Gills Britah manufacturing sword

[phil.reid]

Chaps,
What have I just bought, ricasso marked Gill's and GILL British Manufacturing ?? Is this an old Victorian copy as I can't see Gills writing this on there blades.

[Jim McDougall]

This is pretty phenomenal Phil!
A British dragoon sword with the relatively rare triangular knuckleguard in the semi basket hilt. Clearly all the components are old and original however what is baffling is that this blade is later than the hilt.

This is an entirely correct Thomas Gill blade typically seen on dragoon officers swords of 1788+ and the inscribed forte is exactly the format he used .
Thomas Gill was in business as sword maker 1778 until his death in 1795.
His family continued the business into early years of 19th c. as per Brian Robson (1975).

He was a fierce proponent of the superiority of the British blades over the ever ubiquitous volume of German blades that dominated supply to British cutlers.
This led to his vehement contest of blade testing with his blades and three other British bladesmiths against the German blades (typically brought in by JJ Runkel from Solingen). This became known as the 'sword scandals' in the latter 1780s and led to his adding the word WARRANTED to his inscription on the blade.
The WARRANTED term was also added on the spine of cavalry blades on his 1788 model examples.

This hilt however is generally held to be British dragoon c. 1755, into perhaps 1760s, however does not seem to have prevailed into end of 1770s .
This example might be one of Gills earliest swords though! as there is no defined date etc. ending those hilts which certainly might have remained in use in certain cases.

What is needed is an example of Gills earliest blades, and did he use this dramatic 'advertising' panel at forte in his earliest work? contrary to the typical convention of British makers with block letter name on spine of blade.

You MAY be onto to something here Phil!

[phil.reid]

Fantastic! I was hopefully but the odd fonts had me confused. I thought the back edge was to worn to read but there is some lettering ending in a D

[Jim McDougall]

I forgot to add the forte inscription. This was distinct Thomas Gill, who was quite a promoter, and so much so he pretty much infuriated his competitor James Wooley.
He was the one who began emblazoning 'WARRANTED NEVER TO FAIL' on his blades, a convention soon followed by some of the other makers after the 'sword scandals'of the 1780s.

This sword is truly an anomaly, as I mentioned, these hilts were a munitions grade type of half basket dragoon sword distinctively Birmingham, and most typically seem to have been by Samuel Harvey about 1755, into possibly 1760s. The form does not seem to have been overly prevalent as there were of course other types. Thomas Gill, who is not recorded as making swords until 1778, even if perhaps several years earlier, still seems a gap.
As always, it is hard to define how long certain hilts remained in use, and if they might have been refitted later from stores as required.

I have one of the Black Watch style basket hilts of c. 1750s and these were turned in c. 1783 when infantry mostly no longer carried swords .....mine seems to have been refitted with a M1788 light cavalry saber blade. I have seen I think 2 other examples like this which suggests it was not entirely unusual to have earlier hilts remounted with newer blades, though unclear what circumstances.

[Peter Hudson]

https://landandseacollection.com/id564.html Shows some excellent swords from this stable. The Sword shown (SOLD)is an excellent example of a Naval Officers Hanger..Gill marked his blades with a capital G as shown.

Peter Hudson.

[Peter Hudson]

Adding to my previous post ...
This type of weapon, which was preferred
by Naval Officers, is well documented in various sword collecting books such as Bill Glikerson’s, “Boarder’s
Away“ on page 120-121, who discusses a similar sword known to be Commodore Preble’s fighting sword (1797-1805).

Peter Hudson.

[Jim McDougall]

Thank you Peter!
Gill was indeed a famed maker, who pretty much changed the texture of the sword industry in England. If I recall , there was some confusion on these 'G' marks and these were on swords exported to America, much to do with 'eagle head' swords, with Gill very much at the fore.

[phil.reid]

G and GG stamps on all my Osborns, not a GILL stamp