British P1804 Naval Cutlass -- myArmoury.com

Shahril Dzulkifli · Posted: Sat 22 Mar, 2008 9:14 am Post subject: British P1804 Naval Cutlass

What do I have here is a scarce British P1804 Naval Cutlass dating from the Napoleonic era in its original scabbard. The condition is excellent with a very clean blade. No markings present to blade. The scabbard is made from black lacquered iron with brass mounts while the blade's length is 30 inches (35 inches overall).

Anders Backlund · Posted: Sat 22 Mar, 2008 11:42 am Post subject:

One thing I notice with cutlasses like this is the lack of a pommel. Is there any practical reason for this or was it just a way to make production of the weapon easier and cheaper?

D Critchley · Posted: Sat 22 Mar, 2008 4:05 pm Post subject:

With the 1804 it's a cheapness thing Anders. The grip which is iron wrapped around a wooden core gives the cutlass a very different feel to a sword or sabre, and they are only 28-29 inches long anyway.
It really is an exercise in creating the cheapest blade possible. Flat heavy unfullered blade and sheet iron hilt painted black to cut down on corrosion. Very few were even supplied with scabbards, most were kept in arms chests.

We sent a lot to Bernadotte, it's not uncommon to find examples with the Swedish crown rather than the Georgian one.

The one above is a nice example, mine is a lot more worn than that. T

The scabbard however is later, those that were officially supplied were leather with brass fittings, but `as this pattern of cutlas was used in the RN until the 1840s it, or indeed the whole cutlass may be Victorian.
David

Shahril Dzulkifli · Posted: Sun 23 Mar, 2008 7:29 am Post subject: British P1804 Naval Cutlass

Critchley, who is this Bernadotte? I would like to know.

Anders Backlund · Posted: Sun 23 Mar, 2008 7:54 am Post subject: Re: British P1804 Naval Cutlass

Thanks for the info, Critchley. Very informative. Happy

Kjell Magnusson · Posted: Sun 23 Mar, 2008 11:54 am Post subject: Re: British P1804 Naval Cutlass

D Critchley · Posted: Sun 23 Mar, 2008 3:08 pm Post subject:

No I mean Jean Baptiste Bernadotte. Sorry for being imprecise, I tend to think of him as a French Marchal, rather than King of Sweden and Norway .

According to my reference Kjell (Annis and May's Swords for Sea Service) Prior to 1846 the Swedish Navy used the 1804. Swedish naval instructions issued in 1832 describe the British 1804 (with a 28" blade). It is replaced in 1846 with a curved falchion type blade and simple knucklebow hilt.

Britain provided Sweden with both 1804 pattern cutlasses and 1796 light cavalry sabres as we did Prussia, Portugal and Spain from about 1809 until 1814.

On May 30th 1804 when the first 10,000 were ordered by the Board of Ordinance from the Birmingham cutler Henry Osborn they cost 4 shillings and 10 pence each. Scabbards were 2 shillings and 3 pence.

We still have BoO records that give details of 49000 cutlasses being manufactured over a 10 year period, and there are still more orders referred to with no numbers attached.

A lot of them had their blades rounded off and used as training cutlasses after the pattern was superceeded.

Shahril Dzulkifli · Posted: Mon 24 Mar, 2008 9:38 am Post subject: Re: British P1804 Naval Cutlass

Below is a British P1804 Naval Cutlass with a crowned royal cypher etched on its blade. The etching can be seen on the bottom photo.

D Critchley · Posted: Mon 24 Mar, 2008 2:10 pm Post subject:

That is a rather crude representation of the George IV cypher by the look of it.

Shahril Dzulkifli · Posted: Wed 26 Mar, 2008 5:50 am Post subject: British P1804 Naval Cutlass

To be honest, this cutlass was used by Admiral Nelson's navy during battle.

D Critchley · Posted: Wed 26 Mar, 2008 6:09 am Post subject:

Not the above example with the George IV marking on though.
Onlya few thousand 1804s were in circulation by 1805 most of the cutlasses in use during Nelson's lifetime were the previous pattern with the narrower fullered blade and smooth grip.