Manning Imperial Type XXa Longsword
Original: Circa 1425-50
The
Oakeshott Type XX family of swords is a rarely reproduced type. This Manning Imperial is inspired by XXa.1 in Oakeshott's book
Records of the Medieval Sword. The ricasso and triple fullers on this drastically tapering blade are very well executed, making for a very thrust-oriented piece. The blade becomes just subtly thicker about an inch from the tip to reinforce it, showing this is a sword designed for dealing with armoured opponents. The edge geometry is not very acute, making a sword that is very stiff for the thrust but only just sharp enough for full-fledged strikes. Slices with this would only really work against exposed skin such as on gloveless hands and would be almost useless even against cloth, but since this appears to be a sword focused on the armoured opponent this isn’t a concern. Due to the edge geometry it is also a sword that can comfortably be used with half-sword techniques barehanded.
It is very lightweight and is easily maneuvered, especially in winding actions, where the tip almost wants to move naturally into place. Despite being a blade dedicated to thrusting, it still feels very natural on the strike. One just has to keep in mind that strikes will not cut so easily against heavily padded areas but will still provide serious impact injury.
The sword was hand-forged and the blade shows some very tiny pits left over from the forging process. This does not detract from the appearance but rather gives the piece a nice organic appeal. The fittings are very well made and the grip is wood covered in stitched purple leather over cord.
See our
hands-on review for more information on this sword.
Overall length: 44"
Weight: 2.9 pounds
Width of guard: 10.25"
Blade: 35.5" long; 1.75" wide tapering to .25"
Grip length: 8"
Point of Balance (PoB): 4" from guard
Center of Percussion (CoP): ~22.5" from guard
Maker:
Manning Imperial of Redan, Australia.
This item has been retired from the collection.
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