As Usual, The Lanes Armoury, Effectively Britain’s Best Antique Museum Shop and Gallery, Is Not Open This Bank Holiday Monday! 25th August

This Saturday, we had pass through our doors somewhere between 2,000 to 2,500 visitors, and, as usual, just about every one most kindly expressed we were probably the most interesting and incredible shop they had ever seen. And so many continually remarked we are not really a regular shop, we are far more like a museum and gallery, that happens to be a shop as well!. As literally, every single thing we show and offer for sale, is an incredible piece of history, and many pieces they have never before even seen, let alone offered for sale, anywhere else in the country.

One very polite young man said on Saturday afternoon
“ where else in the world can you buy an arrowhead, fired by Alexander the Great’s army, for £65, sitting next to a gold fob chain, in the shape of a Zeppelin, given by the former captain and survivor, of doomed Luftschiffer airship, The Hindenburg, to a colleague in the RAF.”

However, although closed Monday, we wil re-open for our thousands of personal visitors and customers, this Tuesday as usual, but we are always contactable by email, or on 07721 010085 during our closing hours this Bank Holiday..

All website activity carries on 24-7 as usual .

Why not choose an ancient or antique original collectable for your loved one, or even you! Every day we try our utmost to supply all our customers with that something really special and unique, and as usual we believe have some simply amazing offerings, thousands of them from all over the world, from ancient to vintage, and every one a little part of history.
All our items supplied with our unique lifetime guarantee of authenticity, detailing its full history as known. The Lanes Armoury is proud to be known, as declared by many of our thousands of daily visitors, as their most favourite shop in all Great Britain!

Enjoy The Lanes Armoury Website, it Has Been Over 100 Years in the Making.

Probably the only shop in Europe where you can view, and buy, original collectables from over 300,000 years of human history, from almost every major civilisation

"Gloria Antika" { translated, from the Latin, ‘Glory of the Antique’} our old family motto, and it has been for generations, are words we live buy every, single, day.  read more

Code: 24909

A Most Rare Antique Museum Piece. A Glorious Victorian 'Albert Pattern' Helmet Of The First Hertfordshire Light Horse Volunteers, Formed in 1862. Only 98 Of These Helmets Were Ever Made & And It Is Likely Barely a Handfull Still Survive Intact Today

Formerly, from one of the most important, private, original, antique helmet collections in the country. {Details provided for the next owner}

The Hertfordshire Light Horse, more formally the Hertfordshire Yeomanry, was a yeomanry cavalry regiment of the British Army with a long history dating back to the late 18th century, the "Light Horse" name refers to Victorian volunteer unit the First Hertfordshire Light Horse Volunteers formed in 1862. Very rare helmet indeed, in that only 98 of these amazing helmets of this Victorian cavalry regiment were ever made between 1862 to around 1878. This incredible example is in singulary fine museum quality condition. Especially so as it is around 165 years old, and despite the Hertfordshire cavalry has a long and distinguished history, their distinctive, name the Hertfordshire {Herts for short} Light Horse, only lasted for around 16 years. Hence the incredible rarity of this amazingly beautiful helmet.

The Albert helmet is a type of dragoon helmet introduced by the British military in the 19th century. The helmet was developed by queen Victorias husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha in 1842, and was first introduced for service with the Household Cavalry in 1843. The helmet was introduced to other heavy cavalry units in the British Empire in 1847.

The Albert helmet was developed by, and named for, Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria in 1842. It was a metal helmet based on those worn by cavalry in the Prussian Army. It was adopted by the Household Cavalry, where it replaced the bearskin-crested 1822 pattern helmet, from 1843 and by other heavy cavalry regiments from 1847.

The Albert helmet was metal (gilt with silver fittings for officers and brass with white metal fittings for other ranks). It was surmounted with a spike from which a hair plume was attached. The plumes varied.

The Hertfordshire Yeomanry served in numerous conflicts, including the Second Boer War, the First World War (notably in Gallipoli and Palestine), and the Second World War. Its lineage continues today within the British Army's Royal Anglian Regiment and Royal Artillery through units like 201 (Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Yeomanry) Battery.

The 1/1st Hertfordshire Yeomanry was the active service unit formed by the Hertfordshire Yeomanry during World War I. It was sent to garrison Egypt and then served dismounted in the Gallipoli Campaign. On return to Egypt it was engaged in the Senussi Campaign in the Western Desert. The regiment was then split into independent squadrons acting as divisional cavalry to different infantry divisions. These served in Palestine, on the Western Front and in Mesopotamia, where one of its squadrons were the first troops to enter Baghdad. Later in the war two of the squadrons fought alongside each other in XXI Corps Cavalry Regiment during the final victory in Palestine and the advance into Syria, while the other operated with the North Persia Force and on peacekeeping duties in India.

