Sword: HEN.M.210-1933

Maker(s)

Maker: Unknown (Probably)

Entities

• Sword

Categories

• Weapons

Description

Mushroom-shaped pommel, with some diagonally depressed vertical depressions, the spaces between the depressions bubbled. Large well-formed tang button. Guard of late landsbracelet type incorporating an S-shaped insert. The ends of the guards are formed in small knobs. Knuckle-guard terminates in a larger knob, to match those on the ends of the quillons, which are slightly inched towards the blade. A forward side-ring encloses very carefully forged scrolls. One is a small single branch on the outside, linked to its extremity with a single back guard. Grip of wood, of oval section, bound with cord and covered with thin leather. This appears to be original. The whole hilt is blackened, which again may be the original colours. Very long back-edged blade with a long ricasso. There is a fuller narrow and shallow, running just over 1/3 of the length of the blade.
The blade bears some engraved markings in its upper half, long lines and oval shaped features, on each side. On one side a wolf-mask inlaid in copper, with the letters A N N. On the reverse, no letters but the figures widely spaced 1 5 9 1. There is a similar record in a Swiss private collection.

Notes

History note: Unknown before testator, Abbotsford, Downs Road, St Helen's Park, Hastings.

Legal notes

J.S. Henderson Bequest

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bequeathed (1933-03-16) by Henderson, James Stewart

Dating

16th Century, Late
Production date: dated AD 1591 : dated

Note

Over the course of the later 16th century, extra bars were added to the cross guard hilt to provide extra protection for the hand. At first these were quite simple, starting with a ring to enclose a finger. Additional bars were added to form a sort of cage enclosing the hand, called a basket hilt. This is an early example. The blade is inscribed ANN on one side and 1591 on the other. It also has a mark of a wolf mask inlaid in copper alloy.

Probably German, or perhaps Swiss, dated ANN 1591.