Antique Arms & Militaria

Antique Sapeurs Pompiers French Firefighter Helmet Brass and Nickel Plated, with Original Liner and Chin Strap In Excellent Condition. Early 20th Century Pattern

The history of the French sapeurs-pompiers (firefighters) is a blend of military discipline and specialized emergency response, evolving from chaotic night watches into a highly structured, professional force. The term "pompier" comes from the manual pumps (pompes) used to fight fires, while "sapeur" (sapper) refers to the military engineering role of destroying buildings to prevent fires from spreading. There are 246,900 French personnel handling fire protection, rescue, and a significant portion of emergency medical services 78% voluntary/call firefighters, 22% career firefighters. Compared to the UK, we have 29,770 wholetime (full-time) personnel and roughly 16,499 retained. One can see the French have around 8 times as many firefighters as the British, but only 1.6 x more fires. I would imagine the French government don't have the quality of politicians that we have, as ours have discovered the magical system, whereby, the fewer we have of something { say, fire stations and fire-personnel, for example} the more effective it becomes. Like the Royal Navy, the fewer ships it has, the stronger it will be. This, we might call the, homeopathic protection system, where, eventually, once we have reduced the navy to a single row boat, and a solitary oarsman, thus, with that alone, we can aspire to rule the seven seas once more!

This beauty is their old service and dress helmet.

1254: King Louis IX (Saint Louis) established the guet bourgeois (bourgeois watch) in Paris, a night watch that included fire watch duties.
18th Century: Following severe fires, the Corps des gardes-pompes de la ville de Paris was founded in 1793, acting as a civilian firefighting unit.

2. The Napoleonic Turning Point (1810-1811)
The modern, professional service was born directly from a tragedy.
1810 Austrian Embassy Fire: Following a massive fire at the Austrian Embassy in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte saw the need for a professional, disciplined force.
1811 Formation: By imperial decree, the Bataillon de sapeurs-pompiers de Paris was created on September 18, 1811.
Military Status: Unlike many other countries, the Paris fire brigade was made a part of the Army (military engineering arm), ensuring rigid organization and training.

The Uniform: Early sapeurs-pompiers wore military uniforms but used the brass helmet that became emblematic of French firefighters.
The Gun: Historically, they carried a gun and sabre, partly for protection and to prevent theft during the chaos of a fire.

Small denting at the top of the comb.  read more

Code: 26223

A Most Beautiful, Original, Victorian, Merryweather British Fire Service Helmet, In Brass With Gilt Dragon Comb & Chinscales In Fabulous Condition.

An original British Victorian fire service helmet, with signs of service use, but certainly not abuse, it is part of its character, to demonstrate this is a piece that saw service but was used as it should, yet cared for, and beautifully preserved for posterity.

The traditional two-piece skull has the embossed raised dragon comb, rose bosses, crossed axe and hoses helmet plate, and complete original leather liner. Overall in every way in fine condition for age.

The desirable standard pattern of Fire Service helmet used by all British county and city Fire Services in the Victorian era and just past WW1.

The earliest fire brigade was Roman and that is the first fire brigade of which we have any substantial history was created by Marcus Licinius Crassus. Marcus Licinius Crassus was born into a wealthy Roman family around the year 115 BC, and acquired an enormous fortune through (in the words of Plutarch) "fire and rapine." One of his most lucrative schemes took advantage of the fact that Rome had no fire department. Crassus filled this void by creating his own brigade?500 men strong?which rushed to burning buildings at the first cry of alarm. Upon arriving at the scene, however, the fire fighters did nothing while their employer bargained over the price of their services with the distressed property owner. If Crassus could not negotiate a satisfactory price, his men simply let the structure burn to the ground, after which he offered to purchase it for a fraction of its value. Emperor Nero took the basic idea from Crassus and then built on it to form the Vigiles in AD 60 to combat fires using bucket brigades and pumps, as well as poles, hooks and even ballistae to tear down buildings in advance of the flames. The Vigiles patrolled the streets of Rome to watch for fires and served as a police force. The later brigades consisted of hundreds of men, all ready for action. When there was a fire, the men would line up to the nearest water source and pass buckets hand in hand to the fire.

Rome suffered a number of serious fires, most notably the fire on 19 July AD 64 and eventually destroyed two thirds of Rome.
In the UK, the Great Fire of London in 1666 set in motion changes which laid the foundations for organised firefighting in the future. In the wake of the Great Fire, the City Council established the first fire insurance company, "The Fire Office", in 1667, which employed small teams of Thames watermen as firefighters and provided them with uniforms and arm badges showing the company to which they belonged.
However, the first organised municipal fire brigade in the world was established in Edinburgh, Scotland, when the Edinburgh Fire Engine Establishment was formed in 1824, led by James Braidwood. London followed in 1832 with the London Fire Engine Establishment.  read more

Code: 26222

A Truly Exceptional, Original, Highest Grade Napoleonic Wars Period Antique Museum Piece Miquelet, Another Example Likely Made For Ali Pasha. An All Silver Mounted Miquelet Long Gun, of Early 19th Century Of Royal Status.

We were astounded when we were offered this fabulous presentation piece, also from the peak of the Ottoman Empire, that was almost certainly made as the near pair, for Ali Pasha, to another near identical Miquelet example, that we sold just a few months ago.

Intriguingly, it is possible this fabulous silver mounted long gun was likely presented to Ali Pasha in order to counteract its previous presentation pair. When this Miquelet was hand made, it may have been so commissioned, for either, Wellington or Napoleon, as they were both currying favour with the Great Pasha, in order for him to change allegiances, which he did, from Napoleon to Wellington.
Fabulous arms were the great pieces of choice in order to be presented from Kings, Emperors and Generals, to their foreign counterparts {other Kings, Emperors, and Generals} in order to sway their decisions of state, for alliances and influence, essential in times of great war.

We show in the gallery this magnificent musket, prior to its full museum grade conservation, and also its effective 'pair' that we owned and sold previously a couple of months ago. Once completed we will photograph it further.

