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The British Infantry Officer's Sword · 1776 to 1815
by David Critchley
November 5, 2004
This article is an attempt to define the most common types of swords carried by British infantry Officers between the American Revolution and the introduction of the 1822 pattern.
Introduction
The British officer underwent a fundamental review of how he armed himself during both the Seven Years War and the War of Independence. The traditional (and official) arm of the Infantry officer during this period was not the sword but the spontoon, sometimes referred to as the espontoon or half pike and derived from the leading staff carried by (English)Civil War infantry officers. Although a weapon of sorts it was primarily a signaling device acting as a focal point for his troops on a smoke laden battlefield. This worked fine on the structured battlefields of Europe where the aftershocks of the Thirty Years War had given warfare an almost choreographed aspect, colonial conflicts proved to be a different matter all together.
Throughout this early period an officer had almost complete freedom in what sidearm he chose. Regimental colonels would dictate a pattern, but most often this was only expected to be adhered to when in dress or full dress, a sword for the field was very much an officer’s own affair. As a result enormous varieties exist.
1776 to 1786
The half and full basket hilted broadswords and backswords had always been popular with officers of both infantry and cavalry and this continued. So much so that a relatively shorter blade length (around 28” usually) is sometimes the only way of identifying infantry usage. However other hilts proliferated as well. The so called slotted hilt [Fig.1] is perhaps the most commonly found today, often fitted with a
short hanger blade. The pairing of this with a fusil or light musket (usually privately produced) rather than his official spontoon brought the officer more in line with the armament of his men.
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Officer’s hanger circa 1775 Slot hilt with side scrolls
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However other hilts also develop, the neo-classical so called “spadroon hilt” [Fig.2] emerges (although this is more accurately a blade description), as do hilts most closely resembling the later 1788 light cavalry sword with flat pommel and back strap, [Fig.3] and the heavy smallsword type that had been used by the Prussian infantry since the 1750s and would later be chosen as the 1796 pattern [Fig.4]. With all of these styles there are an infinite number of variants with or without sidebars, languets, grips in a variety of materials, hilts in gilt brass, steel and silver and fitted with both straight and curved hanger blades.
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Officer’s spadroon circa 1785
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Officer’s spadroon circa 1780
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The 1786 Blade Pattern
In 1786 Horseguards finally gave in and retired the spontoon as the official arm for officers. The 60th Foot or Royal Americans had ignored Horseguards and abandoned the spontoon as early as 1781. The sword description they issued as the regulation pattern to replace the spontoon has caused confusion ever since, for in effect it changed nothing.
The Regulation orders indeed do not describe a sword they describe a blade – a spadroon blade (1) and the choice of hilt was left to the Regiment. To the collector this is something of a nightmare as unless a particular sword has provenance or perhaps a silver hilt with hallmark there is no way of really telling a 1786 bladed sword from an earlier spadroon. In addition it would seem that in certain instances regiments simply ignored the new regulations. What is certain is that the most
commonly found infantry hilt for the whole period, the 1796 pattern, was being used long before 1786.
The 1796 pattern - "That Perfect Encumbrance"
The pattern that followed 10 years later in 1796 did much to rectify the situation in terms of uniform but did little to improve the quality of the weapon. The regulations clearly describe the familiar brass, shell hilted sword that survived until 1822. It seems surprising then that a sword with such a long history should have such a poor reputation.
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1796 Pattern Infantry Officer’s sword (1801 to 1816 Royal Arms on the blade)
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General Mercer, initially an artillery officer, would have us believe that the 1796 was the "perfect encumbrance" uncomfortable to wear and useless to fight with (2). The first was certainly true, many 1796's have the inner guard hinged (weakening the hilt) in an attempt to make it more comfortable and cause less wear to the uniform.
The blade was certainly less robust than many of the cavalry sabres of the period, but it had been the weapon of choice for a large number of officers for the previous 20 years, and the hilt gave better protection to the hand than many hilts coupled with the same blade in the 1780s.
Prussia had used a similar sword from 1750 for its infantry officers, but by the late 1790s the sword was seen as old fashioned and undesirable. In France the straight sword and especially the smallsword was becoming (post revolution) seen as symbolizing the old royalist regime, the martial sword and especially eastern style sabres were en vogue. In a country where French fashion still held sway despite the
conflict the 1796 pattern must have seemed very frumpish.