In WW1 the Herts Cavalry fought between 31 August 1914–August 1919 at Gallipoli and including the specific battles at:
Raid on the Suez Canal
Battle of Scimitar Hill
Senussi Campaign
Battles of Gaza
Second Battle of Kut
Capture of Baghdad
Battle of Megiddo
Battle of Sharon
Advance into Syria
North Persia

Some section fought mounted, others, dismounted

Photos in the gallery of the Herts cavalry volunteers in the Victorian period, and one of the Herts in the Sinai in 1915 the Bikarner Camel Corps.

A few minor bruises to the silvered skull.  read more

Code: 25888

A Yemeni Jambiya A Stunning WW1 Yemeni 'Lawrence of Arabia's' Favoured Pattern of Jambiya

Just returned from over 30 hours of specialist hand conservation to clean and conserve the whole dagger, and a remarkable result has been achieved, but it was simply a labour of love, as it's stored condition was most sad indeed. Likely this intriguing piece was acquired from a souk in Arabia sometime after the war.
Very similar to Lawrence of Arabia's jambiya when he was serving in WW1 in the Turkish Campaign in Arabia. The word jambiya actually means “something worn at one’s right side” (from the triliteral root j-n-b). Lawrence of Arabia had several very similar ones presented to him, they were his favourite dagger, and he was frequently photographed wearing them. One picture is a portrait of Lawrence with his Jambiya, most similar to this example. photo for historical context information only and not included It is made from silver metal, but usually, more often than not, coin silver, certainly not English hallmarked silver. The jambia, a curved Islamic dagger, is the main customary accessory to the clothing worn by Arabian men. For centuries the people of South Arabia have inherited the their jambiahs from generation to generation. There are several theories about the origin of the Jambia. There are historical facts, concerning the existence of the Jambia revealing that it used to be worn at Sheban times, in the Himiarite kingdom. They take the statue of the Sheban king (Madi Karb 500 bc ) as proof. This statue, which was discovered by an American mission in Marib in the 1950s, was found to be wearing a Jambia.

Reference; a Lanes Armoury *Special Conservation* Item, restored and conserved in our workshop, see info page for details on our conservation principles.  read more

Code: 24682

A Rare & Beautiful, French, Napoleonic Wars Era, Consular Guard, Then, Imperial Guard, Silver Mounted Sword. A 'Sabre d'Officier Superieur a Monture a L'Orientale', With French Napoleonic Nationale Maker Inscription, Coulaux et Cie, Circa 1801

A sword of the French Napoleonic era, pre imperial period, but later in use, after Napoleon's coronation as Emperor, for the Imperial Garde, likely for general or colonel of the regiment. A 'Sabre d'Officier Superieur a Monture a L'Orientale'. A delightful Napoleonic wars sword, from the early 19th century, with most rare, stunning, all silver mounts, beautifully engraved throughout, inspired from nimcha swords and workmanship on captured swords from the Mamelukes, that fought against, and then latterly for, Napoleon, at the Battle of The Nile in the late 1790’s.

When Napoleon returned from his Egypt campaign the Ancient Egyptian style became all the rage in Paris, and indeed London. Influencing everything from furniture, to object d’art. And the Mameluke’s style of weaponry made a major influence of sword design for both England and France. So much so, the British General Officer’s Mameluke style sabre is still the current service use sword for generals today, modelled on the swords brought back to London by Nelson after his Egypt campaign.

This sword and it distinctive hilt is a French version of Nimcha North African sword style. A style of sword that the Revolutionary French adopted for the official sword of a Representative of the People, from the Le Directoire Period, just before Napoleon's Coup of 18 Brumaire {in November 1799.} after his return from the Battle of The Nile in 1798.

The blade is inscribed Manufacture Nationale, Coulax, this date marking for Coulax was from 1801 to around 1806. It is curved, but straighter, somewhat akin to an officer's sword of the French elite heavy cavalry, rather than an officer using more usual more curved light cavalry sabre. Twin parallel fullered blade, with one very narrow, the other wide.

After Napoleon's Egypt Campaign, that ended in 1801, many Napoleonic officer's adopted the so-called oriental mounted swords captured from the Egyptian Marmalukes that eventually became part of Napoleon's Imperial Garde. These swords, in their turn, were captured by the British and similarly adopted as a form of highly favoured officers sword. In fact the mamaluke sabre became the British General's pattern sword that is still in use today.
Several of these specific swords were part of a Sotheby's Napoleonic Wars auction in Monaco in 1990, titled "Belles Armes Anciennes Casques et Objects Militaires". In 1803, the Mamluks were organized into a company attached to the Chasseurs a Cheval of the Imperial Guard.

