A Beautiful, Early 19th Century, Antique 'Tiger's Claw' Carved Horn Hilted Khanjar Dagger

A most attractive antique dagger with an impressive blade. A middle eastern long bladed dagger, also called a jambiya. With a long, curved double-edged sturdy steel blade, with a medial ridge. Beautifully hand carved horn hilt of elegant form with waisted grip with central carved spiral and typical hooked pommel. In its original leather covered wooden scabbard with metal conical chape.

Jambiya were taken by travellers to other cultures including Persia, the Ottoman empire, and India, where they were adopted with slight differences to the blade, hilt and scabbard. The horn hilt has old small losses to some surfaces. Blade 9 inches overall in scabbard 16.25 inches long, both measured straight across  read more

Code: 21254

A Very Nice Black Coral Handled Sinhalese Knife Piha-Kaetta (Pihiya)

A Fine Sinhalese Knife Piha-Kaetta (Pihiya) from Sri Lanka, Late 17th early 18th Century
The Pihiya is a very well known Ceylonese small Knife with a straight-backed blade and a curved cutting edge.
The Pihiya Handle and part of the blade are beautifully and finely engraved and decorated with delicate tendrils, the powerful hilt is made out of different combinations of materials such as Gold, Silver, Brass, Copper, Rock Crystal, Ivory, Horn, Black Coral Steel and Wood. Sometimes the Gold or Silver mounts extend down halfway the blade.
Handles were made in a certain and very distinctive form, occasionally they were made in the form of serpentines or a mythical creature?s head, similar to our current lot.
The Kaetta means a beak or billhook, it is a similar but larger knife to the Pihiya, it has a blade with a carved back and a straight cutting edge that curves only towards the tip.
The finest examples were made at the four workshop (Pattal-Hatara), where a selected group of craftsmen worked exclusively for the King and his court, and were bestowed to nobles and officials together with the kasthan? and a cane as a sign of rank and / or office. Others were presented as diplomatic gifts. Many of the best knives were doubtless made in the Four Workshops, such as is this example, the blades being supplied to the silversmith by the blacksmiths.
"The best of the higher craftsmen (gold and silversmiths, painters, and ivory carvers, etc.) working immediately for the king formed a close, largely hereditary, corporation of craftsmen called the Pattal-hatara (Four Workshops). They were named as follows; The Ran Kadu [Golden Arms], the Abarana [Regalia], the Sinhasana [Lion Throne], and the Otunu [Crown] these men worked only for the King, unless by his express permission (though, of course, their sons or pupils might do otherwise); they were liable to be continually engaged in Kandy, while the Kottal-badda men were divided into relays, serving by turns in Kandy for periods of two months. The Kottal-badda men in each district were under a foreman (mul-acariya) belonging to the Pattal-hatara. Four other foremen, one from each pattala, were in constant attendance at the palace. Prince Vijaya was a legendary king of Sri Lanka, mentioned in the Pali chronicles, including Mahavamsa. He is the first recorded King of Sri Lanka. His reign is traditionally dated to 543?505 bce. According to the legends, he and several hundred of his followers came to Lanka after being expelled from an Indian kingdom. In Lanka, they displaced the island's original inhabitants (Yakkhas), established a kingdom and became ancestors of the modern Sinhalese people.  read more

Code: 20795

A Very Fine Rare Gambler's Dirk cum Boot Knife, Carved Horn Grip, Mid 19th Century

A very fine quality dirk, perfect for concealment for the gamblers of the Wild West frontier, and the Mississippi river boat gamblers. Carved horn grip with small hairline cracking. Steel double edged blade of very fine and substantial quality. The strength of a blade that could punch through almost anything, ball end straight quillon in steel. Carved grip with shell form pommel. Original leather covered wooden scabbard with German silver mounts. Whether on a riverboat atop the Mighty Mississippi, or in the smoky dimness of a mining camp saloon, a lucky draw could turn a broken man into a winner. In the days of the frontier west, poker was king with the mustachioed likes of Wild Bill Hickok, Doc Holliday, ?Canada? Bill Jones, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and hundreds of others.

