BEFORE 1788, British cavalry regiments did not carry a universal regulation sword and the provision of swords to troopers was under the behest of the regimental Colonel, who was free to choose whatever sword he preferred, whether British or foreign. He was given an allowance from the Board of Ordnance to clothe and equip his regiment and consequently a great variety of swords existed in the British Army, varying in style and quality. The temptation to abuse this freedom of choice (and subsequently pocketing a substantial profit) led to the provision of poor quality weapons, particularly swords. This resulted in a number of occasions when soldiers lost their lives unnecessarily because their swords simply failed in battle, most notably during the American Revolutionary War. Lessons learnt from this conflict led to a consensus of belief that some kind of regulation of swords was required. In 1787, a Board of General Officers was set up to examine the requirements for cavalry swords in the British Army. With regards to heavy cavalry trooper swords, the following recommendations were made:
“That the Hilts of the Swords for the Regiments of Dragoon Guards and Dragoons should be half basket, the same form as those of the 6th or Inniskilling Regiment of Dragoons;- The Grip, from the Guard to the point of the Button, to be Seven Inches and five Eighths. – The Blades to be three Feet three Inches from the Guard to the Point;- The Breadth of the Blade at the Shoulder to be One Inch and five twelfths, – and the Back (of the blade) to be three Eighths of an Inch thick, and to finish about fourteen inches from the Point.”
The trooper’s “half basket hilt” (this is how it was officially described although some surviving examples exhibit basket hilts that are more enclosed) is wrought iron or steel and typically plain, with the grip covered in leather or fishskin and bound with brass wire. Hilt bars are flattened or slightly rounded and pommels tend to be of ovoid style.
Blades were straight, normally flat-backed, with single fullers and spear points. They were sourced from both abroad (Germany) and English sword makers. It was at this time that a fierce debate began as to the quality of British and German sword blades, with British makers insisting on tests to prove their superiority.
© Harvey Withers Military Publishing, 2024
Taken from The British Sword – From 1600 to the Present Day – An Illustrated History by Harvey J S Withers – 12,000 full colour photographs – 884 pages
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