1796 Pattern Variants
The 1796 pattern had a long, if resented life, and despite it being a regulation pattern has a number of variants associated with it.
Firstly the guard, designed fixed, was most commonly fashioned to fold down against the blade on the near side, although I have owned examples where the guard folds up against the grip. In most cases this folding section is held with a leaf spring placed next to the tang internal to the guard, but there are examples where the leaf spring is screwed to the upper side of the counter guard. Some have a clip forward of the rear quillon, designed to lock the guard in the up position and hold it rigid. One example I have seen (on a sword with the guard folding towards the grip), had a slide integrated within the ferrule, directly above the grip and below the guard, which served to lock the guard in the up position. These guards are often referred to as battle guards and more often than not are coupled with robust spadroon blades.
Versions are sometimes encountered with copper or brass wire, silver foil, Ivory or ebony grips. Copper or brass wire grips (instead of the official silver wire) are an indication of one of two things. If the blade is plain without engraving and the hilt is plain without the acanthus leaf molding mainly on the quillon pommel and counter guard, then it is likely that the sword is the version ordered for sergeants
and senior NCOs. If there is a decorated blade or a decorated hilt, or the quality of the work suggests private purchase then the sword may well be earlier than the regulations and be representative of that variety of swords used before 1796. Often encountered are grips that instead of silver wire have sheet silver laid over a wooden core and embossed with a bound wire pattern.
By far the rarest are those with ivory or ebony grips. Again these could date from before 1796, but in at least one case this hilt is coupled with a blade with the post 1801 royal arms engraved upon it (3). These could of course represent senior officer’s swords or militia officer’s swords, however the fact that the grips are either black or ivory may mean they are Royal Marine officer’s swords. The naval
convention was for junior officers to wear dark hilts to their swords and senior officers to wear ivory, which makes this a credible theory.
With regard to blades, the lighter versions tend to have diamond cross section smallsword blades or on occasion trefoil blades, but more commonly the regulation spadroon type is found. It is worth noting however that the Royal Scots or 1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot Guards adopted a broadsword blade with a 1796 hilt variant that included the badge of the regiment on a fixed guard.
Infantry Dress Swords to 1796
Before 1796, dress swords are usually smallswords indistinguishable from civilian models in most cases, although regimental markings engraved on the hilt are sometimes found. I have seen at east 2 brass gilt hilted smallswords with Foot Guards regimental markings on the shells.
There are pattern 1796 swords with blades so delicate they can be nothing else but dress swords, however about the same time or perhaps a little earlier another sword appears that is obviously an alternative dress sword. Similar to the 1796 it has a flatter shell and forward quillon, usually highly decorated. These invariably have trefoil or slim diamond section smallsword blades. To the best of my knowledge there is no regulation covering this sword, but it seems to have been popular nonetheless, and may have been for use at Court.
The 1798 Highland Infantry Pattern
Unlike the Lowland infantry who traditionally used English patterns of sword, the Highland infantry had always carried basket hilted broadswords, but no particular pattern was specified until two years after the introduction of the 1796. In 1798 the Highland infantry officer was given a regulation basket hilted broadsword with a gilt brass basket. Blades vary but on average blades are 33 inches. Whether the Highland 1798 was widely adopted in practice is debatable, they are not a common sword to find. The Lowland infantry continued to follow the English regiments only adopting Scottish dress in the mid Victorian period.
The Infantry Sabre
As stated previously, for whatever reason the 1796 was never popular. This was particularly so in the grenadier and light infantry companies of regiments who thought of themselves as elites, and in the new “Experimental Rifle Corps”, (later to be the foundation for the Rifle Regiment). As a result a large number of infantry sabres come into existence about this time, many with classical, spadroon style hilts or hilts modeled on The 1796 Light Cavalry sabre, and bearing the flaming grenade device of the grenadiers or the hunting bugle of the light infantry.
As usual the 60th Foot (or Royal American Regiment) had gone their own way, as early as 1798 an inspection reports that the officers were in the habit of wearing brass hilted sabres. It seems the ERC followed suit adopting steel hilted sabres about the same time. It is likely that by 1800 most Light and Grenadier companies had also moved to wearing a sabre in contravention of regulations. Indeed there is evidence that suggests that the sword that was to form the basis for the 1803 pattern came into existence in one of the Foot Guard regiments even earlier as a silver hilted variant exists hallmarked to 1794 (4).