In the old west towns of Deadwood, Dodge City, Tombstone, and Virginia City, gamblers played with their back to the wall and their guns at their sides, as dealers dealt games with names such as Chuck-A-Luck, Three Card Monte, High Dice, and Faro, by far the favourite in the wild west saloons. Gambling took many forms on riverboats. Gambling with one's life with the boilers aside, there were sharks around willing to fleece the unsuspecting rube. As cities passed ordinances against gaming houses in town, the cheats moved to the unregulated waters of the Mississippi aboard river steamers.

There was also gambling with the racing of boats up the river. Bets were made on a favourite vessel. Pushing the boilers hard in races would also cause fires to break out on the wooden deck structures. Size 10 inches long overall, blade 5 1/4 inches. A very similar example was sold in Butterfields Auction, San Francisco in 1992 for £1,030. As is usual for these small knives it has no maker markings  read more

Code: 24095

A Superb Late 18th Century, Napoleonic Wars British Officer's Sabre With a French 'Trophy' Blade, With An Ancient Egyptian Goddess Wadget Entwined Serpent British Hilt

Gilt bronze serpent hilt chisselled in great detail and of very fine quality. Talisman symbol Napoleoniuc blade. Circa 1800. Very possibly a war trophy from the Battle of the Nile, with Nile Club connections There are numerous examples of snakes depicted in Napoleonic swords, such as the Lloyds swords, but usually with other beasts, such as lions, tigers or hounds, but to have two opposing serpents alone is very rare indeed. Snake sculpture - the Staff of Aesculapius, the Staff of Mercury, and the Embodiment of Wisdom Snakes are fairly frequent in Georgian sculpture, and of course from other periods. In art generally in fact from medieval times onwards, the snake is also associated with wisdom, and in this capacity is often found with statues of Prudence. The way this sword is constructed shows it is likely a trophy blade, captured in combat and mounted with a Napoleonic French sabre, etched with talismanic symbols of a crescent moon, sun, grand Turk's head, stand of arms. In fact the whole sword may indeed now be described as talismanic. Blade in superb condition, original scabbard in very good condition indeed, and the hilt is excellent. Scabbard throat lacking.
Egyptian gods and goddesses, much famed in ancient Egypt, become hugely popular throughout Western artistic culture in the early 19th century.
Europe became beguiled by ancient Egyptian art and architecture in all its forms, and furniture designers and sculptors particularly, eagerly created the ‘Egyptian style’ in the Regency period England, and the Consular and Directoire period in France.

The last photo in the gallery shows a photograph of one section of the collection in the museum of Waterloo, taken in around 1900, showing all the weapons of Waterloo en situ, including all the protagonists {British, French, Prussian and Belgian muskets, swords, pistols, armour uniforms, etc}. The museum was founded and owned by a veteran of the 7th Hussars that fought at Waterloo



Overall 39 inches long, blade 32 inches  read more

Code: 23387

A Fabulous and Extremely Scarce, Original, WW2 German Third Reich 'Nebelwerfer 41' Un-Fired or Failed Detonation Rocket. D-Day 'Operation Overlord' Vintage

Empty, inert and perfectly safe. This is one of the very last few we have seen in over 30 years and the first three we sold straightaway, we only have two remaining.

