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Scottish Officer's Basket-Hilted Sword
Availability: 7 in stock
SKU: ESP-012The basket-guard sword was the distinctive weapon of Scottish officers and soldiers in the Highlands during the 17th and 18th centuries, both in the Jacobite risings and later in the Scottish regiments of the British Army. Its metal guard, closed like a basket and often pierced, protected the entire hand in close combat, something especially valued in the sword and round-shield fighting of the Highland tradition. It was both a weapon and a symbol of rank and warrior heritage.
This replica is based on an original from the Eglinton Castle collection, now held at the Royal Ontario Museum. This type of sword is known as the "Pinch of Snuff" sword after a painting from around 1750, attributed to William Delacour, which shows an officer of the 78th Regiment (Fraser's Highlanders) taking snuff with a sword of this style at his side.
In addition to this historical basis, the piece is presented with a fictional legend: the Blade of Captain MacRae, which supposedly belonged to an officer of the Highland Guard during the reign of George II, forged by a master armourer in Edinburgh and blessed according to an ancient Gaelic rite before going on campaign. Its basket hilt, the story goes, protected the captain's hand in a duel at Dunkirk. This is a fabricated story, with no documentary basis.
Identification
- Type of piece
- Scottish Highland officer's basket-hilted broadsword
- Model
- Scottish Officer's Basket-Hilted Sword – Captain MacRae's Blade
- Historical period depicted
- Mid-18th century; replica of an original from the Eglinton Castle collection, now in the Royal Ontario Museum
Blade
- Steel type
- High carbon steel, straight polished blade with double fuller
- Overall length
- 98.4 cm
- Blade length
- 83.5 cm
- Width at the base
- 3.3 cm
- Blade type
- Straight and broad, with a double fuller, suitable for cut and thrust
- Blade finish
- High polish
- Edge condition
- Unsharpened (supplied unsharpened)
Grip and guard
- Guard type (crossguard)
- Openwork basket guard with scroll motifs
- Guard material
- Steel, openwork
- Grip
- Wrapped in black leather
- Pommel
- Rounded, in steel, finished with a button
- Handle length
- 11.4 cm
Scabbard
- Scabbard material
- Black leather with steel fittings
- Scabbard fittings
- Throat with frog stud and chape, in steel
General information
- Total weight
- 1275 g approx.
- Sword type
- Scottish basket-hilted broadsword
- Recommended use
- Collecting, decoration and historical re-enactment; unsharpened
This sword is handcrafted with a straight, broad blade of high-carbon steel with a double fuller, polished to a high shine and supplied unsharpened. The basket guard is crafted from openwork steel, featuring the characteristic scrollwork motifs of the Highland style, and is finished with a rounded steel pommel. The grip is wrapped in black leather for enhanced handling. The set includes a black leather scabbard with a steel throat and chape, which protect and present the blade when not in use.
- Scottish officer's basket-hilted broadsword, mid-18th century.
- Replica of an original from the Eglinton Castle collection (Royal Ontario Museum), of the type known as "Pinch of Snuff".
- Straight blade of polished high-carbon steel with double fuller, without a real edge.
- Openwork steel basket hilt with scroll motifs, typical of the Highland style.
- Rounded steel pommel and black leather grip.
- Black leather scabbard with steel throat and chape.
- Includes the fictional legend of Captain MacRae's Blade.
- Ideal for collectors, history enthusiasts and historical re-enactors.
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