[urbanspaceman]

Hi Jim. I thought that hilt on the Gill blade looked distinctly like a duelling rapier; it certainly doesn't inspire battlefield confidence.
Perhaps I should say 'deck' confidence as it is definitely a naval officer's sword: the 27 inch blade suggests no other because it is short even by Smallsword and Courtsword standards.
It is a big hilt too and the piercing is almost certainly Matthew Boulton at his best.
I could probably find its original owner as there are initials on the blade (see pic) although it is not easy to know if that is an I or a J.
I bought it from a dealer in Portsmouth Harbour who said the vendor told him it had Naval provenance.
One thing I will draw to everyone's attention is the lower hollow seen in the attached.

I'm still waiting for the rapier to arrive. Dirk cast his experienced eye on the pics and saw no reason not to think it was homogeneous, which was what I had thought; although I am entirely a novice here.