From a superb collection of German ordnance that has arrived. This is one of our last Nebelwerfer Rocket from this collection. Nicknamed by the allies the 'Moaning Mini' due to it's unearthly scream as it flew. An original unfired example, and a simply remarkable piece of history, from the early German Third Reich's rocket technology, and part of a superb Third Reich collection we have been thrilled to acquire. An interesting statistic, it is estimated 75% of all German hi-explosive launched combat in Caen, the Normandy campaign, primarily involved the Nebelwerfers, the rest were fired by the panzers and luftwaffe. Beautifully waffen amt marked and with original paint decoration. The Nebelwerfer ("Smoke Mortar") was a World War II German series of super weapons. They were initially developed by and assigned to the Wehrmacht's so-called "smoke troops" (Nebeltruppen). This weapon was given its name as a disinformation strategy designed to fool observers from the League of Nations, who were observing any possible infraction of the Treaty of Versailles, into thinking that it was merely a device for creating a smoke screen. However, they were primarily intended to deliver poison gas combined with smoke shells, although a high-explosive shell was developed for the Nebelwerfer from the very beginning. And then as an offensive/defensive long range battle weapon the Nebelwerfer and its crews truly came into their own. Initially, two different mortars were fielded before they were replaced by a variety of rocket launchers ranging in size from 15 to 32 centimetres (5.9 to 12.6 in). Nebeltruppen smoke troops are general chemical warfare troops, who were trained for both smoke and gas operations, and in the event of chemical warfare breaking out, the offensive role will be borne primarily by them. Specifically with reference to the use of smoke, it should be borne in mind that when smoke is required in limited areas it is produced generally by smoke-producing ammunition fired by the combat units' organic weapons, such as artillery and mortars; in operations involving the use of smoke in large quantities the specially trained and equipped, smoke troops are used. A number of these units was reported destroyed at Stalingrad. Three smoke batteries were also reported in North Africa. It was known that the Grossdeutschland Division and probably 20 divisions formed since December 1941, include a Nebelwerfer smoke battery.

"It is well to point out here that the Germans distinguish between the blinding screen and the area screen, a distinction not specifically made by General von Cochenhausen. The blinding screen is laid to blind hostile observation. The area screen is laid over an extensive area and fighting is carried out within the screen under conditions similar to a natural thick fog." The previous details were in part taken from a report on German smoke tactics in WWII, from Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 32, August 26, 1943. US War Dept.The thin walls of the rockets had the great advantage of allowing much larger quantities of gases, fluids or high-explosives to be delivered than artillery or even mortar shells of the same weight. With the exception of the Balkans Campaign, Nebelwerfers were used in every campaign of the German Army during World War II. A version of the 21 cm calibre system was even adapted for air-to-air use against Allied bombers. The name was also used to fool observers from the League of Nations, who were observing any possible infraction of the Treaty of Versailles, from discovering that the weapon could be used for explosive and toxic chemical payloads as well as the smoke rounds that the name Nebelwerfer suggested.

Rocket development had begun during the 1920s and reached fruition in the late thirties. This offered the opportunity for the Nebeltruppen to deliver large quantities of poison gas or smoke simultaneously. The first weapon to be delivered to the troops was the 15 cm Nebelwerfer 41 in 1940, after the Battle of France, a purpose-designed rocket with gas, smoke and high-explosive warheads. It, like virtually all German rocket designs, was spin-stabilized to increase accuracy. One very unusual feature was that the rocket motor was in the front, the exhaust venturi being about two-thirds down the body from the nose, with the intent to optimize the blast effect of the rocket as the warhead would still be above the ground when it detonated. This proved to greatly complicate manufacture for not much extra effect and it was not copied on later rocket designs. It was fired from a six-tube launcher mounted on a towed carriage adapted from that used by the 3.7 cm PaK 36 and had a range of 6,900 metres (7,500 yd). Rocket-projector troops are employed as battalion and regimental units, in keeping with their task of destroying hostile forces by concentrated fire. One of the advantages of the Nebelwerfer 41 is that it can mass its projectiles on a very small target area. By means of a shrewd disposition of the batteries, a carefully planned communication system, and a large number of observation posts with advanced observers, the infantry can assure for itself manoeuvrability and a concentration of its fire power upon the most important points. Projectors are placed well toward the front almost without exception, at points forward of the artillery so that they will be able to eliminate hostile command posts, destroy hostile positions, and even repulse sudden attacks effectively. The firing positions of the projectors are always carefully built up so that the weapons can give strong support to the infantry.

