How "new" is Tulwar?

stenoyab · 23rd August 2017, 10:49 PM

The Mole tulwar I had has a steel hilt, with the loop on the dish.
As far as I'm aware this was the "All British" made tulwar, with blade marked to Mole.
I'm not sure if a brass hilted example would be a blade supplied to India and then hilted?.

BBJW · 24th August 2017, 12:12 AM

I have a very plain Tulwar marked Mole that I was told was brought back to India when Raja Ajit Singh attended Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. He went on a shopping trip while there and the Tulwars bought were likely just the blades and then the hilts put on in India.- bbjw

Jim McDougall · 24th August 2017, 06:13 AM

Excellent entries, thank you guys!
It has been a very long time since researching these British Raj items, but it seems I have seen tulwars similar to the one Stenoyab shows. The curious rectangular aperture on the dish seems of course for a sword knot or lanyard. The style of lettering placed on the face of the blade with hyper lettering seems aligned with character of such marking around turn of the century to WWI period.
The MOLE markings on the earlier forms were stamped block letters on the blade back near hilt, much the same as done from early 19th century well through the century on British made blades.

BBJW, thank you especially for that info on Raja Ajit Singh, which really tells me more on those MOLE tulwars I had (wish I still did!). While the Mole blades were typically mounted on the three bar hilts (they rather incongruently were of the more hatchet point type of the M1796 sabres) on the ones made in England, these blades only must have been mounted in India as you note.

stenoyab · 24th August 2017, 11:52 AM

If you notice on the one I posted photos of, the tang of the blade goes through the entire hilt.

ariel · 25th August 2017, 01:54 AM

Thanks to all of you!

23rd August 2017, 10:49 PM	#1
stenoyab Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 43	The Mole tulwar I had has a steel hilt, with the loop on the dish. As far as I'm aware this was the "All British" made tulwar, with blade marked to Mole. I'm not sure if a brass hilted example would be a blade supplied to India and then hilted?. Attached Images

24th August 2017, 12:12 AM	#2
BBJW Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Idaho, USA Posts: 228	English Tulwar I have a very plain Tulwar marked Mole that I was told was brought back to India when Raja Ajit Singh attended Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897. He went on a shopping trip while there and the Tulwars bought were likely just the blades and then the hilts put on in India.- bbjw

24th August 2017, 06:13 AM	#3
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,281	Excellent entries, thank you guys! It has been a very long time since researching these British Raj items, but it seems I have seen tulwars similar to the one Stenoyab shows. The curious rectangular aperture on the dish seems of course for a sword knot or lanyard. The style of lettering placed on the face of the blade with hyper lettering seems aligned with character of such marking around turn of the century to WWI period. The MOLE markings on the earlier forms were stamped block letters on the blade back near hilt, much the same as done from early 19th century well through the century on British made blades. BBJW, thank you especially for that info on Raja Ajit Singh, which really tells me more on those MOLE tulwars I had (wish I still did!). While the Mole blades were typically mounted on the three bar hilts (they rather incongruently were of the more hatchet point type of the M1796 sabres) on the ones made in England, these blades only must have been mounted in India as you note.

24th August 2017, 11:52 AM	#4
stenoyab Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 43	If you notice on the one I posted photos of, the tang of the blade goes through the entire hilt.

25th August 2017, 01:54 AM	#5
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Thanks to all of you!