1780 heavy Cavalry Officer Sword

Jim McDougall · 20th October 2023, 05:05 PM

I.P. actually I did mean to lead things 'down the garden path' (so to speak) but brought up the term to refer to the key words often used in searching resources, which is often futile with terms which are not broadly used or in different context. The 'honeysuckle' term is one used more often in collectors jargon or vernacular and it seems more to the 19th century heavy cavalry patterns, as Robson points out. Another example is the 'gothic' hilts in the 1822 pattern hilts, which of course is a bit disconcerting unless one is familiar with architectural peculiarities.

All minutiae is is important in trying to identify hilt patterns and decoration as these are clues that might lead to proper identification, thank you for this interesting information!

Bryce, trying to think of where I also have seen this pattern hilt.......perhaps Southwick? Neumann? You are far more the authority on these patterns, and Dellar and Robson tacitly avoid the 18th century and earlier in British pattern swords. This is understandable with the inconsistency and broad variations in the swords used in those times, as we can see with the 1788 dilemma.

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20th October 2023, 05:05 PM	#6
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,191	I.P. actually I did mean to lead things 'down the garden path' (so to speak) but brought up the term to refer to the key words often used in searching resources, which is often futile with terms which are not broadly used or in different context. The 'honeysuckle' term is one used more often in collectors jargon or vernacular and it seems more to the 19th century heavy cavalry patterns, as Robson points out. Another example is the 'gothic' hilts in the 1822 pattern hilts, which of course is a bit disconcerting unless one is familiar with architectural peculiarities. All minutiae is is important in trying to identify hilt patterns and decoration as these are clues that might lead to proper identification, thank you for this interesting information! Bryce, trying to think of where I also have seen this pattern hilt.......perhaps Southwick? Neumann? You are far more the authority on these patterns, and Dellar and Robson tacitly avoid the 18th century and earlier in British pattern swords. This is understandable with the inconsistency and broad variations in the swords used in those times, as we can see with the 1788 dilemma.