Mr. Oakeshott's Sword

[Ed]

This one.

About which YOU said

Ed,
This is what appears to be a British officers sword hilt of the familiar four slot guard form, Revolutionary War period (see examples in "Swords & Blades of the American Revolution" Neumann). This particular hilt resembles the elusive M1788 heavy cavalry officers hilt, which remains only loosely identified as such, while the M1788 sabre for light cavalry is well known.
Since British military swords had not yet reached regulation in this period, there was often a considerable degree of license in adaptations of only relatively standard forms.

This would be a magnificent example except that from the photos seen of this sword elsewhere it is mounted with a completely incongruent Sudanese kaskara blade of the 19th century.
Still a beautiful example of these British hilts!
Best regards,
Jim

You know, I have read that Burton, in claiming that captured Crusader sword blades were still being used in the mid-east, mistook the sort of blade on this hilt for crusader weaponry.