Gothic Hilted British Infantry Swords (1822, 1827, 1845, 1854 and 1892 Patterns)
Encyclopedia
The gothic hilted sword
s were a family of swords carried by officers
and some NCOs
of the British Army
between 1822 and the present day. They were primarily infantry
swords, although they were also regulation pattern for some other officers such as surgeons and staff officers. The term “Gothic Hilt” derives from a perceived similarity between the curved bars of the guard and the arches found in gothic architecture
. They were elegant aesthetically pleasing weapons, although they were generally considered as, at best, mediocre fighting swords. Despite this the weapon and its variants had a very long service life. They were replaced with the 1897 Pattern British Infantry Officer's Sword
.
The sword featured a 32.5 inches (826mm) inch long, slightly curved blade of what was known as the “pipe-back” or “quill-back” design. This consisted of a flat, un-fullered, single edged blade with a nearly straight rod running along the back of the blade, with a “false edge” being formed near to the tip. The blades were generally extensively decorated with etched, or occasionally blued and gilt, patterns.
The gilded brass
, “half-basket” hilt consisted featured the characteristic, gothic tracing and the monarch’s cipher in the guard and an ornate one piece pommel and backpiece. The inside of the guard folded towards the grip to allow the sword to rest easily against the wearer’s side. The grip was covered in fish skin and wrapped with brass or silver wire.
Although the pipe reinforcing was intended to add rigidity for the thrust and strength for the cut, the blade is rather flexible. The half basket guard would have given better protection to the hand than its predecessor, the 1796 pattern
, however the thin brass is fragile as illustrated by many extant examples having damage or repair. John Latham of the great sword maker Wilkinson, although admittedly with an ulterior motive as he was promoting his rival design, described it as:
"the worst possible arrangement of hilt, blade and shape that could possibly be contrived. It is crooked but has no regular curve; it is wrongly mounted for thrusting and wrongly shaped for cutting. The hilt is so flimsy as to be no protection to the hand and is made of bad metal poorly tempered”
The hilt remained essentially unchanged, although the hinged flap disappeared in 1854.
Direct comparison of the two blades shows that the new weapon was, indeed, an improvement, being stiffer in bending and compression, although it is still rather delicate for a fighting sword.
section and a sharp spear point. A stronger, sword, unburdened by the design compromises of a requirement to cut well, this was a much better fighting sword (Robson reports on its good performance against the Dervish
es in Sudan
). Ironically the infantry were finally being given an adequate weapon as rifled and automatic firearms had rendered them almost entirely obsolete.
In 1895 the brass gothic hilt was replaced by pressed steel guard which, bringing to an end more than 70 years of service for the line infantry.
Regiments.
In 1854, the regiments of the Foot Guards
were also required to carry a steel hilted sword. This was the same weapon as for the rifle regiments, but with the regimental badge in place of the stringed bugle. Similarly, this is still the regulation pattern for Guards officers to the present day.
Staff officers throughout most of the period carried a brass hilted sword, but with the crossed baton staff symbol in place of the royal cipher. Generals carried the same sword as their staff, until they were formally replaced by a Mameluke
style sword in 1831.
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
s were a family of swords carried by officers
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
and some NCOs
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...
of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
between 1822 and the present day. They were primarily infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
swords, although they were also regulation pattern for some other officers such as surgeons and staff officers. The term “Gothic Hilt” derives from a perceived similarity between the curved bars of the guard and the arches found in gothic architecture
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
. They were elegant aesthetically pleasing weapons, although they were generally considered as, at best, mediocre fighting swords. Despite this the weapon and its variants had a very long service life. They were replaced with the 1897 Pattern British Infantry Officer's Sword
1897 Pattern British Infantry Officer's Sword
The 1897 Pattern Infantry Officers’ Sword is a straight-bladed, three-quarter basket hilted sword that has been the regulation sword for officers of the line infantry of the British Army from 1897 to the present day.-History:...
.
Private Purchase
Although sergeant’s swords were issued by the Army, officers were expected to purchase their own. In theory they were required to purchase a sword which conformed to an official pattern, however some regiments had their own peculiarities and some allowed their officers some leeway in specification, so there are variations between individual pieces. Also, minor differences between individual manufacturers' examples exist, partly due to their own unique interpretations of the specification for the weapon.1822 Pattern Infantry Officer’s sword
In the 1822 dress regulations mandated the introduction of a new sword, to replace the 1803 flank officer's sabre and the Spadroon bladed 1796 infantry officers sword.The sword featured a 32.5 inches (826mm) inch long, slightly curved blade of what was known as the “pipe-back” or “quill-back” design. This consisted of a flat, un-fullered, single edged blade with a nearly straight rod running along the back of the blade, with a “false edge” being formed near to the tip. The blades were generally extensively decorated with etched, or occasionally blued and gilt, patterns.
