Proto Mortuary Sword

[urbanspaceman]

Here is the inscription on the blade of that thumb-ring Mortuary which - according to a very knowledgeable dealer here in the UK - was most certainly a Hounslow product. This is interesting given that two swords associated with Cromwell feature thumb rings; but it also makes me question my suggestion that the hilt was from Islay.


"Soll deo Gloria" (Glory to God alone)

[Jim McDougall]

Keith thank you so much for detailing all of this!!!! you deserve to 'strut your stuff' as your research and the books you have compiled superbly reflect your work !
As you have often uncovered, there is much hyperbole and lore which has resided securely in much of the literature and various published material which many collectors have presumed categorically correct. These details in many cases became thoroughly imbedded in subsequent material even through the latter 20th century.

I recall the exciting revelation regarding the potential of mortuary hilts actually being produced on the Isle of Islay, which truly added further twists to the already complex conundrum of the 'mortuary hilt'. This term has long been semantically applied in collectors jargon to these 'half basket' British cavalry hilts of the 17th century.

These hilts are comprehensively discussed by Dr. Mazansky in his "British Basket Hilted Swords" (2005) in Chapter 11. In this he covers the many variations of these, which surprisingly most are without the defining cavalier heads which early writers took to designate these to commemorate Charles I, executed in 1649.

In the number of examples shown, there are a total of three with thumb rings
on p.243, one of two belonging to Cromwell mid 17thc; the next, p.253, to Lord Fairfax in Cleveland Museum; p.278, in York museum 1650-90.

This thumb ring anomaly has only cursory note on p.234 by Mazansky,
"...occasionally a thumb ring is present on the shell on the inside of the hilt. This is another type of variation."

This rather vapid note on this feature suggests this was not necessarily a well known feature, and it was not noted in the highly detailed classifications that Maszansky included in this focused chapter on mortuary hilts.

It would seem that the thumb ring, as previously noted, a known Continental feature, seems to have occurred only on Parliamentary examples, three as far as we know. Therefore as noted, it seems highly doubtful that these might have been made in the Isles.

When I looked further into the book noted and authored by Robert Coltman Clephan (1839-1922) which was published in 1900, I realized that like most writers in this late Victorian era he was clearly influenced by some long since disproven notions and the ever present lore which abounded.

In the quote included earlier from this work, he notes the 'mortuary' made toward Charles I, which we know is patently incorrect, and that these hilt forms existed decades before his death. Also the cavalier type faces were also of the 'green man' style, a popular motif of the period. The author notes further suggests that the Scottish broadsword (basket hilt) is obviously (?) an amalgamation of the schiavona and the mortuary .."which is certain from the fact that mortuary hilts were made on the Isle of Islay" (?)

Many of the 'mortuary' hilts were made at Hounslow, and numerous of these after Cromwell took over the mills, and transformed many into powder mills.
However, while most of the German smiths seem to have gone to Oxford with the Royalists, some remained at Hounslow. Again, BOTH sides favored these style hilts, and in the numerous variations.

The conundrum remains, exactly how long were these distinctive styles of hilt in vogue, it seems 1620s to as late as 1690s, the latter examples may be more inclined to any commemorative character. Where were these made? how in the world did the 'Islay' chestnut originate? and why the thumb ring?

[Triarii]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Keith thank you so much for detailing all of this!!!! you deserve to 'strut your stuff' as your research and the books you have compiled superbly reflect your work !
As you have often uncovered, there is much hyperbole and lore which has resided securely in much of the literature and various published material which many collectors have presumed categorically correct. These details in many cases became thoroughly imbedded in subsequent material even through the latter 20th century.

I recall the exciting revelation regarding the potential of mortuary hilts actually being produced on the Isle of Islay, which truly added further twists to the already complex conundrum of the 'mortuary hilt'. This term has long been semantically applied in collectors jargon to these 'half basket' British cavalry hilts of the 17th century.

These hilts are comprehensively discussed by Dr. Mazansky in his "British Basket Hilted Swords" (2005) in Chapter 11. In this he covers the many variations of these, which surprisingly most are without the defining cavalier heads which early writers took to designate these to commemorate Charles I, executed in 1649.

In the number of examples shown, there are a total of three with thumb rings
on p.243, one of two belonging to Cromwell mid 17thc; the next, p.253, to Lord Fairfax in Cleveland Museum; p.278, in York museum 1650-90.

This thumb ring anomaly has only cursory note on p.234 by Mazansky,
"...occasionally a thumb ring is present on the shell on the inside of the hilt. This is another type of variation."

This rather vapid note on this feature suggests this was not necessarily a well known feature, and it was not noted in the highly detailed classifications that Maszansky included in this focused chapter on mortuary hilts.