Mamluks fought well at Battle of Austerlitz on December 2, 1805 and the regiment was granted a standard.

With the First Restoration, the company of the Mamluks of the Imperial Guard was incorporated into the Corps Royal des Chasseurs de France. The Mamluks of the Young Guard were incorporated in the 7th Chasseurs a Cheval. The Napoleonic period was an extremely complicated time. Moral right and wrong are hard to distinguish: Napoleon was a dictator, but not a particularly evil one. He encouraged many developments we today consider quite positive. The Napoleonic Wars were instigated by France, but each nation fought to protect and expand its own national interest. The wars were punctuated by constantly shifting alliances. Sometimes Prussia fought France, and sometimes it was neutral. Austria, led by the crafty Metternich, tried to improve relations with France towards the end the Napoleonic era. Russia initially opposed Napoleon, then sided with him, and then turned against him again. The only constant through the fifteen years of Napoleon's rule was the continued enmity between England and France. Napoleon was intensely jealous of our successful trade with all Europe and thus instigated a complete scheme to deny trade with Britain throughout Europe. Ironically the two most famous and successful dictators of modern Europe, both Napoleon and Hitler, are famously known to have met with the dramatic reversal of their fortunes entirely through invading Russia, not because of inferior military tactics of both the invaders, but simply because Russia is so large, and the winters so severe, that logistical issues become unsolvable, and thus, resulting in both their ultimate downfall

Yet, in both cases, the wealth, resources and stubborn determination of the British played a major role in their eventual downfall. Despite Britain's comparatively small population and territorial base, it alone among European countries was able to fight Napoleon nonstop {except for the short Peace of Amiens from 1802-1803,} Britain was at war with France from 1793-1815, while other states alternated between war, peace, and various alliances with France. As it was with Britain and its Commonwealth, being alone at war with Hitler for the war period of 1939 to 1941. With America and Russia only joining the fight years later, but only once Hitler foolishly declared war on them first.

The sword overall has the usual signs of period age wear and contemporary close combat use, the blade is stunningly bright polished in good condition for age, with small areas of old pitting, mostly at the tip. Quillon finial lacking to one side.  read more

Code: 25886

A Museum Grade Example. A Stunning, Solid Silver Slotted-Hilt British Napoleonic Wars Cavalry Officer's Sabre 1796.-1803. It Is Exceptionally Rare To Ever See a Solid Silver Hilted Version of the Napoleonic Wars Period Light Dragoon Officer’s Sabre.

It is possible there may not even be another similar quality example like it in the National Army Museum Collection, which is one of England's finest military museums, located next to the world renown Chelsea Hospital, home to the most highly regarded military veterans in the world, the Chelsea Pensioners.

The sabre has a traditional version of the 1803 type Lion's head pommel, slotted hilt, with spiral turned ebony grip, with silver triple wire binding, and two silver rivets. Within the 1803 pattern, slotted hilt, it has a fretted, open diamond form insert.

It has a fabulous, bright, and near mint condition long, curved, traditional 1796 pattern light dragoon blade but with a most rare clipped-back tip.

In overall superb condition this is most rare example of a bespoke hussar or dragoon officer's sword used by an officer serving under Wellington in the great light cavalry regiments, but as this sword bears a solid silver hilt this would suggest it was an officer of considerable status and rank, or, it was a presentation sword of highest quality.

A deluxe bespoke sword, designed as a cross between the British 1796 Light Dragoon pattern p hilted sword and the British 1803 pattern sword with lion's head pommel and slotted hilt.

Until just after the close of the war with Napoleon all British officers were allowed to wear a sword pattern of their choice, and this example is a most rare and beautiful example of such a hand made bespoke sword from the late 18th to earliest 19th century. Used by a British officer, as his finest top quality grade combat sword, during the Napoleonic Wars.

