:?:
Hi,

I am looking for pictures of the XVth swords found in the river Dordogne in the 1970's. Mr Oakeshott often referred to this find. Some were well preserved.
Clearly, I don't need pictures of the supposed reproductions of these swords. I would like pictures of the real ones !
If someone can help, I would appreciate.

All the best.

Hervé le gascon

Salut

Another one here :

http://www.hermann-historica.de/auktion/hhm50...b=A-50.txt

Not in my financial reach, I fear.

I strongly suggest the following book:

[ Linked Image ]
Blankwaffen/Armes blanches/Armi bianche/Edged weapons
by Karl Stuber, Hans Wetter (editors)

It contains an article by Ewart Oakeshott entitled "A River-Find of 15th Century Swords" that describes a series of swords found in a sunken barge from the Dordogne River near Castillon-la-Battaille.

The article is followed up in "Further Notes on a River-Find of 15th Century Swords" in the Park Lane Arms Fair Catalogue I (1984). Even more info is available in an article "The Swords of Castillon" from the Park Lane Arms Fair Catalogue 10 (1993).

And, of course, one can find even more info scattered in Oakeshott's Records of the Medieval Sword.

I do own one of the swords, but it is not in particularly good shape. The quillons are missing and it is heavily corroded. The one thing that had weathered well is the wood. Most of the scabbard is still clinging to the blade and the wooden handle is present. It is a very long, stiff sword, obviously made to penetrate armour.

Here are photos of 17 of the swords from the Dordogne River near Castillon-la-Battaille. These are amongst the some 80 or so swords found scattered throughout the find. The variety of items and sheer size of this find makes it important.

The lot is divided into two groups of similar swords with two additional ungrouped swords. Items in Group A are all single-handed swords with stout blades and wheel pommels. Group B contains swords that are more proportioned for hand-and-a-half use, having a longer tang/grip and longer, more slender blades. They are all Type XV or Type XVIII (or one of their subtypes).

The remaining two swords include a large two-hander and a shorter single-hander with a rare spherical pommel of Oakeshott Type R form.

These swords are now scattered throughout various collections of the world but mostly rest within private collections.

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Swords from the Dordogne River near Castillon-la-Battaille
Large two-hander (115cm blade)
Smaller one-hander (62.5cm blade) with spherical pommel

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Swords from the Dordogne River near Castillon-la-Battaille
Groups A + B (15 of 17 swords)

In a word:

Wow! :eek:

Thanks for those picturres, Nathan. I've never seen so many of the Castillon swords together before.

The museum I am at has one of the castillon swords. I have some pictures but it may take some time to locate them. I will post it once found,

RPM

I've edited the Post Above to better describe the Dordogne/Castillon find.

It now shows 17 swords from the find, including two that are quite unlike the rest including a large two-hander and a very small one-hander with a rare spherical (Oakeshott Type R) pommel.

Russ,

I have never heard it was found but I have a picture or drawing of Talbot's effigy. That perhaps could be the link,

RPm

Russ,

John Talbot was a reall interesting person. I will never understand the charge of castillon... I get tired of hearing as it was the great victory of the gun... gee the poor guy charges a fortified camp and is out numbered 3 to 1 by just the french archers! Victory of the cannon,hah poor guy, he must have thought he knew something the french didn't. I Pm'd you two pictures of the effigy (I hope, could not figure out how to post them on the board, perhaps my connection is just to slow?)

RPM

ignore that the pictures are too big...

RPM

Attached are Randal's photos:

"Here is the effigy. This is from the Victoria and Albert Casts collections.

John Talbot born c 1390-1453"

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Very cool. Thanks Nathan!

Hey Russ

I think, if I remeber correctly, that Ewart says one sword above the rest in the find was exceptionally fine and one could imagine that Talbot himself could have welded it as a warrior of such stature would almost certainly have a sword as fine as money could buy. It may have been illustartive of the quality of the swords feel than the actuall attribution to the lord as the owner of the sword. This is off the top of my memory so I will try and check and make sure that it is what I stated above. :-)

Craig