A rare late 17th century hanger

[M ELEY]

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).

[kronckew]

reminds me of german hunting swords: (1st 3, sadly, not mine )
the watermarked one is mine, somewhat more utilitarian.

[M ELEY]

Exactly, Kronckew! Hangers went in two directions in their development; the hunting sword and the cutlass. The German hirschfangers developed from this pattern. Many of the early hangers were German-made. The top pic of your post is an early to mid 18th century example, and the third one down is late 18th . The second is late 18th/early 19th piece with a trousse, while the one you possess (nice sword, BTW), is of a 19th century pattern. Is it modern-made? Although utilitarian, it is extremely effective for dispatching and preparing game.

[CutlassCollector]

Nice find Mark, looks like an interesting sword and good to get your write up adding information with the pictures. CC

[M ELEY]

Thanks, CC. I'm hoping some of the forumites might have similar early hangers to post and compare. As an enthusiast of all-things-cutlass, such as yourself, I can't get enough of the hangers and their naval connections-

[kronckew]

Originally Posted by M ELEY

... while the one you possess (nice sword, BTW), is of a 19th century pattern. Is it modern-made? Although utilitarian, it is extremely effective for dispatching and preparing game.

yes, it's late 20th c. german i included it for it's pattern rather than it's age. i can't afford to spend what an antique one would cost me, tho if i got a good deal on one i liked all bets are off. i like the trousse one...

there are also a lot of nice hauswehr out there....

[Jim McDougall]

Good catch Mark on the associations with cherubs on the hilts and thier occurrence on tombstones and the 'memento mori' theme. Interestingly one of these type hangers with cherub faces and an intriguing sigil or device on the blade appear in the June issue of "Man at Arms" magazine. It is I believe featured as well in Stuart Mowbray's new book "British Military Swords: Volume One 1600-1660", with volume two pending.

Actually, in much the same sense of the theme mentioned, the cherubs are associated with swords and Biblical passages aligned with the flaming sword guardinng the gates of Paradise in the book of Genesis. These kinds of motif also seem to have neen nuanced with some Masonic themes through the 18th century but these ideas are mostly speculative. It is interesting however that the cherub motif in the example in Man at Arms are in context with a marking very similar to various glyphs and characters used by certain fraternal groups. The 'Green Man' theme is also occurring on hangers and swords of 1650s-90s.

[M ELEY]

Thanks, Jim, for commenting. I am excited to hear about the next issue of Man-at-Arms (I have purchased back copies in the past) and appreciate the 'heads-up'. Likewise, I've been meaning to purchase Mr Mowbray's book for a while, but now, I'll make it a priority. I'm glad you gave me the name that was escaping me- 'momento mori'. Sounds suitably creepy and sophisticated at the same time! I had thought of the Green Man image, but had forgotten the most obvious biblical connection.
You also brought to light the fraternal connections with these swords. Would these also include trade guilds? I've got to get my hands on that issue!