Basket-hilted (cage-hilt) sword for discussion

[jezcott]

A Basket-Hilted sword with a 'Cage-hilt'.

Probably English dragoon c.1740.

Hilt:
Hilt of iron cage work formed of a vertical and horizontal arrangement of entwined narrow bars joined at the top to an integral ring under a globular pommel, fore-guards, no wrist-guard, replacement ribbed wooden grip, and buff-leather liner faced in red silk.

An unusual hilt, the closest example I can find is in the National Army Museum (6408-77-8) and depicted in Leslie Southwick Price Guide to Antique Edged Weapons 1982 (389 p143). Southwick dates this hilt as circa 1740.

Blade:
Slender profile tapering blade (84cm) with three narrow fullers along most of its length on both sides to the double-edged point, the forte on both sides indistinctly incised 'ANDREA FARARA' and 'SOLIDEO GLORIO' between small marks. At first sight this looks a broadsword blade but is in fact a backsword but with a very narrow spine.

The blade is very similar in style to several depicted in 'Culloden: The Sword and the Sorrows' 1996, (eg 1:13 p30) and described as German, 17th century type.

Comments welcome, particularly from those with much greater experience with basket-hilted swords than I have.

Jerry

[Jim McDougall]

Thank you for posting this beautiful example Jerry!!! and especially for sharing the professionally presented data from your own research....much appreciated as it establishes a benchmark for continued discussion.

As noted, this type of basket hilt was used by English dragoons from about mid 18th c into the third quarter. It must be remembered of course that these hilts with crossed bar 'cages' were produced in garrison towns in Scotland and likely by various 'slippers' (those mounting blades and fashioning hilts).

As these were independently ordered by the commanding officers of various regiments, it would be expected that while the general style or pattern was followed, there were obvious variations.

In British cavalry of the 18th century, the basket hilt became favored but the backsword (single edged) blade took precedence over the double edged, and by 1740s the double edged broadsword blade was all but phased out.
While I cannot explain pragmatically the reason for this, it seems clear the blade on this example has been altered accordingly.

The blade with flutes at the forte seems aligned with the German broadsword types furnished to Scottish armorers in the 17th century. I am compelled to think this is likely a heirloom blade from an early Scottish basket hilt, likely of the ribbon (beak nose) type now believed as early as 1640s.

As shown in attached illustrations, dragoon basket hilts of this caged form appear to have been associated with 2nd troop Horse Guards (c.1750) and with Gen.Sir Charles Howard (1748-1765) in uniform of 3rd Horse Guards c. 1760.
As always, while these references suggest the period by dates of the art, it must be presumed these type hilts were in use for indefinite time before the art.

First three images: from "Scottish Swords and Dirks", John Wallace, Stackpole, Harrisburg Pa. 1970
Note #20, the ribbon hilt showing the early German blade type...Wallace Coll. (Mann, 1962) shows various makers using this phrase in variation with other marks etc. from Wirsberger c.1620 ; Hoppe 1630s to as late as 1660 in examples A508,604, 640, 645, 653, 701.

The last image from "The British Basket Hilt Cavalry Sword", A.D. Darling, "Canadian Journal of Arms Collecting" Vo. 7, #3, 1974

[jezcott]

Hi Jim
Many thanks for your kind remarks and interesting observations.

That this hilt would have been made by a local 'slipper' fits nicely of my impression of the hilt. It is clearly produced by hammering iron and has a 'hand finished' perhaps cruder look rather than a more 'manufactured' appearance. Personally I love this hand-made artisan appearance.

The blade looks to have started life as a two-edge broadsword blade. If you look carefully you can see a small asymmetry in the short fullers at the ricasso, I thnk caused by the grinding off of a mm or so to create the thin spine. This looks to have been done professionally to turn it into a backsword. Maybe in that transitional period when backswords blades were becoming favoured. The blade is of lovely quality. Not hard to see why so many were imported from Germany and why blades were reused in later hilts.

Thanks also for sharing the various relevant images.

Jerry

[Battara]

I thought with the bulbous rounded top it would be English.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Battara

I thought with the bulbous rounded top it would be English.

well observed Jose! It is absolutely English.

[Triarii]

Random thought, having seen it elsewhere and having a blade where grinding out nicks has changed the blade profile in a similar fashion eg rapid change in blade depth;
Could the broadsword cutting edge have been badly nicked? The nicked edge is then ground away, creating the spine and turning the blade into a backsword. The blade is then flipped over to put the spine on the reverse and appears as seen now?

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Triarii

Random thought, having seen it elsewhere and having a blade where grinding out nicks has changed the blade profile in a similar fashion eg rapid change in blade depth;
Could the broadsword cutting edge have been badly nicked? The nicked edge is then ground away, creating the spine and turning the blade into a backsword. The blade is then flipped over to put the spine on the reverse and appears as seen now?

That is a most astute and reasonable theory that I had honestly not thought of, nicely observed. While it would seem that sharpening the edge would relieve the nicked areas, and if repeated there would be notable stock removal which might grind the edge to a spine if done in blunt manner. I would defer to those better versed in structural and metallurgical character of blades, but that is my view in accord with yours.

While the favor had gone to backsword blades in the British cavalry by the 1740s, it was by no means exclusively followed, and no new innovation as these had been in use early as the 'mortuary' cavalry swords in the early 17th century.

