The m1804 British naval cutlass

CutlassCollector · 7th November 2022, 01:14 PM

Great post Mark, good to see cutlasses.
These are my three. The top one is a Harvey marked on the spine and the second Thomas Craven marked on the blade. The third is the Norwegian/Swedish almost exact copy - a little later 1810.

What always surprised me about the 1804 is that although it was heavier and longer than many other cutlasses it still feels good in the hand. Well balanced and 'light'.

M ELEY · 7th November 2022, 05:15 PM

Hello CC and great to hear from you! Thanks for posting these and it is great to see the subtle differenes to the pieces based on each maker. They are not all 'cookie cutter', as some would surmize. I had quite forgotten about the the Swedish varient of the m1804! Do we know how these were contracted out? As they still fell into the time period of Fighting Sail, did England purposely stock them to help protect Swedish shipping from Napoleonic privateers? I've seen the Swedish crown marking and, I believe, some with the king's initials? CR or ??? My memory is a little lax right now-

7th November 2022, 01:14 PM	#1
CutlassCollector Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Scotland Posts: 369	Great post Mark, good to see cutlasses. These are my three. The top one is a Harvey marked on the spine and the second Thomas Craven marked on the blade. The third is the Norwegian/Swedish almost exact copy - a little later 1810. What always surprised me about the 1804 is that although it was heavier and longer than many other cutlasses it still feels good in the hand. Well balanced and 'light'. Attached Images

7th November 2022, 05:15 PM	#2
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,204	Hello CC and great to hear from you! Thanks for posting these and it is great to see the subtle differenes to the pieces based on each maker. They are not all 'cookie cutter', as some would surmize. I had quite forgotten about the the Swedish varient of the m1804! Do we know how these were contracted out? As they still fell into the time period of Fighting Sail, did England purposely stock them to help protect Swedish shipping from Napoleonic privateers? I've seen the Swedish crown marking and, I believe, some with the king's initials? CR or ??? My memory is a little lax right now-