Another singularly spectacular ‘statement piece’ for any collection of rare and fine arms or antiques. From the Napoleonic Wars era, potentially made for Ali Pasha.
**See reference and link below to another extremely similar example of Ali Pasha's in the Metropolitan

The great ruler of the Ottoman's, Ali Pasha was, at first, an admirer of Napoleon and formed a brief alliance with him during the Napoleonic wars, but, with changing winds he went against his previous ally to support the British. Napoleon thus sanctioned a planned rebellion against Ali, but the British arrived, as funds were being collected and rebels were being recruited.
Ali's rival, Ibrahim Pasha of Berat, turned to the French and gathered a coalition of Ali's enemies, including Mustafa Pasha of Delvinë, Pronio Aga of Paramythia, Hasan Çapari of Margariti, the Beys of Himara, the Aga of Konispoli and the Souliotes. This coalition began attacking Ali's realm with support from French artillery, and Ali responded by bribing Ibrahim's supporters with British support. Ali besieged Ibrahim Pasha in Berat with an 8,000-man army commanded by the Albanian captain Omer Bey Vrioni, and with the aid of British rockets, Berat finally fell after a year of skirmishing. Ibrahim retired to Vlorë, and Ali told the Porte that he had taken Berat in response to the revolts in upper Albania that were the result of Ibrahim's inability to rule

In 1809, Lord Byron together with John Cam Hobhouse visited Ali's court in Tepelena and Ioannina in 1809.
Byron recorded the encounter in his work Childe Harold. They traveled to Albania to see the country that was, until then, mostly unknown in Britain. Byron presented Albanians as a free people who lived in their state under their leader, Ali Pasha, described by Byron as a
"a man of first abilities, who governs the whole of Albania"

A near identical long gun is in the Metropolitan museum, the Miquelet Rifle of Ali Pasha


His rule by Ali's definition, included central and southern Albania, and parts of mainland Greece; in particular, most of the district of Epirus and the western parts of Thessaly and Macedonia. He managed to stretch his control over the sanjaks of Yanina, Delvina, Vlora and Berat, Elbasan, Ohrid and Monastir, Görice, and Tirhala. Ali was granted the Sanjak of Tirhala in 1787, and he delegated its government in 1788 to his second-born Veli Pasha, who also became Pasha of the Morea Eyalet in 1807.
Ali's eldest son, Muhtar Pasha, was granted the Sanjak of Karli-Eli and the Sanjak of Eğriboz in 1792, stretching for the first time Ali's control down to Livadia and the Gulf of Corinth, except Attica. Muhtar Pasha also became governor of the Sanjak of Ohrid in 1796–7 and of the Sanjak of Vlora and Berat in 1810.

Similar finest examples may be viewed in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul and the Hermitage in Russia. A most similar gun was presented to President Thomas Jefferson by the Bey of Tunis.

A simply superbly beautiful antique presentation long gun from the Early 19th century. A miquelet gun with a very high quality miquelet toe lock decorated with numerous chiseled and fretted silver panels and inlaid foliate arabesques.

The gun is richly inlaid with silver throughout and fitted with a chisseled bronze-brass butt plate, with matching silver barrel bands, and its original silver mounted ramrod. Figured hardwood three-quarter stock profusely inlaid over its full length with numerous silver plaques.

A most similar gun was a gift of the Russian Romanov Tsar to Augustus II King of Poland and Elector of Saxony on his coronation in Krakow.
That gun is published in the book Prunkwaffen: Waffen und Rustungen aus dem Historischen Museum Dresden by Johannes Schobel (Leipzig, 1973) p.249, pl. 178.

Guns of this style were popular throughout the whole of Central, Eastern Europe, Russia, the Caucasus and The Ottoman Empire. However this is a much higher quality example made for presentation to potentates than is more often seen, and certainly sets it well apart from the usual miquelet musket of its type.

After the conquest of Istanbul by Mehmed the Conqueror at 1453, construction of the Topkapi Palace was started at the year 1460 and completed at 1478 .The Palace was built upon an Eastern Roman Acropolis located at the Istanbul Peninsula between Sea of Marmara, Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. Topkapi Palace, was the administrative, educational and art center of the Empire for nearly four hundred years since Mehmed the Conqueror until Sultan Abdulmecid who is the thirty-first Sultan. Although Palace was abandoned by the Ottoman Dynasty by moving to the Dolmabahce Palace at middle 19th century, the Topkapi Palace latterly became a world class museum containing some of the worlds finest antique arms and armour.

The year of Catherine II’s acquisition of the Gotzkowsky collection is the Hermitage museum’s birth date. In 1764 Empress Catherine II acquired the collection formed by Johann Gotzkowski for King Frederick II of Prussia. A rich Berlin merchant and founder of silk and porcelain factories in Berlin, Johann Gotzkowski was one of Frederick's agents, in charge of the purchase of works of art for the royal collection. Frederick II (the Great), owner of a wonderful collection of contemporary French paintings, ordered Gotzkowski to purchase paintings by old masters. The merchant was a zealous agent and it took him only a few years to put together a large collection, but by this time Frederick had lost large sums of money in the Seven Years War and he refused to make the purchase.

The enterprising merchant was forced to look around for alternative buyers and he offered the collection to Russia. Catherine II was pleased to take the opportunity of hurting Frederick's self-esteem and of proving that the Russian State Treasury, despite losses which were no less than those of Prussia, could still afford to make such an expensive acquisition. From this purchase onwards the Hermitage has become one of the foremost museums in the world, alongside the British Museum, The Metropolitan, The Louvre and The Prado.

This miquelet is 71 inches long, {our previous near pair example was 55.5 inches long overall}. This gun was likely made purposely longer in order to greately impress the Pasha that its presenter had greater respect for the Great Pasha. This of course, is, reasonable supposition, we have no way of knowing if it is correct.

As with all our antique guns no license is required as they are all unrestricted antique collectables.

