Would a grip binding of plain cord (no leather wrap) have been used in Europe/Britain ca. 1300? If so, does anybody know if the cord would have been dyed/painted? I like the all-business look of the grip in Björn's article on the Alexandria Arsenal sword (see below,) but it's not clear if that's a later binding or a contemporary binding minus its original leather wrap. Any thoughts?

http://www.myArmoury.com/view.html?features/pic_alex1.jpg

That sword looks to have a wire-wrap to me, though the article does say it's cord-wrapped.