It would seem that the thumb ring, as previously noted, a known Continental feature, seems to have occurred only on Parliamentary examples, three as far as we know. Therefore as noted, it seems highly doubtful that these might have been made in the Isles.

When I looked further into the book noted and authored by Robert Coltman Clephan (1839-1922) which was published in 1900, I realized that like most writers in this late Victorian era he was clearly influenced by some long since disproven notions and the ever present lore which abounded.

In the quote included earlier from this work, he notes the 'mortuary' made toward Charles I, which we know is patently incorrect, and that these hilt forms existed decades before his death. Also the cavalier type faces were also of the 'green man' style, a popular motif of the period. The author notes further suggests that the Scottish broadsword (basket hilt) is obviously (?) an amalgamation of the schiavona and the mortuary .."which is certain from the fact that mortuary hilts were made on the Isle of Islay" (?)

Many of the 'mortuary' hilts were made at Hounslow, and numerous of these after Cromwell took over the mills, and transformed many into powder mills.
However, while most of the German smiths seem to have gone to Oxford with the Royalists, some remained at Hounslow. Again, BOTH sides favored these style hilts, and in the numerous variations.

The conundrum remains, exactly how long were these distinctive styles of hilt in vogue, it seems 1620s to as late as 1690s, the latter examples may be more inclined to any commemorative character. Where were these made? how in the world did the 'Islay' chestnut originate? and why the thumb ring?

Jim, what struck me about the examples associated with Fairfax and Cromwell, is that the latter is cited as having a hilt of English make (and a German blade), meaning that the thumb ring hilt was manufactured in England. Whether this was due to a fashion, their experience as cavalry commanders with lots of combat under their belt or the hilt maker was of continental origin I don't know, but adds another little uncertainty to what we think we can pin down. Thumb rings help with edge alignment in the cut, though they also restrict the movement of your fingers for some cuts.
The style of hilt [shape] seems to survive longer in Germany, with a bigger focus on floral and other abstract designs on the hilt, whereas in England the hilt style went to those not unlike the English 'Walloon', often in brass.

[Jim McDougall]

Triarii, there is no doubt the 'mortuary' style half basket hilts were produced in England, it is a question of elemental influences which presented in the design, in this case the thumb ring. As noted this was more recognized as a feature in Continental swords of Germany, Austria and in degree the Low Countries.

The swords in England during the 'Civil Wars' were often of course a range of forms which often came into the British sphere through trade as well as the numbers of British men who served a mercenary soldiers from late 16th into 17th century. These included various form of 'basket' hilt types as well as swept hilt rapiers which evolved into the heavier arming 'pappenheimers' with the familiar pierced shell guards.

The piercings in the shells on the pappenheimers (an eponym for the presumed association with Gottfried Heinrich, Graf dur Pappenheim c. 1630, a Field Marshal in Thirty Years War) seem perhaps to have had some influence on these guards as well as on some Hounslow examples.

The presence of thumb guards on any number of sword forms used among the officers during the Civil Wars may have compelled addition to the hilts produced in the period, but clearly it was not a common addition. I would suppose certain English officers may have been known to follow certain peculiarities in swordsmanship, such as associated with thumb ring, and these were added accordingly.

With my example (post #4) does not have a thumb ring, in examining the photos and reading more, I noted there is a floral device, presumably a rose, on the guard. The sword was featured in Bezdek (2003, p.281) in three photos, and classified as c.1650. In my opinion, it is more likely from the years 1642-46 and probably made at Wolverton, near Oxford, for forces with Charles I, interpreting the rose floral in the variation sometimes occurring with independent makers.

The so called 'walloon' were simple bilobate shell guard hilts, with that eponym derived from the French adopting the style from these kinds of practical simple hilts used in Low Countries and Sweden during Thirty Years war. The French simply used the term 'walloon' referencing the ethnic people originating in Wallonia, Belgium who popularized these simple hilts. These hilts became popular later in England as well through the latter 17th well through 18th century in cavalry swords (second sword illustrated, English? Dutch? 1680s?).

[urbanspaceman]

Returning to the Mortuary hilt motifs; it is all a question of timing.
Those hilts were in constant production till well after the regicide, so it is perfectly reasonable to attribute the heads to Charles and Henrietta on Royalist swords produced later. Those royalists would probably enthusiastically flaunt their allegiance to the Crown even after the war was lost.
It's like Colichemardes: everyone says it is not the name of the soldier but that is pre-supposing we are talking about 'hollow' blades; there were many extra-wide fortes found on flattened hexagonal blades and I've seen some tapering into almost 'foil' like proportions.
Timing !!!
In regard to later horseman's swords, that hilt you illustrate Jim is what they fitted to the first (1687) batch of Shotley Bridge swords, distributed amongst the Jacobites and Catholics up here when the Germans first arrived with smuggled blades featuring the Passau Wolf AND the 'Shotle Bridg' script.