For reference, the rifle of Ali Pasha
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/28998

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury is accompanied by our unique Certificate of Authenticity. Part of our continued dedication to maintain the standards forged by us over the past 100 years of our family’s trading, as Britain’s oldest established, and favourite, armoury and gallery  read more

Code: 26221

A Most Beautiful, Original, Victorian, Merryweather British Fire Service Helmet, In Brass With Gilt Dragon Comb

An original British Victorian fire service helmet, with signs of service use, naturally, and with denting on the crest and skull as usual, but it is simply part of its character, to demonstrate this is not a piece that never saw service but was used as it should, but cared for, and beautifully preserved for posterity.

The traditional two-piece skull has the embossed raised dragon comb, rose bosses, crossed axe and hoses helmet plate, and original leather liner around 75% complete. Overall in every way average condition for age.

The desirable standard pattern of Fire Service helmet used by all British county and city Fire Services in the Victorian era and just past WW1.

The earliest fire brigade was Roman and that is the first fire brigade of which we have any substantial history was created by Marcus Licinius Crassus. Marcus Licinius Crassus was born into a wealthy Roman family around the year 115 BC, and acquired an enormous fortune through (in the words of Plutarch) "fire and rapine." One of his most lucrative schemes took advantage of the fact that Rome had no fire department. Crassus filled this void by creating his own brigade?500 men strong?which rushed to burning buildings at the first cry of alarm. Upon arriving at the scene, however, the fire fighters did nothing while their employer bargained over the price of their services with the distressed property owner. If Crassus could not negotiate a satisfactory price, his men simply let the structure burn to the ground, after which he offered to purchase it for a fraction of its value. Emperor Nero took the basic idea from Crassus and then built on it to form the Vigiles in AD 60 to combat fires using bucket brigades and pumps, as well as poles, hooks and even ballistae to tear down buildings in advance of the flames. The Vigiles patrolled the streets of Rome to watch for fires and served as a police force. The later brigades consisted of hundreds of men, all ready for action. When there was a fire, the men would line up to the nearest water source and pass buckets hand in hand to the fire.

Rome suffered a number of serious fires, most notably the fire on 19 July AD 64 and eventually destroyed two thirds of Rome.
In the UK, the Great Fire of London in 1666 set in motion changes which laid the foundations for organised firefighting in the future. In the wake of the Great Fire, the City Council established the first fire insurance company, "The Fire Office", in 1667, which employed small teams of Thames watermen as firefighters and provided them with uniforms and arm badges showing the company to which they belonged.
However, the first organised municipal fire brigade in the world was established in Edinburgh, Scotland, when the Edinburgh Fire Engine Establishment was formed in 1824, led by James Braidwood. London followed in 1832 with the London Fire Engine Establishment. No chinscale, some small split perishing on the skull above top right of the badge, see photo two in the gallery.  read more

Code: 25332

Welcome to The Lanes Armoury, Britain's Truly Magical Place, Where Thousands of Original & Breathtaking Wonders Are For Sale And New Fantastic Original Treasures From The Past Are Added, Every, Single, Day, Since 1921

Our beautiful pieces from history are not always just for looking at, some {such as the B3 Pilots Jacket} can still be enjoyed, and even worn, for every one to see.

Based in Brighton for generations the Lanes Armoury stems from a family of antiques dealers that was one if the leading antiques exporting companies in the world. Including, being pioneers of antiques shipments worldwide at the very beginning of containerisation exports that began in the 1960’s, after its invention by Malcolm McLean, in America, in 1956. Mark was the export director of the family company, and personally supervised the sale and export an average of over 3,000 of the finest antiques, every week for over 15 years.

The Lanes Armoury is incredibly fortunate that we occupy a position within the worldwide collectors market that we can, and do, every day, locate and pass on great and fantastic historical pieces, of great beauty and quality for just a small percentage of the cost that other antique stores, at the top of their area of interest, have to make available. In almost all the other top level areas of the sphere of collecting antiques, their offerings must often be in the hundreds of thousands, and even millions of pounds range. Colleagues in the profession we have personally known, that are similar leaders in their field, such as Renaissance bronzes and sculptures, and they can be up to 20 millions, fine art paintings, that can be millions or tens of millions, the finest French furniture that will be hundreds of thousands and even millions as well. In fact, we know of no other sphere of antique collecting, where the best available can be found so inexpensively, by comparison, to all other forms of antiques and art. Please view over the next 130 plus pages, detailing thousands of pieces of world class historical interest, and every single piece has brought, and will continue to bring, great joy for their owners, the new custodians of great artefacts of history.
Our ratings on Google:
they classify us as
'Exceptional'

Recently acquired, added to our web store and also, due to be added;
A collection of arms, helmets and armour from one of the foremost authorities, and late author of two seminal works, on Japanese polearms and combat techniques in the world. Sadly, not a rich man, so he wasn’t able to amass a huge collection, but what he did acquire, over the past 60 plus years, was simply incredible and we were most privileged to acquire the ‘museum pieces’ that we did. Including the ‘Green Dragon’ polearm naganata, his polearm of legend, and, his ‘great sword’ nagamaki, full length and unaltered, and almost six feet long. Plus armour, helmets, sword blades and polearms. Including a very rare momoyama nanban cuirass body armour. Nanban gusoku (南蛮具足): an interesting case of cross cultural exchange in East Asia. Japanese Samurai of the 16th century adopted and modified European breastplate and helmets into their own armour system. A fine, complete, and original momoyama nanban suit of gosuko today can cost between £50,000 to £100,000

A 1st Edition 1st Printing of The Great Gatsby, Publisher, Charles Scribners Sons, New York, Publication Date 1925, with the important words uncorrected, ‘chatter’ and ‘Northern’. Etc.
‘Now Under Offer’

Some superb French Napoleonic weaponry from the Grande Armee. A sword of the commander of the Grenadier Guards in the Crimean War, A fabulous quality and very good Napoleonic Wars Brown Bess, an incredible pair of Zulu War knopkerrie clubs, one a fabulous rare chiefs war club, the other a telegraph wire bound impi warriors war club, NOW BOTH SOLD, and one of the best and beautiful regimental pattern Napoleonic Wars swords, for one of the great Scottish regiments that saw incredible action in the Peninsular war and Waterloo. Also, a stunning Martini Henry 450-577 rifle {with both optional bayonet patterns} NOW SOLD one of the first 1400 ever made. And, one of the rarest Royal Marines pattern swords, 1796, we have ever seen. Trafalgar battle damaged. NOW SOLD
We also have two amazing Japanese swords both Museum pieces, by high ranked smiths, Dewa Daijo Fujiwara Kunimichi circa 1615, and Hamabe Toshizane, 1814. Plus, another super Brown Bess, (that now just sold ), but, another has arrived just the other day. Also a remarkable WW1 German snipers bullet proof armour shield. Some jolly nice Imperial and Third Reich German swords. And a super very rare Victorian tchapka lance cap of the 17th Lancers, of The Charge of the Light Brigade fame. Plus, lots, lots more!

