THE OFFICER’S VERSION of the basket hilt was more elaborate as would be expected and the extent of this upgrading was wholly dependent on the financial resources of the individual officer. British Army officers were expected to purchase both uniform, sword and equipment and at a time when public shows of wealth and status were regarded as normal, their swords were simply an extension of this societal norm.
The overall style of the officer’s basket hilt did not vary too much from the troopers’ versions, featuring large, multi-bar hilts and long, broadsword blades of backsword type, invariably undecorated (this would appear later in the Century) but it is in the decoration and overall quality of the sword, that we see marked differences. Hilt bars are frequently chiselled and more complex in their arrangement with sweeping, grooved bars exhibiting scalloped decoration.
A number of officers’ swords are virtually identical to Highland Scottish basket hilts but can be determined by the slightly thicker hilt bars and less graceful hilt panels that comprise arrowhead, heart-shaped and rounded piercings. They also have large oval openings that have been suggested were designed to allow the use of reins whilst holding the sword but this theory has been challenged in recent times.
© 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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