Thank you Capn!
In "Myth of the Jacobite Clans" Murray Pittock, 2009, p.165
"...one thing we can notice about these swords is the international nature of the trade. The legends 'GOD SAVE/KING JAMES/THEE 8' and 'Prosperity /to Scotland/and/no Union' are found on some blades: whether or not this is the exact legend (for example James III blades were produced for the English market), the spelling 'Schotland' or 'Schotlandt' indicates the German origin of both blade and legend.
The survival of these and many other swords is surely indicative of the broad accuracy of the traditional picture, reinforced as it is by Gaelic poetry".
Here we note that King James III (the Old Pretender) was the father of Prince Charles Stuart, and was held King James VIII of Scotland, the Jacobite king.
The prosperity and no union refers to the abhorred union of Scotland and England in 1707, one of the primary causes of the '15 and '45 risings.
p.164, "...Lochiels own sword had FIGURE EIGHT guards, NO DOUBT SYMBOLIZING KING JAMES VIII".
This sword is included in "The Swords and the Sorrows" (1996) p.33
It is the sword of Donald Cameron of Lochiel, the clans' 19th Chief, and who led his men out in the '45. He was carried off the field with both ankles shattered by grapeshot. The sword remains with the clan.
As noted previously, these Stirling hilts (this one by Walter Allen of Stirling, and the hilt by Colin Mitchell at Canongate). ...carried more artistically designed symbolism.
Glasgow's more fundamentally styled hilts had more subtle and stylized features pierced in the shields and guards.
The mention of the Highland broadsword in Gaelic poetry well describes the passion and symbolically imbued swords, and this entry from "Culloden" (John Prebble, 1961.p.237) says,
"...Reverend Allan MacDonald, at Prestonpans and Falkirk rode along the line of his tribe blessing their broadswords".
After the '45 and the proscriptions of weapons, ESPECIALLY the broadsword, led to the continued production of traditionally formed hilts in the garrison towns (i.e. Glasgow) still having some degree of stylized piercing. However the English produced hilts commonly had the structure but shields and guards were blank without piercings. The exceptions were the well known hilts produced in London c. late 1750s-60s for Black Watch and other units.
This is one of these, rehilted after 1784 when Black Watch ceased carrying these, this one remounted with M1788 Lt. cavalry blade.
Note the stark rudimentary piercings after the Scottish style.
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