“When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!”

These words were made famous by Alfred Lord Tennyson in his poem, ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’, and refer to that fateful day on 25th October 1854 when around six hundred men led by Lord Cardigan rode into the unknown.

The charge against Russian forces was part of the Battle of Balaclava, a conflict making up a much larger series of events known as the Crimean War. The order for the cavalry charge proved catastrophic for the British cavalrymen: a disastrous mistake riddled with misinformation and miscommunication. The calamitous charge was to be remembered for both its bravery and tragedy.

Recently we also have some superb, British, Victorian swords from the Crimean War, for a new young officer serving in The Zulu War, and one beauty, regimentally marked to the 1st Battalion The Welsh Regiment, for an officer that served in combat Mahdist War (1888): The 1st Battalion was dispatched to Egypt in 1886, playing a key role in the Mahdist War at the Battle of Gemaizah (Suakin) in December 1888, where they were highly praised for their efficiency by their commander, Col.Kitchener.

Colonel Herbert Kitchener, {later to become known as the great Field Marshal Lord Kitchener} who wrote in his dispatches:

‘The half-Battalion of The Welsh Regiment are seasoned soldiers and whatever I asked of them to do they did well. They’re marksmen at Gemaizah Fort and the remainder of the half-Battalion on the left fired section volleys driving the Dervishes from their right position and inflicting severe punishment upon them when in the open. Significantly the Battalion did not lose a man”

Later, the 1st Battalion was dispatched to South Africa in November 1899 for the Second Boer War: it was engaged in Battle of Paardeberg in February 1900, where they suffered heavy losses, and again at the Battle of Driefontein in March 1900

Also, cannon balls from the English Civil War seige. One ball was recovered {in living memory} almost five feet beneath the surface mud. And an incredibly very rare and historical.

Also, see our latest incredible 'Royal' daggers from the 17th century Pattal-hatara (Four Workshops) of the King of Sri Lanka.

Occasionally, as we are Great Britain’s leading gallery of our kind, we have had had such knives, over the past 30 years, before, but nothing as fine as these museum grade examples, from the small collection we were thrilled to have acquired.

We have just also just added to the web store; a German colonels sword surrendered at the formal surrender of the German armed forces in May 1945 to Field Marshal Lord Montgomery, and a beautiful and magnificent samurai swords from the 1600's Tokugawa Shogunate period, one of the most fabulous samurai swords you might ever see. Plus, an Ancient Greek short sword or long dagger From The Greco-Persian Wars era, From the time of the Spartans at Thermopylae, to Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia & Egypt {now sold}

We Are Not Just A Webstore, We Are Always Welcoming Thousands Personal Visitors To View or Buy our Museum Pieces in Our Gallery In Brighton, Every Day* {but Sunday}. In the world of antiques and collectables especially with online only companies, we are one of the oldest established family dealers in the world, and although we now have a premier online presence, we will always have premises where one-to-one contact is always available. We cannot over emphasise how important it is to conduct business with people who clearly declare, who they are, and an address from where they trade. Those that do not confirm to that essential principle, are not, in our opinion, respecting the safety and security of their customers, first and foremost. If you cannot clearly see who you are consulting, and where, ask yourself, why can’t I..

Thousands of original, historic, ancient, antique and vintage collectables. For example; from Ancient Rome, China and Greece, to Medieval Japan, and Viking Europe. Covering British, European, and in fact, all worldwide eras of historical events from the past 4000 years, with antiquities, weaponry, armour, object d’art, militaria and fabulous books, from the Stone Age, the Bronze Age and the iron age, and right up to WW2.

Where else in the world could you find, under one roof, original artifacts, such as,; a mace and archer’s ring recovered from the site of Battle of Crecy, a sword of a British Admiral or notorious pirate fleet captain of the Golden Age of piracy of 17th century England, a battle mace, possibly once used by of one the personal guards in the service of the most famous Pharoah, Rameses the Great of Egypt, or, a museum quality 500 year old sword of a samurai clan Daimyo lord, and a pair of gold and enamel Art Deco 1920’s Magic Circle medals awarded to a friend of Harry Houdini. And all of the above, with many, many other Museum pieces, have been just been offered upon the site within the past couple of weeks.

Personalised and unique ‘Certificates of Authenticity’ can be supplied for every, single, purchase.

Our family have been personally serving the public in Brighton for several generations, in fact, for over 105 years.

* Opening hours Monday to Saturday 11.00am till 4.00pm, closed Sundays and Bank Holidays.