In Russia, during the winter of 1942-43, many breakthrough attempts by hostile forces were repulsed by direct fire from rocket-projector batteries. The projectile itself resembles a small torpedo?without propeller or tail fins. The base is flat, with slightly rounded edges. The rocket jets are located about one-third of the way up the projectile from the base, and encircle the casing. The jets are at an angle with the axis of the projectile so as to impart rotation in flight, in "turbine" fashion. The following note on the operation of the Nebelwerfer 41 is reproduced from the original WW2 German Army periodical Die Wehrmacht.

The Nebelwerfer 41, is unlimbered and placed in position by its crew of four men. As soon as the protective coverings have been removed, the projector is ready to be aimed and loaded. The ammunition is attached to the right and to the left of the projector, within easy reach, and the shells are introduced two at a time, beginning with the lower barrels and continuing upward. Meanwhile, foxholes deep enough to conceal a man in standing position have been dug about 10 to 15 yards to the side and rear of the projector. The gunners remain in these foxholes while the weapon is being fired by electrical ignition. Within 10 seconds a battery can fire 36 projectiles. These make a droning pipe-organ sound as they leave the barrels, and, while in flight, leave a trail of smoke. After a salvo has been fired, the crew quickly returns to its projectors and reloads them. Only its original empty steel shell casing and parts, no propellant, no ingnition system, thus completely safe in all regards.
No restrictions to ownership or personal display, but only for sale to over 18's.

Not suitable to Export. 38 inches long approx.
Copy and paste for original film of Nebelwefer in use on youtube; www.youtube.com/watch?v=loNLz1_Zf1c  read more

Code: 21929

Another Fabulous ‘Grand Tour’ Piece of History. An Original Transylvanian/Hungarian 14th-15th Cent. Bronze Mace Head, An Iconic Weapon Of War of the Knights of Vlad Dracul, In The War With Sultan Mehmed IInd Ruler of the Ottoman Empire

From the reign of Vlad Dracul, a name that from which derived the Order of the Dragon. Who was ruler and prince of Transylvania. A bronze mace head formed with a series of low pyramidal points, and in patinated condition throughout. This wonderful original artifact, from Eastern European medieval history, was a most popular close combat weapon for mounted knights of the 14th century and 15th century, and as a highly effective close combat knightly weapon they were continually used right through the 15th into the 16th century. They were used by the Hungarian Knights of the Black Army, and the Transylvanian Knights and mercenary knights that served Prince Vlad the IInd and his son Prince Vlad Dracul, Vlad the IIIrd, the Impaler and the Szekely . They fought across the whole Empire, in Hungary, Transylvania, Romania, fighting against the encroachment of the expanding Ottoman Empire of Sultan Mehmed IInd.

