Hello. I am a newbie to this site and could really use some help. I inherited a reproduction (made in Spain?) of a supposed scottish long sword with trefoil terminations on the cross hilt (photo attached). Can you please provide any information/confirmation?
1) Did the Scots did in fact use swords with trefoil terminations such as on this sword? Is this an authentic repro?
2) Is is correct that such trefoils may be a rare variant and possibly precede the use of quatrefoils?
3) What is the estimated time period that such trefoil terminations were used? Approximate date of this sword used for this reproduction?
4) Is there any printed resource that could confirm such information?

Many thanks for your help.

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Highland long sword with trefoils [ Download ]

Robin,
Welcome to myArmoury.com. :) Your sword looks like a Deepeeka claymore (http://www.deepeeka.in/index.php?route=Scottish-Claymore-56.23556) minus the leather ricasso cover. It's not a terribly faithful reproduction of any particular sword and isn't very historic. The proportions are off, the shapes are off, and the weight is off. I know this because I used to have one. :)

Chad is correct. It is a Deepeeka-made sword which, while representative of the type, does not bear much resemblance to any historical two-handers associated with Scotland. The sword left their catalog a couple of years ago. It wasn't much of a sword although they make some which are a bit more authentic.

The question about trefoil versus quatrefoil is probably unanswerable. I do not recall ever seeing a two-hander with Scottish provenance with trefoils on the guards but that does not mean they did not exist. A relatively small number of Scottish two-handed swords survive.

Mass producers of historical swords don't always take great pains to make them authentic so I would take anything they produce and market as replicas of originals with a healthy dose of salt.

A photo of one of these swords as it was sold is attached.

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Thank you, Lin, for your thorough and timely response. I feel for my Dad who was sold such a sword as an authentic repro. Oh well.

Robin M.

It may well have been purchased in Spain. The touristic areas of Spanish cities are chock-full of stores selling cheap Asian-made swords at high prices for unwary visitors. In particular I spent an afternoon in Toledo a few years ago, and although the city is beautiful, the swords etc. for sale in the old city core did not do much to uphold its reputation as a renaissance center for fine bladesmithing. At least the ones I saw. Caveat emptor.

Did the Scott's use any two handers with parrying hooks? I don't recall any, but I believe they did use remounted German blades, any historical counterpart for those?

I wouldn't think so, but it would be interesting if they did.