See in the gallery Will Young wearing one of our fabulous Victorian tunics, plus, James Marshall ‘Jimi’ Hendrix

And Tom pops in again to pick up a few trinkets the other day, and Liz and Richard pop down to visit us in October 1970  read more

Code: 24055

A Stunning, Historical, Napoleonic War’s Period, 1796 Pattern Officer's Combat Sword of William A. Cuninghame, of the 95th

It’s rarity value is due to both it’s known specific history to a Napoleonic Wars family member and it’s condition.
With superb provenance, that is very rare to survive. He was the father of Capt William Cuninghame Cuninghame, hero of the 79th Foot in the Crimean War, and brother of Capt. Thomas Cuninghame of the 45th Foot. One of all three original family swords, owned and used in combat by William Cunningham senior, all with their own built in provenance, from the world renown British Army, serving in the 95th, 45th and the 79th Regiments. All three were acquired, then expertly conserved by us.
They were obtained by us from a direct line family descendant, still possessor of the same family name, and they are all all offered for sale by us separately, but the light infantry sabre of the 45th regiment is now sold. A super, antique and historical, officers combat sword of his ancestor, who fought with distinction in the Napoleonic Wars era. Each sword is engraved with the family name, crest, and motto. This sword, belonged to William Alexander, Cuninghame, who joined his regiment as a junior officer in April 1813, and served as an officer in the 95th regt., Another sword belonged, and was used, by Thomas Cuninghame, William Alexander's elder brother, who served in the 45th regt., both used by them in the Napoleonic Wars, and a basket hilted broadsword which we have also fully conserved, that was used by William Alexander Cuninghame's son, Capt. William Cuninghame Cuninghame, in the Crimean War. According to family record, W.A.Cuninghame while serving with his regiment was wounded in Guadaloupe in 1814, but this may well have been early 1815, during the British invasion to retake the island in Napoleon's Hundred Days period. The Hundred Days war was so called after Napoleon returned from exile in Elba, reformed his army, declared war on the allies, and that culminated in the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium, Wellington's great victory and Napoleon's final defeat. The 1796 Pattern British Infantry Officers Sword was carried by officers of the line infantry in the British Army between 1796 and the time of its official replacement with the gothic hilted sword in 1822. This period encompassed the whole of the Napoleonic Wars.

The Napoleonic Wars, was a series of wars between Napoleonic France and shifting alliances of other European powers that produced a brief French hegemony over most of Europe. Along with the French Revolutionary wars, the Napoleonic Wars constitute a 23-year period of recurrent conflict that concluded only with the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon’s defeat by Wellington, and thus his subsequent second abdication on June 22, 1815. It is interesting that statistically Napoleon had fought and won more battles than the worlds next three great military commanders combined, however, despite his obvious genius he never actually won a war, and Wellington had never lost one.

France had a population of 27,350,000 in 1801 as opposed to Great Britain’s 10,942,146, outnumbering Britain almost three to one, and France had gained much territory warfare since 1792. However, a significant advance in economic strength was to enable Great Britain to wage war against this formidable adversary and to achieve the “miracles of credit” whereby foreign military assistance could be subsidized. The French, whose manufactures progressed less dramatically than the British and whose seaborne trade had been strangled by the superior nature of Britain’s navy, found it impossible to raise funds commensurate with their aggressive policy in Europe, so that Napoleon had to rely on the spoils of conquest and looting to supplement the deficiencies of French finance. As a matter of course, Wellington had forbade his armies to engage in looting of any kind, upon penalty of severe flogging or worse.

The Napoleonic Wars

The Napoleonic Wars were massive in their geographic scope, ranging, as far as Britain was concerned, over all of the five continents. They were massive, too, in terms of expense. From 1793 to the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815 the wars cost Britain more than £1,650,000,000. Only 25 percent of this sum was raised by government loans, the rest coming largely from taxation, not least from the income tax that was introduced in 1798. But the wars were massive most of all in terms of manpower. Between 1789 and 1815 the British army had to expand more than sixfold, to about a quarter of a million men. The Royal Navy, bedrock of British defence of its trade, and empire, grew further and faster still. Before the wars it had employed 16,000 men; by the end of them, it employed more than 140,000. Because there was an acute danger between 1797 and 1805 that France would invade Britain, the civil defense force also had to be expanded. The militia was increased, and by 1803 more than 380,000 men were acting as volunteers in home-based cavalry and infantry regiments. In all, one in four adult males in Britain may have been in uniform by the early 19th century.

This sword’s design was introduced by General Order in 1796, replacing the previous 1786 Pattern. It was similar to its prececesor in having a spadroon blade, i.e. one straight, flat backed and single edged with a single fuller on each side. The hilt gilt brass with a knucklebow, vestigial quillon and a twin-shell guard somewhat similar in appearance to that of the smallswords which had been common civilian wear until shortly before this period. The pommel was urn shaped and, in many later examples, the inner guard was hinged to allow the sword to sit against the body more comfortably and reduce wear to the officer's uniform.  read more

Code: 21865

Possibly The Finest 17th Cent. French Royal Silver Hunting Short Sword, With Original, Incredibly Rare Scabbard & Belt Mount, From a Royal Collection. With The Rarest Bayonne Form Hilt. Likely Used By The King & His Court For the King’s Boar or Stag Hunt

This is a superb French King Louis XIVth royal hunting all silver mounted short sword, and all silver mounted scabbard, and the sword hilt has a hunting carbine muzzle form bayonne hilt, that can, once fitted into the guns barrel, enable the sword to be used as the very first form of bayonet, that converts a carbine into a long pike or spear. In fact the hilt form was named after the French town of Bayonne, where it was said to have been first used, and thus technically invented, and it is the very first form of bayonet ever made, and whence every future bayonet therefore gets its name. It is fitted within its incredibly rare original silk and silver bullion baldric, and we have never seen another surviving original example of such a fabulous royal baldric outside of Les Invalides Museum in Paris. There may possibly be another in the British {H.M. King Charles IIIrd’s } Royal Collection, as it is likely the largest in the world, but we have never seen it. Silk is one of the worlds strongest natural materials, stronger than steel pound for pound, in fact bullet proof vests were originally made from densely woven silk, but once very old, it becomes fragile and therefore antique silk rarely survives intact, especially such a piece as this.

It further bears in silver bullion decor, stitched into the baldric silk belt ‘frog’ mount, behind the two retaining cross straps, twin, inverted and elongated capital letter ‘L’s’, the personal cypher mark and symbol of King Louis XIVth of France.

The highly distinctive cypher mark of all the King’s of France bearing the name Louis. This may very likely indicate that this sword-bayonet was actually owned and used by the King or within the service of the King of France, by one of his highest ranking officers, or indeed an officer of his personal guard, while in use at the French royal hunting lodge by the king, or his entourage of the Royal Court, for hunting boar or stag.

