happiness or a reminder of where we will all return. I truly suspect there might be a connection with the faces on mortuary hilts, the cherub markings and angel wings on tombstones from this time period (the same grave markings used on pirate flags of the period, BTW, such as hour glasses, skull/crossbones, death faces, etc, and cherubs on swords). Note how the quillon is attached to the guard, as is the knuckle bow, in an open fashion. One sees the evolution away from the flat pommel cap, extended non-curving guard and knuckle bows that flared in the mid-section after 1700-20's. With its loner length and brass fixtures, I feel this could be a contender for an early naval piece. For similar examples, see- 'Arms and Armor in Colonial America', Peterson, pg 81. 'Swords and Blades of the American Revolution', Neumann, plates 2S, 6S, 85S, 86S. "The World Encyclopedia of Swords and Sabers', Withers, pg 139 (English hanger, c.1680), pg 139 (English/German hanger, c.1690) 'The Price Guide to Antique Edged Weapons', Southwick, plates 432,433,435. 'The Sword in Britain- An Illustrated History' (Volume 1:1600-1700), Withers, pg 107, pg 108, pg 111, pg 172, pg 173. 'Boarders Away', Gilkerson, pg 109 (example 4) 'Naval Swords'. P.G.W. Annis, pg 24(#5). Attached Images Last edited by M ELEY; 12th May 2013 at 04:46 PM.