In "European Weapons and Armour," Oakeshott makes mention of :

"a hilt made in the same style as the "beaknose" hilt of the mid-seventeenth century, from a series of flat ribbon-like bars, which has a pair of long counter-curved quillons... This sword is in the National Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh."

I was wondering if anyone has seen or has a picture of this sword. I found a beaknose sword in George C. Neumann's "Swords and Blades of the American Revolution" that has very small snouts that look like diminished quillons. I have another picture of what looks like a ribbon hilt (no beak) with large counter curved quillons (I wonder if this is the sword Oakeshott is referring to).

If you have any information on Ribbon hilts with quillons please post.

Thanks

ks

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From Neumann's "Swords and Blades of the American Revolution" Overall length 96cm, blade length 83, blade width 27mm, weight 907grams

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Early Scottish Baskethilt with Quillons

This is likely it.

Sword, English or Scottish, late 16th century or early 17th century.

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National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland (LA[1966])
As published in Caldwell's, "Scottish Weapons & Fortifications 1100-1800"

Wow Nathan...

That was quick

Thanks

ks

thank you both for posting these excellent pics!
how do I find these books that you list?
do you have British Basket-Hilted Swords by Mazansky? i recently received it for a retirement gift and its excellent and very full of good information

LA 148/1966- Basket-hilt, late sixteenth or early seventeenth century ; basket-hilt of early form, with long countercurved quillons and a broad blade with three short flutes, inscribed ANDREA FERARA. The arms of the guard fit into a groove around the middle of the pommel. The quillon terminals resemble in shape those to be found on certain swords known to be English. (N.M.A.S.)-- Text, Plate # 16, 'Scottish Swords & Dirks', by John Wallace (1970). {Mazansky A15} -- Photos 1 & 2: Ron Luciano, 2003 , 3. Thomas McDonald, 2005.

Mac

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Here's a few more I snapped of that baskethilt. - Mac

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A front view of LA 148 (Photo: A15 from Mazansky's book, page 54.)

Also from the same book, A13 (page 52) of a flat barred ribbon style hilt from a Phillip's auction (Lot # 51163, Nov. '83)
that has a forward quillon extension.

Mac

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Many of these things were made and used on the border areas. They're often mated to imported German blades. They were used by people on both sides of the border. Given all this, I'm hesitant (and apparently authors are, too) to say that they're strictly Scottish.

Lyttleton Portrait, with hilt reconstruction, & LA148.
-Combined plates from: 'The Early Basket-Hilt in Britian', by Claude Blair.
* As pictured in David Caldwell's book "Scottish Weapons & Fortifications 1100-1800"

Mac

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A couple more quillioned ribbon hilts .... Mac

1.) Hilt, Scottish, possibly mid-17th century. -Geoffrey Jenkinson Collection
1:43, Culloden The Swords & the Sorrows, National Trust For Scotland, 1996.

2-4.) Scottish, early 17th century, West Highland style.
Plate 52, b-c, 'European Swords & Daggers in the Tower of London. A.R. Dufty, 1974.

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I shot this one, back in October, at the Hunterian Museum, Glasgow .

Mac

Photos: T. McDonald, 2005.

8. Basket-hilt sword
Said to have been used at Culloden. Scottish, Late 17th/Early 18th century.
* The blade is stamped with the mark(s) of Johannes Wundes, Solingen, 1560-1610 - Mac

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Hello all!
Excelent thread, and excellent photos!

I don't have Wallaces' book at hand, so I'm not sure of this, but doesn't he mention also that the ribbon hilts generally were of West Highland make???

Cheers,
Henrik

Basket-hilt, c. 1600 (LA 119)
-Plate 15. John Wallace, 'Scottish Swords & Dirks', 1970.

* I took a few good shots of this one, at the Culloden Visitors Center, and noticed that this photo in Wallace's book has air-brushed out part of the tang (sum 3/8") that sticks out beyond the capstan nut !

- Mac

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Here's a couple more for the thread.

The left hand hilt has had its quillons removed, but you can see that it's a ribbonhilt version of the SW11 pattern. Interesting that this one has some engraving as well.

The one on the right is another example of the "short quillon" ribbon; also Sw11 pattern.

As to nationality, I think that the earlier, long quillon versions are English. When the Scots adopted the ribbon construction is a good question. Certainly by the middle of the 1600s (?) there's portrait evidence of the Scottish ribbonhilt, but these don't show the earlier short quillon types. The Tower has one of these with a curved blade engraved "Edwardus Prinz Anglie" which I suppose you wouldn't expect to see on a Scottish weapon. Ribbonhilts, Sw11s, and thin bar English hilts all show up on English colonial sites in America from the first part of the 1600s, which raises the possibility that these are all English in origin, and not Scottish. But this is only a hypothesis, and it doesn't automatically exclude the possibility that the short quillon ribbons are Scottish in origin.

I guess that last paragraph muddled things nicely!

--ElJay

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Based on what I've read, which admittedly generally come in small passages in multiple places, I have the same opinion, ElJay.