The hunting sword is only usually used as the ‘coup de grace’ to finish off the beast at the hunts conclusion. However it is also an essential defensive arm to protect the king or a noble if the beast turns upon its hunter, which can be most perilous, and indeed, it is well known to be a most frequent fate of many unfortunate huntsman. The royal hunt since medieval days has been a very dangerous royal sport, with many nobles, princes or even kings meeting their grisly end.

King William II (William Rufus), who reigned in England from 1087 to 1100, was killed by an arrow while hunting in the New Forest on August 2nd, 1100, a death widely suspected to be an assassination rather than a hunting accident

King Christian V died from the after-effects of a hunting accident that occurred on October 19, 1698. Christian was hunting with his two sons and his half-brother.

One of finest quality pieces of its type we have ever had the privilege to own, and incredibly still in its original silver mounted scabbard and silk and silver bullion baldric. Probably this can be seen as the best available within the worldwide collecting market today.
It is also probably the most complete example, from the mid to late 1600's, we have ever seen, certainly in over 40 years, including those we have handled within the Royal Collections. This magnificent hunting short sword with bayonne {bayonet} hilt would be the prize of any of the finest worldwide collections of the rarest short swords that can double as the very rare, so called ‘plug’ bayonet, as they are ‘plugged’ into the muzzle of a musket, to convert it to a pike or spear. It is remarkably complete with its silver bullion and silk baldrick frog belt mount with three tongues. It has finest quality solid silver mounts, with decorated quillons bearing profile heads of possibly the king’s huntsman adorned with hunting caps, very similar to the armourer's marks on the blade. And the silver scabbard mounts and fittings also beautifully match, with an acorn frog mount. The original scabbard leather is superb condition, crosshatch patterned, with the so called ‘bullets and lines’ stamped decor. It has a wonderful blade, in stunning order, with two large matching armourer's marks of a profile head on both blade sides. The grip handle is birds-eye maplewood with a silver pommel.

While en residence at Versailles, at 2 pm: the king, Louis XIVth, gave his orders and announced his plans in the morning. If he went on a walk, it would be in the gardens on foot or in a Barouche with the ladies. If he decided to go hunting, the favourite sport of the Bourbons, the monarch would go to the park if he chose to hunt with weapons, and to the surrounding forest when hunting on horseback.

Since the days of the Pharoahs, hunting has been an essential activity of courts. Hunting was both a pleasure, and a way of gathering game for the royal table. Once one area was hunted out, the court moved on to the next. In many different monarchies hunting became an obsession, with its own music, dress and flamboyant rituals. One Chinese prince said: ‘I would rather not eat for three days than not hunt for one’
Hunting was so important that it could decide where the court resided. The proximity of hunting forests was one reason for the choice, as a royal residence, of Windsor, Versailles, Stupinigi, Hubertusberg, and many other sites. Conversely, the choice of these sites as royal residences ensured that the surrounding forests were well maintained. The landscape of the Ile de France is still dominated by the royal hunting forests of Versailles, Marly, Saint-Germain, Compiegne, Vincennes, Fontainebleau, and Rambouillet.
In addition to the pleasure and food it provided, hunting could also acquire a political and hierarchical function. Hunting was a visible assertion of domination over the land and the animal kingdom. It also protected the ruler’s subjects and their herds from boar, wolves and other vermin. The stag was the noblest beast, hunting it the noblest sport. Furthermore hunting was believed to be a school of war, masculinity and horsmanship. It taught courage, comprehension of landscape, and the art of the cavalry charge. In l’Ecole de Cavalerie of 1751, Robichon de La Guerroniere described hunting:
‘it is the pastime which Kings and Princes prefer to all others. This inclination is no doubt based on the conformity existing between hunting and war. In both, in effect, there is an object to tame’,

The story of the evolution of the bayonne, plug bayonet;
The late 17th century saw the final demise of the pike, and its replacement by the bayonet. The plug bayonet, which blocked the muzzle of the musket and needed to be removed for firing, did not catch on. The earliest military use of bayonets was by the French Army in 1647, at Ypres. These were plug-fitted into the barrel. That prevented firing once they were mounted, but allowed musketeers to act as their own pikemen, which gave infantry formations greater firepower. By 1650 some muskets had bayonets fixed to the gun at manufacture, hinged and foldable back along the barrel. French fusiliers adopted the plug bayonet as standard equipment in 1671; English fusiliers followed suit in 1685. The trouble with firing in successive lines was that it was only practical on a narrow front. In open country, the musketeers could easily be flanked, especially by cavalry. In most battles, the musketeers relied on pikemen to protect them while reloading. Infantry practiced various formations and drills that allowed musketeers to hide behind the pikes while reloading and to take up firing positions as soon as their weapons were ready to use. This system worked pretty well, but it obviously cut down the army’s firepower-sometimes by more than half.

The solution to the problem was to turn the musket into a spear. According to some sources, this was the idea of Sebastien le Prestre de Vauban, the great French military engineer in the armies of Louis XIV. It was a solution at least for soldiers. Hunters in France and Spain had for some time been jamming knives into the muzzles of their muskets for protection against dangerous game. It seems that Bayonne, a French city noted for its cutlery, made a type of hunting knife that was favoured for this use. When the French army adopted this weapon, it was called a ‘bayonet’. The earliest reference to the use of the bayonet is in the memoirs of a French officer who wrote that on one campaign, his men did not carry swords, but knives with handles one foot long and blades of the same length. When needed, the knives could be placed in the muzzles of the guns to turn them into spears. The bayonet proved to be a much more effective defense against cavalry than the sword.

There were some drawbacks to the use of plug bayonets when mounted in muskets, When the bayonet was inserted within in the muzzle of a loaded musket and then fired by accident, the gun might indeed explode. This sort of accident seems to have been much more prevalent among civilians who, unlike soldiers, did not load and fire on command. It was so prevalent that in 1660, Louis XIV had to issue a proclamation forbidding the placing of short sword-daggers in the muzzles of hunting guns.

