The British Broad Arrow Mark

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by CutlassCollector

Fernando K and Will - yes according to Wiki it does seem to be a stylised representation of a metal arrow head. The symbol pointing down is used in English heraldry. And I guess the link may well be the royal sport of deer hunting.


Does anyone have any swords marked with the arrow?

Regards,
David.

There are some tenuous suggestions of the 'arrow' relating to heraldry etc. but such are matters with arms lore.
I have continued looking into the artillery factions of ordnance, and have found numerous examples with the BO and arrow on various types of cannon of 17th c. Apparently the Board of ordnance did an inventory in 1698 in which control numbers were placed on the guns. There were BO arrow marks on many and just how old many were at this time is unclear.

As noted, while firearms for government use were controlled by the Board of ordnance, swords for rank and file were privately purchased by the colonels of the regiments and not marked as government property (thus no BO arrow). Proof and view marks were present however and often, if not typically, the swords were regimentally marked.

I know that many years ago in my collecting I also wondered about the BOarrow as far as on swords, but seems they were not so marked. I also wondered about the EIC balemark on swords, but found they were not either.

The exception for EIC was for officers, who often had hilts and blade inscriptions on their privately commissioned swords.