The mounted swordsmanship training of the British emphasised the cut, at the face for maiming or killing, or at the arms to disable. This left masses of mutilated or disabled troops; the French, in contrast, favoured the thrust, which gave cleaner kills. A cut with the 1796 LC sabre was, however, perfectly capable of killing outright, as was recorded by George Farmer of the 11th Regiment of Light Dragoons, who was involved in a skirmish on the Guadiana River in 1811, during the Peninsular War:
"Just then a French officer stooping over the body of one of his countrymen, who dropped the instant on his horse's neck, delivered a thrust at poor Harry Wilson's body; and delivered it effectually. I firmly believe that Wilson died on the instant yet, though he felt the sword in its progress, he, with characteristic self-command, kept his eye on the enemy in his front; and, raising himself in his stirrups, let fall upon the Frenchman's head such a blow, that brass and skull parted before it, and the man's head was cloven asunder to the chin. It was the most tremendous blow I ever beheld struck; and both he who gave, and his opponent who received it, dropped dead together. The brass helmet was afterwards examined by order of a French officer, who, as well as myself, was astonished at the exploit; and the cut was found to be as clean as if the sword had gone through a turnip, not so much as a dint being left on either side of it" The blade is remembered today as one of the best of its time and has been described as the finest cutting sword ever manufactured in quantity. No scabbard  read more

Code: 25887

A Beautiful 18th to 19th Century Ottoman Shamshir or Killij. With Traditional Carved Horn Hilt

A form of sword that is actually known around the world by at least three different names, the kilij, shamshir and mamaluke.

Picture in the gallery of Napoleon Bonaparte in Egypt carrying his identical form of kilij/shamshir. A sturdy curved single edged steel blade of kilij form. A hilt comprised of a grip with horn grip-scales rising to a bulbous pommel in a characteristic Turkish Ottoman style, set with rivets and enclosed by fluted brass straps, with a gilt metal crossguard. The wooden scabbard is covered in leather stamped with geometric patterning/

The horn grip is very good and, the scabbard is good with impressed patterning.

Many old Turkish and Mameluke blades were constantly remounted and used for a few hundred years and were passed from father to son and were used by the next generations, hence swords made earlier were still used after hundreds of years. The overall length with the scabbard is approximately:


Examples of similar forms of Ottoman swords can be seen in the Topkapi Sarayi Museum Istanbul and also in the Askeri Museum Istanbul Turkey. The kilij sword was mainly favoured by the famous Turkish Ottoman elite cavalry Sipahi, but was also very popular in many Balkan states and some Eastern European countries such as Poland, Ukraine, and Hungary and parts of the Russian Empire.

See Islamic Swords and Swordsmiths by Unsal Yucel, "Les armes blanches du monde islamique" by Alan Jacob and "Armies of the Ottoman Turks 1300-1774" by David Nicolle. Mamelukes are members of a former military caste originally composed of slaves from Turkey, that held the Egyptian throne from the mid thirteenth century to the early 1500s. They remained strong until 1811.

Regency fashion took inspiration from everything Mameluke, from swords to clothing. Many British generals and admirals took to wearing the Kilij or mamluke, and in France, Napoleon's general's did very much the same. The origins of the Mamluke originate from the slave soldiers who converted to Islam and served the Muslim caliphs and the Ayyubid Sultans during the Middle Ages. Over time, they became a powerful military caste often defeating the Crusaders. On more than one occasion, they seized power for themselves; for example, ruling Egypt in the Mamluk Sultanate from 1250–1517.Initially the Mamelukes were mostly Qipchaq Turks from the steppe lands north of the Black Sea but from 1382 onwards the rulers were mostly Circasians from the Caucasus. Though Mameluke politics were marked by intrigue and violence, the regime was very successful. Militarily they were the only power able to defeat the Mongols, at the battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, and they put an end to the crusader occupation of the Holy Land with the conquest of Acre in 1291. Both economically and culturally, Mameluke rule was the most successful period in the history of medieval Egypt. The Mamelukes remained a force to be reckoned with until their defeat by Napoleon at the battle of the Pyramids in 1798.

34.75 inches long in scabbard
Sword 34 inches long.  read more

Code: 25291

An Incredibly Rare French Naval, Sabre D'Officier De Marine Model Prairelle An XII 1804. Officer's Sword, Most Likely Surrendered or Captured At Trafalgar in 1805. Possibly Even From the Redoutable or Bucentaure

Overall in very good condition for age, very tight and sound with no looseness, yet with commensurate wear for its age, considering its use as a hand to hand combat sword in the service of their emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

It has a very finely engraved blade with feint traces of blue and gilt, and usual age and surface wear overall.
Almost all of the senior French naval officers at Trafalgar could have carried a sword just as this, and this sword may even have been likely surrendered at Trafalgar itself. Its official title is; Sabre d'officier du Marine, modele de Prairal an XII of 1804. Scabbard throat mount beautifully decorated with a Mermaid, with two tails and modest skirt, as was the identifying feature on a naval officer's sabre of the prairial model. The reverse side of the scabbard has a design of a pattern of the constellation of the stars.