Two pictures in the gallery are of French royal hunts, note in picture 9 the king is holding aloft his same hunting short sword with its distinctive curved blade, and his mistress armed with a boar spear.  read more

Code: 22160

18th Century 1770's Hallmarked Silver Hilted American Revolutionary War Period Officer's Sword Used By Both American and British Officers. Made by William Kinman of London

A fabulously intricate pattern of hilt with a complex geometric piercing with arabesque scrolling and cut stone patterning. It is sometimes referred to as the Boulton pattern, named after Matthew Boulton a renown London silversmith of the 18th century. The grip has silver banding interspersed with a herringbone pattern twisted silver wire. William Kinman was a leading member of the Founders Company of London was born in 1728 and is recorded as a prominent silver hilt maker. He is recorded at 8 Snow Hill for the last time circa 1781, is recorded circa 1728-1808, [see L. Southwick 2001, pp. 159-160.]. The small sword or smallsword is a light one-handed sword designed for thrusting which evolved out of the longer and heavier rapier of the late Renaissance. The height of the small sword's popularity was between mid 17th and late 18th century. It is thought to have appeared in France and spread quickly across the rest of Europe. The small sword was the immediate predecessor of the French duelling sword (from which the épée developed) and its method of use—as typified in the works of such authors as Sieur de Liancour, Domenico Angelo, Monsieur J. Olivier, and Monsieur L'Abbat—developed into the techniques of the French classical school of fencing. Small swords were also used as status symbols and fashion accessories; for most of the 18th century anyone, civilian or military, and with gentlemanly status would have worn a small sword on a daily basis.
The small sword could be a highly effective duelling weapon, and some systems for the use of the bayonet were developed using the method of the smallsword as their foundation, (including perhaps most notably, that of Alfred Hutton).

Militarily, small swords continued to be used as a standard sidearm for infantry officers. In some branches with strong traditions, this practice continues to the modern day, albeit for ceremonial and formal dress only. The carrying of swords by officers in combat conditions was frequent in World War I and still saw some practice in World War II. The 1913 U.S. Army Manual of Bayonet Drill includes instructions for how to fight a man on foot with a small sword. Small swords are still featured on parade uniforms of some corps.
As a rule, the blade of a small sword is comparatively short at around 0.6 to 0.85 metres (24 to 33 in), though some reach over 0.9 metres (35 in). It usually tapers to a sharp point but may lack a cutting edge. It is typically triangular in cross-section. This sword's blade is approx 33 inches long. I its working life the pierced oval guard has been damaged, re-affixed and repaired

A sword by this maker with a very similar hilt is preserved in the Royal Armouries Leeds, IX.3782. See Southwick 2001, p. 290-1 pls. 75-7
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Code: 23950

A Stunning Directoire Period French Blue and Gilt ‘Award’ & Imperial Garde Grade Sabre of a General or General Staff Officer, Probably By Boutet Director of Versailles. Napoleon's Personal Sword Maker

Gilt bronze mounting, engraved and chased. Round-backed ebony handle with fine chequering. Short-skirted lion's head pommel chased with feathers and scales. Single-branch hilt decorated with oak leaves and acorns, cruise with two chased auricles in a row around the edge, straight quillon ending in a lion's head. Curved, superbly engraved deluxe blue and gilt flat-backed blade, Infantry style scabbard with frog mount in copper gilt with leather in superb condition.

We show in the gallery a most similar sabre, by Boutet of the Versailles workshop, presented to General Lefebvre by the executive board of the French Directory before Napoleon declared himself emperor, another very similar sword was used by Marshal Davout {see his portrait}, The workmanship of the hilt is so fine and similar to Lefebvres Boutet presentation sabre that we presume this fabulous sabre was likely also made by Boutet at Versailles.

The Directory (also called Directorate, French: le Directoire) was the governing five-member committee in the French First Republic from 26 October 1795 (4 Brumaire an IV) until October 1799, when it was overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte in the Coup of 18 Brumaire and replaced by the Consulate. Directoire is the name of the final four years of the French Revolution. Mainstream historiography1 also uses the term in reference to the period from the dissolution of the National Convention on 26 October 1795 to Napoleon's coup d'état.

This sword would have been used and carried in combat by one of those officer's on Napoleon's general staff. Napoleon was, and remains, famous for his battlefield victories, and historians have spent enormous attention in analysing them.

Napoleon had numerous general staff officer's. However, a general in the field would have a relatively smaller cadre of officers supporting them.. Whether they were on Napoleon's staff or the staff of a general, their function was the same, to gather reports from field officers, précis them and ensure Napoleon and the generals have the right information. Then take Napoleon's or the general’s high level orders and ensure they get to the correct field officers, which may mean encoding them by hand.
Manage all the logistics, ensure that all the units are supplied with food, equipment and munitions.

In 2008, Donald Sutherland wrote:

The ideal Napoleonic battle was to manipulate the enemy into an unfavourable position through manoeuvre and deception, force him to commit his main forces and reserve to the main battle and then undertake an enveloping attack with uncommitted or reserve troops on the flank or rear. Such a surprise attack would either produce a devastating effect on morale, or force him to weaken his main battle line. Either way, the enemy's own impulsiveness began the process by which even a smaller French army could defeat the enemy's forces one by one.

After 1807, Napoleon's creation of a highly mobile, well-armed artillery force gave artillery usage increased tactical importance. Napoleon, rather than relying on infantry to wear away the enemy's defences, could now use massed artillery as a spearhead to pound a break in the enemy's line. Once that was achieved he sent in infantry and cavalry. The Napoleonic Wars brought radical changes to Europe, but the reactionary forces returned to power and tried to reverse some of them by restoring the Bourbon house on the French throne. Napoleon had succeeded in bringing most of Western Europe under one rule. In most European countries, subjugation in the French Empire brought with it many liberal features of the French Revolution including democracy, due process in courts, abolition of serfdom, reduction of the power of the Catholic Church, and a demand for constitutional limits on monarchs. The increasing voice of the middle classes with rising commerce and industry meant that restored European monarchs found it difficult to restore pre-revolutionary absolutism and had to retain many of the reforms enacted during Napoleon's rule. Institutional legacies remain to this day in the form of civil law, with clearly defined codes of law an enduring legacy of the Napoleonic Code.