The gilded brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
, “half-basket” hilt consisted featured the characteristic, gothic tracing and the monarch’s cipher in the guard and an ornate one piece pommel and backpiece. The inside of the guard folded towards the grip to allow the sword to rest easily against the wearer’s side. The grip was covered in fish skin and wrapped with brass or silver wire.
Although the pipe reinforcing was intended to add rigidity for the thrust and strength for the cut, the blade is rather flexible. The half basket guard would have given better protection to the hand than its predecessor, the 1796 pattern
1796 Pattern British Infantry Officer's Sword
The 1796 Pattern British Infantry Officers Sword was carried by officers of the line infantry in the British Army between 1796 and the time of its official replacement with the gothic hilted sword in 1822.This period encompassed the whole of the Napoleonic Wars....
, however the thin brass is fragile as illustrated by many extant examples having damage or repair. John Latham of the great sword maker Wilkinson, although admittedly with an ulterior motive as he was promoting his rival design, described it as:
"the worst possible arrangement of hilt, blade and shape that could possibly be contrived. It is crooked but has no regular curve; it is wrongly mounted for thrusting and wrongly shaped for cutting. The hilt is so flimsy as to be no protection to the hand and is made of bad metal poorly tempered”
1845 Pattern Infantry Officer’s sword
In 1845, the pipe backed blade was replaced by Wilkinson’s design. Again, this was a slightly curved cut-and-thrust blade of the same length of the previous pattern, however the new blade featured a single, wide fuller and a flat back, rather than the pipe back.The hilt remained essentially unchanged, although the hinged flap disappeared in 1854.
Direct comparison of the two blades shows that the new weapon was, indeed, an improvement, being stiffer in bending and compression, although it is still rather delicate for a fighting sword.
1892 Pattern Infantry Officers Sword
Despite its weaknesses, the 1845 sword enjoyed a long service life. However, in 1892 the cut and thrust blade was replaced by a straight dedicated thrusting blade with a thick, fullered, dumbbellDumbbell
The dumbbell, a type of free weight, is a piece of equipment used in weight training. It can be used individually or in pairs .-History:...
section and a sharp spear point. A stronger, sword, unburdened by the design compromises of a requirement to cut well, this was a much better fighting sword (Robson reports on its good performance against the Dervish
Dervish
A Dervish or Darvesh is someone treading a Sufi Muslim ascetic path or "Tariqah", known for their extreme poverty and austerity, similar to mendicant friars in Christianity or Hindu/Buddhist/Jain sadhus.-Etymology:The Persian word darvīsh is of ancient origin and descends from a Proto-Iranian...
es in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
). Ironically the infantry were finally being given an adequate weapon as rifled and automatic firearms had rendered them almost entirely obsolete.
In 1895 the brass gothic hilt was replaced by pressed steel guard which, bringing to an end more than 70 years of service for the line infantry.
Steel Hilted Swords
In 1827, officers of the Rifle Regiments (considered somewhat of an elite) were authorised to carry their own variation of the sword. The blade was that of the 1822 pattern sword (changing, along with the line infantry, to a fullered blade in 1845). The hilt was of the gothic pattern but in steel with the crown and stringed bugle motif of the light infantry replacing the royal cypher. the steel guards were often less well rendered than that of the brass hilts. There was no folding flap. The pattern is still current for the Light InfantryLight infantry
Traditionally light infantry were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. Light infantry was distinct from medium, heavy or line infantry. Heavy infantry were dedicated primarily to fighting in tight...
Regiments.
In 1854, the regiments of the Foot Guards
Foot Guards
-British Army:The Foot Guards are the Regular Infantry regiments of the Household Division of the British Army. There have been six regiments of foot guards, five of which still exist. The Royal Guards Reserve Regiment was a reserve formation of the Household Brigade in existence from 1900-1901...
were also required to carry a steel hilted sword. This was the same weapon as for the rifle regiments, but with the regimental badge in place of the stringed bugle. Similarly, this is still the regulation pattern for Guards officers to the present day.
Variations
Sergeant’s swords were similar to those for officers, but generally had undecorated blades and moulded brass, rather than fish-skin grips.Staff officers throughout most of the period carried a brass hilted sword, but with the crossed baton staff symbol in place of the royal cipher. Generals carried the same sword as their staff, until they were formally replaced by a Mameluke
Mameluke Sword
A Mameluke sword is a cross-hilted, curved, scimitar-like sword historically derived from sabres used by Mamluk warriors of Mamluk Egypt from whom the sword derives its name. It is related to the shamshir, which had its origins in Persia from where the style migrated to India, Egypt and North...
style sword in 1831.
External links
- Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection, Brown University Library 105 British military swords, dating from the 17th to the early 20th century from the Cyril Mazansky Collection, on permanent display at the Annmary Brown Memorial.