It was by formal decree, dated the 7th of Prairial of the year XII May 28, 1804, that the French First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte approved the creation of the model of this stunning sabre. This is such a rare sword they are almost impossible to find, even in museums.

This French naval officer's combat sword is a stunningly beautiful sabre, and so very rare, as so many warships of the French Napoleonic navy, and their officer's and crew, were captured or destroyed so precious few survive. The British equivalent is the rare 1805 pattern Royal Naval officer's sword, which Nelson also took to at Trafalgar, but the French surviving equivalent, this sword, is at least 100 times the rarer sword. The last known example, of a surrendered French ship's captain's sword, we sold here over 5 years ago.

Sabre naval officer model of the 1st Prairial Year XII, guard a brass branch chiselled and gilded, bow body adorned with an anchor resting on two flags, half round langets chiselled with a radiant head, fluted ebony grip with carved grooves; flat-backed blade, one hollow pan and lateral throat, traces of blue and gilded in the third; leather scabbard with seam, two gilded brass fittings, the throat is provided with two long side hooks for the wearing of the sword with a belt or the harness, it is decorated with a mermaid with two tails, finely engraved with reeds; dart shaped shell;

Prairial was the ninth month in the French Republican Calendar. This month was named after the French word prairie, which means meadow. It was the name given to several ships.
Prairial was the third month of the spring quarter.
The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement fought by the British Royal Navy against the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies, during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (1796–1815).

Twenty-seven British ships of the line led by Admiral Lord Nelson aboard HMS Victory defeated thirty-three French and Spanish ships of the line under French Admiral Villeneuve. The battle took place in the Atlantic Ocean off the southwest coast of Spain, just west of Cape Trafalgar, near the town of Los Caños de Meca. The Franco-Spanish fleet lost twenty-two ships and the British lost none.

The victory confirmed the naval supremacy Britain had established during the course of the eighteenth century and it was achieved in part through Nelson's departure from the prevailing naval tactical orthodoxy of the day. Conventional practice at the time was for opposing fleets to engage each other in single parallel lines, in order to facilitate signalling and disengagement, and to maximise fields of fire and target areas. Nelson instead arranged his ships into two columns to sail perpendicularly into the enemy fleet's line.


During the battle,Victory locked masts with the French Redoutable, whose crew, including a strong infantry corps (with three captains and four lieutenants), gathered for an attempt to board and seize Victory. A musket bullet fired from the mizzentop of Redoutable struck Nelson in the left shoulder, passed through his spine at the sixth and seventh thoracic vertebrae, and lodged two inches below his right scapula in the muscles of his back. Nelson exclaimed, "They finally succeeded, I am dead." He was carried below decks.

Victory's gunners were called on deck to fight boarders, and she ceased firing. The gunners were forced back below decks by French grenades. As the French were preparing to board Victory, Temeraire, the second ship in the British windward column, approached from the starboard bow of Redoutable and fired on the exposed French crew with a carronade, causing many casualties.

At 13:55, the French Captain Lucas of Redoutable, with 99 fit men out of 643 and severely wounded himself, surrendered. The French Bucentaure was isolated by Victory and Temeraire, and then engaged by HMS Neptune, HMS Leviathan, and Conqueror; similarly, Santísima Trinidad was isolated and overwhelmed, surrendering after three hours.
Nelson was shot by a French musketeer As Nelson lay dying, he ordered the fleet to anchor, as a storm was predicted. However, when the storm blew up, many of the severely damaged ships sank or ran aground on the shoals. A few of them were recaptured, some by the French and Spanish prisoners overcoming the small prize crews, others by ships sallying from Cádiz. Surgeon William Beatty heard Nelson murmur, "Thank God I have done my duty"; when he returned, Nelson's voice had faded, and his pulse was very weak. He looked up as Beatty took his pulse, then closed his eyes. Nelson's chaplain, Alexander Scott, who remained by Nelson as he died, recorded his last words as "God and my country." It has been suggested by Nelson historian Craig Cabell that Nelson was actually reciting his own prayer as he fell into his death coma, as the words 'God' and 'my country' are closely linked therein. Nelson died at half-past four, three hours after being hit, before the battle ended. Villeneuve was captured, along with his ship Bucentaure. He later attended Nelson's funeral while a captive on parole in Britain. Admiral Federico Gravina, the senior Spanish flag officer, escaped with the remnant of the fleet. He died five months later from wounds sustained during the battle. The battle resulted in 10 French ships captured,
one ship destroyed,
3,373 dead,
1,155 wounded,
over 4,000 men captured
Spain:
11 ships captured,
1,022 dead,
1,386 wounded,
3 to 4,000 captured
Total: about 15,000

It would be wonderful to know for certain that this sword was surrendered by such as a senior officer of the Redoutable or Bucentaure , and although it is certainly possible it may have been, in fact we can't say it wasn't, but in reality it is a speculation that may never be satisfied.

