An English Civil War Period Mortuary Sword Circa 1640-1660

To enquire about this item
please click here

Price: £4,250

Ref: 42112707

Item Description

An attractive English “Mortuary” sword with a pierced and chased hilt dating to the middle part of the 17th century and the English Civil War and Protectorate periods.

The hilt is of typical form consisting of a broad boat-shaped guard plate from which three curved primary guard bars, the knuckle bow and two side guard bars, extend upwards ending in flattened angled terminals screwed through eyelets into the pommel with loop headed screws. Two downward facing secondary guard bars emanate from each side of the knuckle bow near its middle and join the base of each side guard bar to strengthen the structure.

The guard plate is covered with chiselled decoration to the outside consisting of a roundel surrounding the tang aperture engraved with foliage. The roundel is surrounded by a band pierced and chiselled inside with wigged heads at each quarter separated by pierced designs of foliage and the heads of beasts. This is surrounded by a plain band. The upturned prow of the guard plate is chiselled with scales. The secondary guard bars to the front are chiselled with simple linear features to the middles. The pommel is globular in shape and has an integral button on top and a  pronounced flared neck beneath. It is also chiselled with four wigged heads separated by foliate panels.

The spirally grooved wooden grip is wrapped with different thicknesses of twisted steel wire and has steel woven “Turks’ Heads mounted top and bottom. The grip base sits on an iron flanged plug mounted onto the inside of
the guard plate from which two langets extend through the tang aperture to flank the blade either side for a short distance from the hilt.

The single-edged blade has a pronounced ricasso extending for 1.5 inches (4 cm)  from the hilt. At the front a deep narrow fuller runs from the hilt underneath the blunt edge of the ricasso on the cutting side of the blade. At the back a fuller runs from the hilt underneath the spine of the blade to a distance of 7 inches (18 cm) from the tip after which the blade is double edged. A further broad shallow fuller runs from the end of the ricasso along the middle of the blade to its tip.

A Blade Maker’s stamp of a crown over a crest is applied to one side of the blade in the ricasso. A short distance from the ricasso two counter facing orb and cross marks are applied inside the shallow middle fuller. Between these stamped at the diagonal in capital letters is “CLEMENS” with “SOLIGEN” beneath and “MEFECIT” with “SOLIGEN” beneath enhanced by scrolled engraving.  Clearly the blade was made in Solingen by a bladesmith called Clemens. Solingen in Germany was an important manufacturer of blades for use in the English Civil War and huge numbers were imported into Britain during this period for use by both Royalist and Parliamentarian sides.

The blade is 32.75 inches long (83 cm) and overall the sword is 39 inches (99 cm) long.

For further examples of Mortuary swords see Stuart C Mowbray’s “British Military Swords”, Mowbray Publishing, 2013, in the section dedicated to Mortuary Swords, pages 178 to 225. And see Cyril Mazansky, British Basket Hilted Swords, Boydell Press 2005, Chapter 11, pages 233 to 280.

The sword is in good original condition overall with some light “salt and pepper” pitting to the blade. The hilt is firm and in good shape with a couple of small minor cracks and slight damage to one of the pommel screws and one of the eyelets.