British lionhead dragoon officer 4 slot hilt

[Jim McDougall]

This ivory grip lion head officers sword appears to be for light dragoons officer of c.1770. The four slot guard was well established at this time with its apparent advent in c. 1760s, and light dragoon troopers had this type guard with some having two branches, iron, and tall olive pommel.

There are no markings on the montmorency type cavalry blade, similar to other blades of light dragoon swords of this period.
The only visible marking is deeply stamped READ on the hilt.
Read may apply to several cutler/outfitters in Dublin around 1770.

The most likely would be John Read, at 4 Parliament St. Dublin whose brother Edward was apprentice there as well . (as per Annis & May, 1970. p.331).

These lion head pommels were well known around this time and are known also on other hangers etc.

[Will M]

Jim that's a wonderful sword, can you post more photos?

[Bryce]

G'day Jim,
Is that something inscribed on the blade?
Cheers,
Bryce

[Jim McDougall]

Thanks guys!
Yes, it is a capital F near the edge.........a 3 near the back. ??????
The blade is 37 3/4 "
I will get pics and more tomorrow.

[Jim McDougall]

Here are more photos of this British officers lionhead dragoon sword, which appears to have been retailed by Read, a cutler in Dublin c. 1770.
I have added another light dragoon sword of the four slot category but with two guard branches, also of c. 1770 for comparison.

I have added photo of the F and 3 which are seen on the blade parallel near back and edge.

The light dragoon is unmarked and with a German montmorency section blade of 35.5", and iron hilt.

The illustration from "London Silver Hilted Swords" (Leslie Southwick, 2001, plate 8) is of of a similar hilt style, lionhead c.1775 by Willian Kinman and the blade from Drury (Birmingham cutler). This illustrates the lionhead pommel style hilts popular in 1770s.

[Will M]

Jim those are two very good swords having style and function.
Two similar swords of mine pictured.

[E.B. Erickson]

NO WAY!!! Jim, I used to own that sword back in the mid 1970s before you and I met. I purchased it from Flayderman's, held on to it for a few years, then traded it back to Flayderman for something I found more attractive. My main reason I did not keep that sword is that I suspect strongly that this hilt originally had a hanger blade. Look at how small the hilt is compared to the length of the blade. And it's obviously been taken apart -- where's the capstan?

However, still a nice sword, and I kind of wish I still owned it!

--ElJay

[Jim McDougall]

Ahah! Now it comes back!!! Its been a LONG time Eljay and great memories.
I could not recall the details of that 'switcheroo' but now I remember. It was that you and I bought the same brass hilt dragoon sword at the same time inadvertently and Flayderman was totally embarrasssd (I had been making payments on it when it had already been sold to you).
The BEST thing out of the whole mess was I got to meet you! and we began the collaboration in collecting British patterns.

In the ensuing dealing I bought this lion head and I think two other swords from him.

I see what you mean about probable remount and in Neumann, they show these lion heads on some hangers of the period. I now recall that you had traded it back to Flayderman and I ended up buying it from him. There was a LOT of confusion in that series of deals.

Will, beautiful examples!!!! Thank you for sharing them and really helping with the perspective here.

I am puzzled by why it would be remounted with this very long blade. The dragoon blades of this time were quite long (I had one with a 40" blade). Would READ have been the cutler who remounted it? or perhaps the hilt (as a hanger?) was his. Lots of questions in the working life of these.

[Jim McDougall]

Eljay was right, this hilt is of a design which was popular for British cavalry officers, the brass, curled bars in guard, lionhead, gadrooned bone grip.
As he noted, he had owned the example here back in the 70s.

The example seen in "Swords and Blades of the American Revolution:, George Nuemann, 1973, is indeed with shorter blade, actually not a hanger but a short saber with 28" blade. It was part of Norm Flayderman's collection as shown in Neumann.

When I acquired this sword in 1978, it was how I met Eljay. I had another British dragoon sword on layaway and was making payments for months. Somehow when I made my last payment, the sword had been sold inadvertently to another buyer. Norm was mortified, and in making things right, he sold me this dragoon officers sword.
The great thing was, turned out Eljay lived only 2 miles from me! and we struck up a great friendship, busily collecting British cavalry swords in league.

As Eljay notes here.......this sword has obviously had its blade replaced, but in its working life, thus no capstan, as seen.

While the British cavalry had been experimenting with LIGHT DRAGOONS in the late 1750s, and with lighter sabers with shorter blades...the usual dragoon regiments had maintained much longer straight blades. My thinking is that this example which Norm had, was with the exchanged blade and redundant to the example he provided to Nuemann, thus he put it up for sale. As Eljay noted, the blade change was not in line with his collecting agenda, so it was returned, and I ended up with it in '78.

The hilt form was popular c.1770 and apparently used by several cutlers, it seems READ in Dublin, on mine, was just one outfitter, and may have been who fit the new longer blade.

[Jim McDougall]

"...the sword remained as the symbol of manly honor through the eighteenth century and was especially favored among British military officers, often to the annoyance of the provincial Americans".
"Arming America: The Origins of a National
Gun Culture"
Michael Bellesiles, 2000, p.169
Added this to illustrate the constant importance of the sword among British officers , and the remounting of certain fashionable or heirloom hilts with blades more in accord with changes in fighting style or personal preference.

[urbanspaceman]

This is a real treat Guys.