The sword is 36.5 inches long overall in its scabbard. The carved ebony grip has one slight split on one side, but still as tight as a drum, the leather scabbard has had a contemporary field service leather repair near the chape.  read more

Code: 25277

A French 1st Empire Year XI French Light Cavalry Sabre by Nicolas Noel Boutet of the Imperial Workshop At Versailles Circa 1805. Early Napoleonic Grande Armee Period

1805 circa Napoleonic sabre from the period of the Grande Armee. Curved, single-and-false-edged blade with wide fuller, brass hilt with three bar guard and long narrow langets; leather-covered grip. Heavy grade sheet iron scabbard with two suspension rings. Traces of Boutet’s maker's- director’s poincon mark within a lozenge form on the blade face near the ricasso. Plain blade back strap, the month and date of manufacture were only added as inscriptions after an imperial decree of 29 April 1810. There are no other inspection marks remaining as they were often removed if the sword was captured as war booty, and became in the possession of a foreign combatant, as many swords of this pattern were absorbed into their own armies, such as, for example, the Russian cavalry. The Russians actually created their own near identical version in 1827.
Bright polished, heavy grade sheet iron, likely associated scabbard, with traditional Napoleonic brass seam.

Nicolas-Noël Boutet (31 August 1761 – 1833) was a French gunsmith and bladesmith who was director of the Versailles state arms factory. More than 600,000 weapons were produced under his directorship.
Boutet was born in Paris, the son of the royal gunsmith Noël Boutet, and became his father's assistant. In 1788, he married Leonie-Emilie Desainte, the daughter of his father's colleague, which gave him an even better position at court and the title of "gunmaker-in-ordinary" to King Louis XVI of France.
During the revolution he worked for Napoleon as director of the state arms manufactory.
He died in Paris

Grande Armée (French for 'The Great Army'; was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Empire to exercise unprecedented control over most of Europe. Widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest fighting forces ever assembled, it suffered enormous losses during the disastrous Peninsular War followed by the invasion of Russia in 1812, after which it never recovered its strategic superiority and ended in total defeat for Napoleonic France by the Peace of Paris in 1815.
The Grande Armée was formed in 1804 from the L'Armée des côtes de l'Océan (Army of the Ocean Coasts), a force of over 100,000 men that Napoleon had assembled for the proposed invasion of Britain. Napoleon later deployed the army in Central Europe to eliminate the combined threat of Austria and Russia, which were part of the Third Coalition formed against France. Thereafter, the Grande Armée was the principal military force deployed in the campaigns of 1806/7, the French invasion of Spain, and in the War of the Fifth Coalition, where the French army slowly lost its veteran soldiers, strength and prestige, and in the conflicts of 1812, 1813–14, and 1815. In practice, however, the term Grande Armée is used in English to refer to all the multinational forces gathered by Napoleon in his campaigns  read more

Code: 25248

A Most Rare, Original, Late 18th Century Spanish Heavy Dragoon Cup Hilt Sword of the Napoleonic War Peninsular Campaign. An I8th Century or Earlier Form Spanish Rapier Hilt With a British 1796 Heavy Cavalry Ordnance Stamped Hadley Contract Blade

This is simply a fascinating and intriguing sword in that in it's service working life it has had a wide 1796 British Heavy cavalry trooper's sword blade, stamped and made by Ordnance contractor, Hadley of 47 Bull St. Birmingham, and supplied by their British allies. The hilt is actually a design and likely made from a 1650 Spanish Toledo cup hilt rapier.

Spanish cup hilt rapiers often originally had long and slender blades, however in the 18th century their blades became wider and of broadsword dimensions when used by Spanish heavy dragoons, especially in the Peninsular war from 1808, but they retained the cup hilt form of the traditional, Spanish cavalry sword.

We also acquired a rare, fully standard Napoleonic Peninsular War 1808 Spanish Heavy Dragoon sword, with its wide blade, and changed hilt pattern

We have never seen an original period Spanish sword mounted with a British ordnance blade before, and this is most intriguing.

We conclude it was added at the time of the Spanish alliance with Britain during the Peninsular War in Spain, against Napoleon's occupying forces. Possibly supplied and given by the British, from such as the 4th Heavy Dragoons or 3rd Dragoon Guards, to their Spanish allies to replace an unsuitable narrow earlier Spanish rapier blade. The 4th Dragoons were landed between the 22nd and 27th of April 1809 at Lisbon and were brigaded with the more senior 3rd Dragoon Guards under Major General Henry Fane forming the first British Heavy Cavalry brigade in the Peninsular War.

