C.1800’s British Non-Regulation Naval Cutlasses/Hangers

THE VARIETY OF NON-REGULATION NAVAL CUTLASSES produced during the 19th Century is quite large and many sword making companies chose to manufacture a range of cutlasses that they hoped to sell to both the Royal and Merchant Navy.  The Royal Navy also adapted a number of non-naval swords for use as cutlasses, particularly when supplies of pattern swords were not available or financial constraints meant that they had to look to existing stocks of obsolete patterns that could be utilised.  An example of this is the conversion (in 1842) of the 1796 Pattern Heavy Cavalry Trooper’s Sword.  A large order was required for new cutlasses and the Board of Ordnance went to the Birmingham sword makers to fulfill this requirement.  No order for sword blades from the Navy had been placed since 1816 and by 1842, most of the old sword makers had simply disappeared or moved onto other work.  This meant looking elsewhere and it was discovered that 12,000 of the old heavy cavalry trooper’s pattern was in storage and so they were converted by shortening the blades and replacing the hilt, although some examples do exist where the hilt was also retained. 

Other styles of non-regulation cutlasses include examples with large iron or steel hilts with prominently ribbed metal grips and later 19th Century variations of the 1804 Pattern Naval Seaman’s Cutlass.

© 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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