Cutting Edges

[urbanspaceman]

Way back at the start of my introduction to arms and armour I came across a curious smallsword belonging to Mel, my friend and mentor. Initial reaction to this sword was that it was likely munitions grade, but was certainly unlike any hollowed blades I had seen at that point.

Mel had sent this picture because I had asked him about non-colichemarde blades that featured a rolled fuller. I was, even then, beginning to become curious about rolled fullers. That said, what was of further interest was the fact that the sword featured sharpened edges; a possibility due to the width and shape of the blade, which was, obviously, very different to a regular hollowed trefoil smallsword.
The iron hilt will have been gilded, or embellished in some way, as the pierced pommel and shell was indicative of a superior quality, but the style of blade was absolutely indicative of battle-field activity rather than purely civilian and/or ceremonial. 
I put all of this curiosity on the back-burner as it was not really necessary material for my research into the Shotley Bridge enterprise, but...
Since that time I have noted, on more than one occasion, similar style blades, and by then I had accepted that rolled fullers were a product of the Mohll machine, therefore these swords had come from Shotley Bridge.
Further consideration of a Northern fondness for weightier, sharpened smallsword blades brought me to the conclusion that they were almost certainly early output from the village to local officers, so I grabbed any images I came across; unfortunately, most were of mediocre quality. Nonetheless, so far I have found five of them, which is significant for a battlefield blade of limited production from the late 1600s. What can be seen is they all have better hilts than are found on munitions-grade swords: these were officer's personal purchases.
Trefoil blades, some with cutting edges and a bit more weight, made in Shotley Bridge. When all of this is added to my earlier considerations regarding those narrow broadsword blades it leads me to believe that this machine was first producing blades for local militia before sending smallswords to London which, originally, was not what they were there for.

[Oriental Armament Collection]

It's pretty.

[urbanspaceman]

I don't know how I overlooked this one:

[urbanspaceman]

I've been back to explore this sword some more, beginning with finding a better image.

Here's what I've found - and please correct me whenever necessary.
First, the hilt was from John Carman II (Holborn, London) in 1753.
The blade, however, is one of the early Shotley Bridge output i.e. 1688 onwards.
Considering how many of Washington's military ancestors were from the North East of England the blade has obviously been a family heirloom re-hilted as a presentation to GW on the occasion of his first commission.
It is telling that, from then on, when using a smallsword, he favoured colichemarde blades. For example, in 1767 his first colichemarde arrived, in parts, from London, and he gave his previous smallsword to Major George Lewis who was his sister's son and his aide-de-camp during the revolution.
ps
Notice the indication of frequent sharpening to remove nicks.

[urbanspaceman]

Following up further, here is the colichemarde he ordered from London.
The cutler was Matthew Feesey: the King's cutler. There was also a silversmith involved of course, but I found - then lost - his name. Any takers?

[Jim McDougall]

Keith, Matthew Feesey (1703-69) was cutler to the king working in Pall Mall (in London). On another colichemarde blade silver hilt with London hallmarks 1744-45, marketed by him, there are makers marks TB (= Thomas Bamford?)
ref noted Southwick (2001, p.106-107).