The sword's cup has some original combat impact damage and field repair on one side. Traditional long quilons of the late 18th century pattern up to 1808 when the hilt design was changed and the quillons deeply curved.

Crown 4 stamp to blade and maker's mark stamp on backstrap, ordnance contractor and supplier of 1796 Heavy Dragoon swords, Hadley of Birmingham.

The Spanish heavy cavalry in the Peninsular campaign, such as, The Battle of Bailen
Fought July 19, 1808, between 15,000 Spaniards under Castaflos, and 20,000 French under Dupont. The French were totally defeated with a loss of over 2,000 men, and Dupont surrendered with his whole army. The Battle of Bailen was contested in 1808 between the Spanish Army of Andalusia, led by Generals Francisco Castanos and Theodor von Reding, and the Imperial French Army's II corps d'observation de la Gironde under General Pierre Dupont de l'Etang. The heaviest fighting took place near Bailen (sometimes anglicised Baylen), a village by the Guadalquivir river in the Jaen province of southern Spain.

In June 1808, following the widespread uprisings against the French occupation of Spain, Napoleon organised French units into flying columns to pacify Spain's major centres of resistance. One of these, under General Dupont, was dispatched across the Sierra Morena and south through Andalusia to the port of Cadiz where an French naval squadron lay at the mercy of the Spanish. The Emperor was confident that with 20,000 men, Dupont would crush any opposition encountered on the way. Events proved otherwise, and after storming and plundering Cordoba in July, Dupont retraced his steps to the north of the province to await reinforcements. Meanwhile, General Castanos, commanding the Spanish field army at San Roque, and General von Reding, Governor of Malaga, travelled to Seville to negotiate with the Seville Junta a patriotic assembly committed to resisting the French incursions?and to turn the province's combined forces against the French.

Dupont's failure to leave Andalusia proved disastrous. Between 16 and 19 July, Spanish forces converged on the French positions stretched out along villages on the Guadalquivir and attacked at several points, forcing the confused French defenders to shift their divisions this way and that. With Castanos pinning Dupont downstream at Andujar, Reding successfully forced the river at Mengibar and seized Bailen, interposing himself between the two wings of the French army. Caught between Castanos and Reding, Dupont attempted vainly to break through the Spanish line at Bailen in three bloody and desperate charges, losing more than 2,500 men.

His counterattacks defeated, Dupont called for an armistice and was compelled to sign the Convention of Andujar which stipulated the surrender of almost 18,000 men, making Bailen the worst disaster and capitulation of the Peninsular War, and the first major defeat of Napoleon's Grande Armee. When news of the catastrophe reached the French high command in Madrid, the result was a general retreat to the Ebro, abandoning much of Spain to the insurgents. France's enemies in Spain and throughout Europe cheered at this first check to the hitherto unbeatable Imperial armies tales of Spanish heroism inspired Austria and showed the force of nation-wide resistance to Napoleon, setting in motion the rise of the Fifth Coalition against France.

The Portuguese and Spanish played an important part in the war. Retrained and reorganised by Marshal William Beresford, Portugal’s soldiers fought bravely alongside those of Britain. The stubborn Spanish defence of cities and towns tied down thousands of French troops. Spanish armies, though frequently defeated, kept reappearing, forcing France to send more armies against them.

French troops were also required to garrison hostile territory and wage a bitter war against Spanish and Portuguese insurgents, the ‘guerrillas’. French communications and supply lines were harassed by their raids and ambushes. By 1812, the French had over 350,000 soldiers in Iberia, but 200,000 were protecting lines of supply rather than serving as front-line troops.

All of these factors meant that although on paper the French heavily outnumbered the British armies in Iberia, they were never able to concentrate enough of their troops to win a decisive victory. The continual drain on French resources led Napoleon to call the conflict the ‘Spanish Ulcer’.

A picture in the gallery of an old watercolour of an officer of one of the British allies in a Spanish Heavy Dragoon regiment in the Peninsular War, with his identical broadsword bladed cup hilt sword drawn for combat.

42 inches long overall  read more

Code: 25114

A Simply Fabulous Original Antique Napoleonic Wars Sword Of The King of Spain's Elite, Heavy Cavalry Regiment. Used In The Spanish Peninsular Campaign, During Napoleon's Peninsular War in 1808 Until 1814. In Superb Condition.

