Here is an interesting sword that has recently come into my collection; a Georgian era 1796 Pattern Heavy Cavalry Officers Sword for dismounted service.

What makes this sword different, is that instead of having the regulation cut and thrust spadroon blade, this sword as a broad double fullered backsword blade more commonly found on basket hilted swords. Furthermore, it is clearly marked ‘Andrea Farara’ in the main fuller.

Andrea Ferara and his brother were sword makers of the 16th Century that contracted with a pair of English merchants to sell swords into England and Scotland. Over time the name came to be associated with blades of high quality amongst the swordsmen of the Highlands. So much so that by the 17th and 18th Centuries ownership of such a blade became a matter of pride amongst many and the name became a title in of itself.

Because the name can be found on blades of a type that date to after the 16th Century and can be found accompanying marks from other makers, such as ones from Solingen, it is safe to conclude that it took on its own meaning specific to the people of the Scottish Highlands. This is one of the reasons behind the variations in the placement and spelling of the name we see now.

What this all means for this sword, is that it likely belonged to a Scottish Cavalry officer who took a family sword, probably a mid-18th Century basket hilted backsword that was then re-mounted on a 1796 Pattern boat-shell hilt to match the uniform regulation requirements of his unit. Heavy cavalry officers of the time usually owned at least two swords, the 1796 Pattern undress, with the ladder hilt that as used for mounted service and the 1796 Pattern for dismounted service carried at such times that the officer had to perform his duties while on foot. The iron scabbard is widely believed to signify that the sword was carried in the field as it is more robust than the leather one. While the lighter, fancier leather scabbard is more suited to dress occasions.

Overall Length: 975 mm

Blade Length: 823 mm

Grip Length: 135 mm

Inside Grip Length: 100 mm

Weight: 870 grams

Total Weight: 1,250 grams

Point of Balance: 125 mm

Today is the LAST DAY to pre-order your celebration of valiant women, non-binary champions, and handsome swords, also known as a copy of Broads and Broadswords!

Sales will be available until midnight AOE on Sunday, October 24, meaning that they will close at 12:00 PM GMT / 8:00 AM EST / 5:00 AM PST on Monday, October 25.

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All proceeds go to the Transgender Law Center.

Zulfikar, India, 18th century

from Czerny's International Auction House

Two of Balls. Art by Beverley Ransom, from the Tarot of Baseball.

The umpire takes the ball from the catcher, ostensibly to look at it; and at the same time, throws another ball back to the pitcher. The umpire is blindfolded, a common icon of the umpire’s position signifying that justice is blind. The batter’s foot can be seen on the outside of the batter’s box as he takes time out, but the batter himself is not visible.

Divinatory Meaning: Balanced forces, stalemate, indecision. Perhaps a temporary truce in the midst of a crisis. Family quarrels may be halted. (1 & 1 COUNT)

Reversed: Release, movement of affairs, getting on with the game after a temporary interruption. Caution against dealings with lawyers or judges. (1 & 1 COUNT)

What’s better than a sword?

A zine full of beautiful people wielding swords, obviously.

In totally unrelated news, preorders for the incomparable @broadsandbroadswords zine close today, October 24! It’s just $19 for a copy, and all proceeds go the the Transgender Law Center, so go check out the store if you haven’t yet! ⚔️

The Caravana Collection

Now that I have all the smallswords that I’m likely to own (famous last words… I know!) I need to think about how I will display them.

I don’t have a lot or wall space, (about 900mm wide) that butts onto the corner where the main sword display is. I am using this corner because it is out of direct sunlight and thus out of view from any of the windows.

So I was thinking of making a board 1100mm tall and 550mm wide to mount the smallswords on. Backed with the same blue canvas and brownish edging.  

Originally I planned to lay them out in this star pattern with crossed blades.

But now I am leaning towards using this half fan with the flat of the blades out so that the corner isn’t too busy with the hilts from the main display.

My other option is to use this fan shape.

So my personal order of preference is:

1.       Half fan

2.       Fan with blades meeting at the tip

3.       Star with crossed blades.

What do you guys think? Any other suggestions?

Only TWO DAYS LEFT to order your copy of Broads and Broadswords, which obviously you, a person of discerning taste who loves people with swords (and maybe an axe), will want to do.

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All proceeds go to the Transgender Law Center.

Gold decorated smallsword, French, circa 1750

from Koller Auctions

Three of Swords. Art by Liz Huston, from The Dreamkeepers Tarot (Original Edition).

x

Sometimes I draw comics where the characters are just nice to each other. (Part 2)

"i hate you"

okay then have an enemies to lovers arc with me

more daggers from omega artworks

Grenadier Company Officer’s sabre from the late 18th Century.

Stemming from their experiences of fighting American rebel forces in the untamed countryside of the New World, British infantry officers of the late 18th Century began to dispense with their spontoon polearms in favour of more portable and convenient sidearms. Smallswords, hangers and spadroons became popular sword choices for officers in the field.

This trend was officially recognised with the regulation of 1786 which mandated that officers now carry a sword of no less than one inch wide at the base and thirty-two inches long in the blade. The decree from the King was the first official recognition of a regulation sword for officers in the British army. However, the decree failed to include instructions on what hilt design should be used, except that the metal should match the colour of the buttons of the uniform.

In 1788 a regulation was issued for cavalry as well, with light cavalry ordered to use a curved sabre and heavy a straight bladed backsword. Once again, this regulation only made official what was already happening in practice. As with the 1786 regulation, the final design of the sword was left to the individual regiments to decide and procure resulting in were considerable variations in quality and design.

Naturally there was a fair amount of competition between and within the various branches of the armed services. In the infantry, the ‘Flank’ companies (named because they held the flanks of the infantry line) like the Light Companies, Rifle Companies, and the Grenadiers took specialist roles and were considered an elite troop. Because of this and the kind of intense fighting these troops faced they sought to distinguish themselves from the regular infantry and many adopted fashions based on another elite military unit, the cavalry.

In keeping with this many officers adopted their own versions of the curved sabre popularised by the exotic Hussars. Normally these sabres can be distinguished from the regular cavalry swords by their length, the regular mounted sword considered too long to be practical on foot. But as with many British swords of the time, a lot of variation exists.

This sword was manufactured by Dawes of Birmingham, a respected and prolific arms manufacturer better known for his troopers’ swords than officer swords. The single brass side ring guard features the flaming bomb of the Grenadiers while the pommel has the lion’s head that became synonymous with the later 1803 Pattern Flank officers’ sword.  

The large blade is more typical for a 1788 regulation light cavalry sword and still retains traces of blue and guilt along with etched decorations typical of Georgian era officer swords. The Royal coat of arms retains the three fleur de lys indicating that the sword predates the 1801 change. The officer’s name - Thomas Beck – is etched in gilt on the spine of the blade.

A similar sword by Dawes, with the officer’s name on the spine and the flaming bomb on the guard features in ‘Swords of the British Army by Brian Robson on page 149 and another on page 176.

Overall Length: 970 mm

Blade Length: 830 mm

Grip Length: 130 mm

Inside Grip Length: 105 mm

Weight: 840 grams

Total Weight (inc. scabbard): 1,560 grams

Point of Balance: 170 mm

Do you like swords? Do you like people with swords? Of course you do. Everyone does. Good news: you still have THREE DAYS LEFT to preorder Broads and Broadswords.

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All proceeds go to the Transgender Law Center.