Some basic info from a thread I wrote here long ago –
These swords were discovered in 1973, dredged up from the mud of the Dordogne River. Eighty were recovered, many in bad condition, and most disappeared into private collections.
Oakeshott wrote a few paragraphs about them in Records of the Medieval Sword -
“That part of the Dordogne was the principal supply-route from the great English base at Bordeaux to the up-river castles which in the 1420s and 1440s were still precariously held by the English during the closing years of the Hundred Years’ War. They were evidently (or at least presumably) in a barge, which in some way was sunk, going up to Bergerac or Castillon with supplies.
“These were all fine-quality swords, but they were not new when they reached the mud of the river. All the good ones (most of which I have seen and handled) show unmistakable signs of wear – considerable wear, nicks in the edges and the irregularities caused by honing. The only assumption one can make upon the evidence so far examined is that they were used blades re-hilted by a contractor, maybe in England or perhaps in the Burgundian low countries.” (Records page 11)
Below is a photo (seen on myArmoury a number of times) of a number of the Castillon Swords. Anyone who wants to put up and compare more photos of the originals and their modern versions, please do so. If anyone has a photo or information about the third sword from the right, the XVa with the V2 pommel (Records XVa.5), I’d sure like to see it.
Many of these swords have already appeared on this forum, but it would be fun to put them all together in one thread.
Attachment: 39.09 KB