From the invasion of Spain by Napoleon's forces, in 1808. The Peninsular War involved over 127 battles and engagements against Napoleon and the armies under his command, and this sword may well have been used in dozens of these ferocious conflicts

A fabulous, original, example of these very scarce Napoleonic, Spanish heavy cavalry long blade broadsword. A sword based Spanish late 18th century broadsword.
The hilt is in superb order, with excellent wire bound grip and large shaped bowl, as is the very long broadsword blade.
In 1796 (although there is a controversy around the precise date) a new model sword for Spanish cavalry troopers was adopted. This beautiful example, showing very classic lines and a very similar construction to the previous pattern, presents an almost full cup-hilt in a rapier style, curved quillons and knuckle-bow. The blade was very similar to that of 1728 pattern, having these dimensions: length 940 mm, width 35, thickness 6 mm. Alongside the later 1803 pattern change, these swords were predominantly used by cavalry at the Battle of Bailen {and subsequent battles}. It was the crushing defeat of Napoleon's Grande Armee in the Spanish invasion.
The Battle of Bailen
Fought July 19, 1808, between 15,000 Spaniards under Castaflos, and 20,000 French under Dupont. The French were totally defeated with a loss of over 2,000 men, and Dupont surrendered with his whole army. The Battle of Bailen was contested in 1808 between the Spanish Army of Andalusia, led by Generals Francisco Castanos and Theodor von Reding, and the Imperial French Army's II corps d'observation de la Gironde under General Pierre Dupont de l'Etang. The heaviest fighting took place near Bailen (sometimes anglicised Baylen), a village by the Guadalquivir river in the Jaen province of southern Spain.

In June 1808, following the widespread uprisings against the French occupation of Spain, Napoleon organised French units into flying columns to pacify Spain's major centres of resistance. One of these, under General Dupont, was dispatched across the Sierra Morena and south through Andalusia to the port of Cadiz where an French naval squadron lay at the mercy of the Spanish. The Emperor was confident that with 20,000 men, Dupont would crush any opposition encountered on the way. Events proved otherwise, and after storming and plundering Cordoba in July, Dupont retraced his steps to the north of the province to await reinforcements. Meanwhile, General Castanos, commanding the Spanish field army at San Roque, and General von Reding, Governor of Malaga, travelled to Seville to negotiate with the Seville Junta a patriotic assembly committed to resisting the French incursions?and to turn the province's combined forces against the French.

Dupont's failure to leave Andalusia proved disastrous. Between 16 and 19 July, Spanish forces converged on the French positions stretched out along villages on the Guadalquivir and attacked at several points, forcing the confused French defenders to shift their divisions this way and that. With Castanos pinning Dupont downstream at Andujar, Reding successfully forced the river at Mengibar and seized Bailen, interposing himself between the two wings of the French army. Caught between Castanos and Reding, Dupont attempted vainly to break through the Spanish line at Bailen in three bloody and desperate charges, losing more than 2,500 men.

His counterattacks defeated, Dupont called for an armistice and was compelled to sign the Convention of Andujar which stipulated the surrender of almost 18,000 men, making Bailen the worst disaster and capitulation of the Peninsular War, and the first major defeat of Napoleon's Grande Armee. When news of the catastrophe reached the French high command in Madrid, the result was a general retreat to the Ebro, abandoning much of Spain to the insurgents. France's enemies in Spain and throughout Europe cheered at this first check to the hitherto unbeatable Imperial armies tales of Spanish heroism inspired Austria and showed the force of nation-wide resistance to Napoleon, setting in motion the rise of the Fifth Coalition against France.

The Portuguese and Spanish played an important part in the war. Retrained and reorganised by Marshal William Beresford, Portugal’s soldiers fought bravely alongside those of Britain. The stubborn Spanish defence of cities and towns tied down thousands of French troops. Spanish armies, though frequently defeated, kept reappearing, forcing France to send more armies against them.

French troops were also required to garrison hostile territory and wage a bitter war against Spanish and Portuguese insurgents, the ‘guerrillas’. French communications and supply lines were harassed by their raids and ambushes. By 1812, the French had over 350,000 soldiers in Iberia, but 200,000 were protecting lines of supply rather than serving as front-line troops.

All of these factors meant that although on paper the French heavily outnumbered the British armies in Iberia, they were never able to concentrate enough of their troops to win a decisive victory. The continual drain on French resources led Napoleon to call the conflict the ‘Spanish Ulcer’.


Painting in the gallery by Theodore Gericault. Of a wounded cuirassier, said to be a French cuirassier at the Battle of Bailen. We also show a print of the Spanish Heavy Cavalry of the Line Trooper, 1804, holding his identical sword  read more

Code: 22330