While Napoleon is best known as a master strategist and charismatic presence on the battlefield, he was also a tactical innovator. He combined classic formations and tactics that had been used for thousands of years with more recent ones, such as Frederick the Great's "Oblique Order" (best illustrated at the Battle of Leuthen) and the "mob tactics" of the early Levée en masse armies of the Revolution. Napoleonic tactics and formations were highly fluid and flexible. In contrast, many of the Grande Armée's opponents were still wedded to a rigid system of "Linear" (or Line) tactics and formations, in which masses of infantry would simply line up and exchange vollies of fire, in an attempt to either blow the enemy from the field or outflank them. Due to the vulnerabilities of the line formations to flanking attacks, it was considered the highest form of military manoeuvre to outflank one's adversary. Armies would often retreat or even surrender if this was accomplished. Consequently, commanders who adhered to this system would place a great emphasis on flank security, often at the expense of a strong centre or reserve. Napoleon would frequently take full advantage of this linear mentality by feigning flank attacks or offering the enemy his own flank as "bait" (best illustrated at the Battle of Austerlitz and also later at Lützen), then throw his main effort against their centre, split their lines, and roll up their flanks. He always kept a strong reserve as well, mainly in the form of his Imperial Guard, which could deliver a "knockout blow" if the battle was going well or turn the tide if it was not.

Overall the condition is stunning. Especially the original mercurial gilt on the hilt and the blue and gilt decor on the blade In the 20th century generals plotted campaigns and were not often in the thick of combat. In the Napoleonic wars era general staff officers fought, more often than not alongside their men in hand to hand combat, hence, Napoleon lost so many of his general staff officers.

The chequered ebony grip has narrow splits on both sides, but otherwise excellent. The outside quillon has two small holes, this would have been for a small silver cartouch mount of Napoleon's bust profile, used by the privilege of status, by very special grade officer's. It may have been removed in the restoration period of 1814, in order to show the officer removed his previous connection to Napoleon {in order to preserve his current service and thus his senior status in France post Napoleon, before the 100 Days of Napoleon's return from Elba}.  read more

Code: 25317

A Stunning & Rare Victorian US Civil War Period 'Whitworth' Rifle, One Of The Best Condition Examples We Have Seen in Over 20 Years. The Most Desirable & Highly Prized Gun Of The American Civil War. That Could Cost Over $1,000 During The War

A rifle so highly prized for its quality of service and accuracy, it could cost, at the time, more than the value of an average home in America..

With an absolutely mouthwatering patina, as good as any Whitworth we have seen in the finest museum collections.
Serial number 198. One of the most famous types of rifles used by snipers in the US Civil War in the 1860's. In fact they can be such a significant and rare weapon that with known Confederate provenence with correct serial numbering stamping and the like a Whitworth rifle value has been known to approach $100,000 in today's collectors market. Sadly, this fabulous arm has no known provenence surviving, however, it is a most intriguing and an even rarer example in some respects, in that it was converted in the 1870's to the improved 'Snider' breech loading configuration. We have never seen another surviving example of a Snider converted 'Whitworth' rifle before in over 50 years.

A once recorded story of sniper and his Whitworth was detailed below;

‘From hundreds of yards away, a Confederate sharpshooter carefully aimed his prized Whitworth, the crosshairs of its Davidson telescopic sight outlined against the ramparts of Fort Stevens in Washington, D.C. Through the scope fitted to the left side of the stock his eye scanned the ample crowd of Union soldiers and plucky civilians who had ventured by, hoping to observe warfare up close. Suddenly, the shooter’s attention shifted to a tall bearded man wearing a stovepipe hat, realizing it was that Yankee president, within easy range of his English-made precision rifle. As he prepared to fire though, a Federal officer dragged Abraham Lincoln out of view.’

When issued, the rifles came with specific rules of engagement. The Whitworth sharpshooter would only use his gun against high-value targets. Artillery positions, cavalry scouts, exposed officers, and enemy sharpshooters were fair game. Furthermore, they were free to operate independently, choosing their own targets and locations on the battlefield. Some Confederate generals, especially Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne of the Army of Tennessee, consolidated their sharpshooters into dedicated companies, using them to divert enemy forces where needed.

While many high-ranking Union officers had fallen victim to sharpshooters armed with Whitworth rifles, Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick, in command of the 6th Corps at Spotsylvania, was the most noteworthy witness to their effectiveness. Sedgwick was no stranger to enemy bullets, having been wounded several times prior to Spotsylvania. Ironically, he was hit, but not injured, by a spent bullet on May 8, 1864. The next day, his luck ran out.

The story of the Whitworth and the Civil War; What the Confederacy needed as it prepared for war was a means of equalizing the disparity in arms fielded by the industrially superior North. Unable to produce what they needed, the South looked abroad. Arms buyers secretly visiting Great Britain obtained contracts for hundreds of thousands of regular P1853 Enfield rifles, and many other munitions that could be sent home by blockade-runners. But the available Whitworths were costly and difficult to come by.

Under wartime conditions, the price of a Whitworth rifle quickly jumped from $100 to $500, then again to $1,000 an expensive proposition considering how many regular muskets and rifles that same sum could buy, a Colt revolver in 1863 for example was just $20, and that was considered an expensive pistol at the time. $1,000 then was a simply mind boggling sum by today's standards.

The Whitworth projectiles were made by ‘swaging’, a unique forging process that were difficult for the South to manufacture, so cylindrical bullet moulds were added to shipments to supplement the smaller stores of hexagonal ammunition. These cylindrical moulds then went to Southern arsenals to produce additional loads for distribution, once the British rounds had run out.
Overall 52 inches long

As with all our antique guns no license is required as they are all unrestricted antique collectables  read more

Code: 23154