The Scots have always had great respect for their weapons and by that virtue the blades. As blades became older, and as with the great swords, two hand claymores which were brought down in length to be mounted in the basket hilt swords, as they were damaged taken down even further to be mounted in the Highland dirk.

Many Highland officers in British regiments were known to keep heirloom traditional blades mounted in the hilts currently in use. Hard to say exactly why this blade has been so altered, but is a legitimate old German blade that has likely seen its share of hard use.

[urbanspaceman]

I recently learned that the transition from broadsword to backsword came about to create greater weight in the blade. Seems plausible.

[jezcott]

Originally Posted by Triarii

Random thought, having seen it elsewhere and having a blade where grinding out nicks has changed the blade profile in a similar fashion eg rapid change in blade depth;
Could the broadsword cutting edge have been badly nicked? The nicked edge is then ground away, creating the spine and turning the blade into a backsword. The blade is then flipped over to put the spine on the reverse and appears as seen now?

It’s possible, but overall the blade is in great condition for its age, although that doesn’t exclude possibility of edge nicks. Certainly the work has been done to high professional standards - the revised spine is perfectly even along the length of the blade and perfectly smooth, and lightly chamfer edged.

[jezcott]

Further observation on the conversion of a two-edged blade to a backsword blade. I found this entry in Neumann suggesting that this was common practice in this era.

Ref. Neumann GC Swords and Blades of the American Revolution 1973 p141 238.S.

[Peter Hudson]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Thank you for posting this beautiful example Jerry!!! and especially for sharing the professionally presented data from your own research....much appreciated as it establishes a benchmark for continued discussion.

As noted, this type of basket hilt was used by English dragoons from about mid 18th c into the third quarter. It must be remembered of course that these hilts with crossed bar 'cages' were produced in garrison towns in Scotland and likely by various 'slippers' (those mounting blades and fashioning hilts).

As these were independently ordered by the commanding officers of various regiments, it would be expected that while the general style or pattern was followed, there were obvious variations.

In British cavalry of the 18th century, the basket hilt became favored but the backsword (single edged) blade took precedence over the double edged, and by 1740s the double edged broadsword blade was all but phased out.
While I cannot explain pragmatically the reason for this, it seems clear the blade on this example has been altered accordingly.

The blade with flutes at the forte seems aligned with the German broadsword types furnished to Scottish armorers in the 17th century. I am compelled to think this is likely a heirloom blade from an early Scottish basket hilt, likely of the ribbon (beak nose) type now believed as early as 1640s.

As shown in attached illustrations, dragoon basket hilts of this caged form appear to have been associated with 2nd troop Horse Guards (c.1750) and with Gen.Sir Charles Howard (1748-1765) in uniform of 3rd Horse Guards c. 1760.
As always, while these references suggest the period by dates of the art, it must be presumed these type hilts were in use for indefinite time before the art.

First three images: from "Scottish Swords and Dirks", John Wallace, Stackpole, Harrisburg Pa. 1970
Note #20, the ribbon hilt showing the early German blade type...Wallace Coll. (Mann, 1962) shows various makers using this phrase in variation with other marks etc. from Wirsberger c.1620 ; Hoppe 1630s to as late as 1660 in examples A508,604, 640, 645, 653, 701.

The last image from "The British Basket Hilt Cavalry Sword", A.D. Darling, "Canadian Journal of Arms Collecting" Vo. 7, #3, 1974

Hello Jim, Greetings from Northumberland!! ...I refer to your post in particular fig 10a depicting the Bushy Tail Fox in this case without its internal SH usually seen when associated on a Samuel Harvey Birmingham blade and which may be a Shotley Bridge derived stamp. There is something of an impasse considering this mark since it is not clear if Samuel Harvey took over this mark but applied the SH to his version of it whilst the fox may have been previously used at Shotley Bridge ...
Regards, Peter Hudson.

[Jim McDougall]

Hi Peter!
WELL and astutely observed, as always!!!
As Keith has determined from the remarkable and well supported research he has done for his book on the Shotley Bridge mysteries of the late 17th century, these 'bushy tail fox' figures seem likely to have begun there.

While it has been generally held that these figures were used by Samuel Harvey of Birmingham c. 1750 (A.D.Darling, 1975) but with his initials SH in the body of the fox to signify the blade as his product, we believe that the mark was appropriated by Harvey, but as noted more proof is of course required. Still this speculation is compelling with the examples of Shotley Bridge blades (so marked) along with the running fox mark, found by Keith.

It seems that the Shotley Bridge enterprise did not end c.1700 as thought, but continued with the Oley family making blades well through the century and rather silently furnishing blades to Birmingham. It was believed that the BTF (bushy tail fox) mark without the SH may have been used by Dawes, also of Birmingham, however this seems now to have been likely to have been a remnant of the Shotley blade enterprise noted.

While the use of the 'fox' seems to have ceased in Shotley around this time mid 18th c. it has been found in records of the so called 'sword scandals' of the 1790s in Birmingham perpetuated by Thomas Gill, that Oley was still a blade provider, despite not being typically noted among British blade makers of these times. These types of clandestine affairs included throughout Keiths book ("Crossed Swords: The Story of the Shotley Bridge Swordmakers")are what make it such a remarkable reference for those who study English sword making.

All best regards
Jim

[urbanspaceman]

Thank-you gents, I appreciate the introduction.
I am going to start a new thread with details of my research regarding the use of the Bushy Tailed Fox, rather than hi-jack this thread.
Please look for "The Bushy Tailed Fox" story.