Early 19c transitional sabre?

kronckew · 23rd November 2017, 02:54 PM

picked this one up today.

31 in. curved field sharp wide fullered blade 1 3/4 in. wide at guard, around 1/4 in. thick there. 1 3/8 in. wide at tip end of fuller. first few inches of spine are sharp. no visible markings blade has some tarnished patination, no active red rust areas, bit of light pitting at the join with the guard, might be a broad arrow stamp in there. might be wishful thinking.

spiral grooved wood grip in steel three bar guard no twisted wire. forte end of outer bar has a brazed repair where it rejoins the rest of the guard. guard is quite roughlypitted, no holes or weak areas. tang peened. all tight.

weight is 650 grams.

Blade is essentially the 1796 LC pattern, it fits my 1796LC sabre scabbard, except for the last 4 in. which swells a tad wider on this one, overall blade is about 4 in. shorter than the 1796LC. was described as a cutlass, but doesn't look like any in my british naval sword book.

any info that y'all have will be helpful and appreciated.

Jim McDougall · 23rd November 2017, 06:06 PM

Wayne, this looks like one of the sabres produced in England for the armies of Indian states during the Raj, as well as for the Native regiments of the British Army . 1850s to 1918.
With these the hilts of the M1821 were made with the M1796 blades (favored by Indian warriors) and produced by Mole, Wilkinson and others. Most of them I have seen are c. 1880s, and used well into 20th c.
They were known in Wilkinson records as Paget pattern.

kronckew · 23rd November 2017, 07:58 PM

Thanks, Jim. You are correct, with that info i found this entry from the Imperial War Museum:

Indian Army Pattern Cavalry Trooper's Sword.
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30001638

...and more info on the forum here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=20288

IWM Photo:

23rd November 2017, 02:54 PM	#1
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,183	Early 19c transitional sabre? picked this one up today. 31 in. curved field sharp wide fullered blade 1 3/4 in. wide at guard, around 1/4 in. thick there. 1 3/8 in. wide at tip end of fuller. first few inches of spine are sharp. no visible markings blade has some tarnished patination, no active red rust areas, bit of light pitting at the join with the guard, might be a broad arrow stamp in there. might be wishful thinking. spiral grooved wood grip in steel three bar guard no twisted wire. forte end of outer bar has a brazed repair where it rejoins the rest of the guard. guard is quite roughlypitted, no holes or weak areas. tang peened. all tight. weight is 650 grams. Blade is essentially the 1796 LC pattern, it fits my 1796LC sabre scabbard, except for the last 4 in. which swells a tad wider on this one, overall blade is about 4 in. shorter than the 1796LC. was described as a cutlass, but doesn't look like any in my british naval sword book. any info that y'all have will be helpful and appreciated. Attached Images

23rd November 2017, 06:06 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,945	Wayne, this looks like one of the sabres produced in England for the armies of Indian states during the Raj, as well as for the Native regiments of the British Army . 1850s to 1918. With these the hilts of the M1821 were made with the M1796 blades (favored by Indian warriors) and produced by Mole, Wilkinson and others. Most of them I have seen are c. 1880s, and used well into 20th c. They were known in Wilkinson records as Paget pattern. Last edited by Jim McDougall; 23rd November 2017 at 07:22 PM.

23rd November 2017, 07:58 PM	#3
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,183	Thanks, Jim. You are correct, with that info i found this entry from the Imperial War Museum: Indian Army Pattern Cavalry Trooper's Sword. http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30001638 ...and more info on the forum here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=20288 IWM Photo: Attached Images