There are a number of unofficial patterns that are used at this time that are unique to single regiments such as those worn by the 23rd, 43rd,51st,52nd and 95th Foot. Details and illustrations of these can be found in “Robson” (5).
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Light Infantry Officer’s sabre circa 1800
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From a collecting point of view telling an unmarked infantry sabre from a light cavalry sabre is difficult. However, they usually have lighter, shorter blades (typically 28 inches) and where a scabbard exists it is typically leather rather than steel.
1803 Pattern
In 1803 Horseguards bowed to pressure and issued the regulations that describe what is now known as the 1803 pattern. Opinion is divided as to whether this sword was intended for all infantry officers or not although generally it is thought that it applied only to the Light and Grenadier companies of regiments. An ivory gripped version was ordered for General Officers.
The take up is uncertain however because it seems clear that many regimental officers also wore this pattern unofficially and at least one regiment the 28th Foot (6) took the regulations as an excuse to re arm all their officers in this pattern.
The enthusiasm is perhaps understandable; it is by far the most elegant of all infantry patterns. Based on the slot hilt, it incorporates the crowned GR royal cipher in the knucklebow (8), sometimes surmounted by the bugle or grenade if worn by light or grenadier company officers. A variant one may see from time to time is that used by the 1st (Royal) Regiment of Foot Guards who, as they had with the 1796 pattern, personalized the sabre by additionally building their badge into the hilt.
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1803 Pattern Officer’s sabre with unfullered deeply curved blade
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1803 Officer’s sabre with blade styled on the 1796 Light Cavalry pattern sabre
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Many of these swords have blades either modeled on the 1796 sabre blade or a deeply curved blade more reminiscent of the shamshir blades that were becoming so fashionable after Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign.
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Crowned G.R cipher on 1803 pattern hilt
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Conclusion
The 1796 and 1803 patterns remained in service until 1822 (when the brass hilted “gothic hilt” replaced them), and were carried through the longest period of warfare in modern times. It is worth noting however that throughout the period (and after), whilst patterns were established, officers were expected to equip themselves for the field at their own expense. Regimental custom, the latitude officers were given, the relatively wide manufacturing tolerances of the age and the propensity to use family blades (if not the whole weapon) mean that there will always be infantry swords that do not fit into any pre defined category.
References
(1) From the 1786 regulations: "...The officers of the Infantry Corps shall be provided with a strong, substantial, Uniform sword, the Blade of which is to be straight and made to cut and thrust;- to be 1 inch at least broad at the shoulder and 32 inches in length”. Public Records Office HO 50/380 and WO 3/26 p166
(2) Swords of the British Army: The Regulation Patterns 1788 to 1914 (Revised Edition) by Brian Robson. Published by The National Army Museum 1996. Pages 153-155.
(3) Sold at Wallis& Wallis. September 1983. Sale no. 287
(4) A.V.B.Norman A sword with a G.R. or “Guards hilt” in “The “Buffs” Regimental Museum Canterbury. Journal of the Arms and Armour Society. September 1998. Pages 3 – 11.
(5) Robson ibid.
(6) Redcoat Officer 1740 to 1815. by Stuart Reid. Published by Osprey 2002. Page 57
Bibliography
Swords of the British Army: The Regulation Patterns 1788 to 1914 (Revised Edition). Brian Robson. The National Army Museum 1996.
Redcoat Officer 1740 to 1815. Stuart Reid. Osprey 2002.
Swords and Blades of the American Revolution. G.C. Neumann. Rebel 1991.
Blades of Glory: Swords of the Scottish Infantry 1756-1900. S Wood. American Society of Arms Collectors Bulletin 72 Spring 1995.
London Silver Hilted Swords. L Southwick. Royal Armouries. 2001
Journal of the Arms and Armour Society 1953 to present.
Lyle Arms and Armour 1976 -1982.
Wallis and Wallis Auctioneers. Lewes. East Sussex. Sale Catalogues
About the Author
David Critchley is a UK civil servant who works in London. He has collected swords for over ten years, concentrating on British officer’s swords manufactured, worn and used during the reign of George III.
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