Vlad Dracul of Transylvania inspired the tales of the vampire of legend, named "Dracula". That evolution of Dracul, recalls only the character from the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker, dramatically and memorably realised by Bella Lugosi, in the eponymous 1931 Hollywood horror film, and then followed by all too numerous actors since, including one of the very best, Gary Oldman. However, behind the popular myth lies the genuine historic ruler Vlad III Dracula "the Impaler" (1431-76), Prince of Wallachia in what is now Romania, a vassal of the Hungarian kings. Voivode is the medieval Romanian term for a regional commander, which position Vlad held intermittently in addition to his princedom (1448, 1456-62 and 1476), and the name "Dracula" is a diminutive derived from the Imperial Order of the Dragon, the order of knights to which Vlad and his father, Vlad II (1390-1447) commanded. He ruled his military kingdom of Wallachia southern Romania with a heavy and blood-soaked fist. To not only the Turks but also to many of his own countrymen he was Vlad The Impaler, Vlad Die Tepes (pronounced Tee-pish). Determined not to be overtaken by the intrigue of an intriguing political underhandedness, in a world in which princes fell daily to smiling, hypocritical "allies," paranoia among the aristocracy was, and probably needed to be, utmost in a sovereign's disposition. Dracula built a defence around him that dared not open kindness nor trust to anyone. During his tenure, he killed by the droves, impaling on a forest of spikes around his castle thousands of subjects who he saw as either traitors, would-be traitors or enemies to the security of Romania and the Roman Catholic Church. Sometimes, he slew merely to show other possible insurgents and criminals just what their fate would be if they became troublesome.
A pamphlet published in Nuremburg, Germany, immediately following his death in 1476, tells of his burning beggars after allowing them free food at his court. "He felt they were eating the people's food for nothing, and could not repay it," the broadside explains. And there are countless of other tales of Dracula's wickedness written down ages ago, many of which will be related in this article. This Mace is without haft,and in it's present state it would make a superb cabinet piece, or desk display. However if required we could commission our master cabinet maker to create a replacement haft to replicate how it once would have looked complete. Original paintings in the gallery of Vlad IIIrd and a Knight of the Black Army with mace, and finally an original medeivil portriat of Stephen Lackfi, holding an identical Hungarian mace, he was a knight horseman, and note the Dragon Order shield.
for information only The Szekely are of uncertain origins, subject to much debate among themselves and among scholars. A widespread theory asserts that they descend from the warrior tribes settled by the Hungarians in the border mountains to defend against invasions from Tatars and other menacing people from the east. Szekely people adhere proudly to a Hungarian identity. They have a slightly distinct Hungarian dialect, but most of the differences from modern Hungarian consist of archaic words and phrase constructions, as well as a particular intonation.

In medieval times, the Szekely were part of the Unio Trium Nationum ("Union of Three Nations") a coalition of the three Transylvanian Estates, the other two nations being the (predominantly Hungarian) nobility and the Saxon (ie ethnic German) burghers. These three nations ruled Transylvania, usually in harmony though sometimes in conflict with one another. The Romanian inhabitants, who largely belonged to the class of serfs (which also included many Hungarians), were Orthodox and were not allowed political representation. The Szekely were considered the best warriors of medieval Transylvania. Regular size mace of the period 2 inches at the widest  read more

Code: 22566

Fabulous, Very Rare WW2 German Luftwaffe Falshirmjager Mobile Artillery Shells & Case with Luftwaffe Falshirmjager Issue stamps

Original falshirmhager issue transit case containing two original [unfired] shell heads and three original shell cases, held by its transit rack. As used by the elite German Falshirmjager special airborne troops during the Invasion of Crete. Also the type that was used by special SS combat groups, Heer Mountain Troops, and the Luftwaffe Falshirmjager Special Trained Special Forces Unit Troops of II/KG200. This set was used by the Luftwaffe Falshirmjager and marked accordingly as issue Luftwaffe for falshirmjager. The German small mobile artillery cannon was an incredible piece of artillery in that it was small enough to be transported in back packs, through mountain terrain and even dropped with falshirmjager parachute troops. During the invasion of Crete the German paratroopers found themselves attacked with clubs, knives and farm equipment as they scrambled to get out of their parachutes. There were numerous reports of citizens firing old rifles at landing infantry and even joining the New Zealander, Greek, or English counterattacks around the island. Believe it or not the Germans were outraged that common citizens, wearing no uniform, were actively skirmishing against their soldiers, [in other words, how dare the ordinary Greek peasants have the cheek to attempt to defend their homeland, from the noble and valiant German invaders, especially while dressed in poor quality civilian clothes!]. Thus, and consequently, the German invaders soon felt threatened by attack at all times, from any civilian quarter [poor things].
By this time, the Germans had gotten enough supplies to the island by sea and air to begin to wage conventional war against Crete's defenders. A big surprise to the Allied forces was German artillery. It had been thought that artillery was far to heavy and difficult to deploy in a primarily air based invasion. Unfortunately for the men on Crete, the Germans had developed a recoilless gun, named the LG40, that Fallschirmjager units were able to carry with them. The 7.5cm gun fired the same shells as the full size 7.5cm artillery being used by conventional units, albeit at around 2/3rds of the range. It was lightweight, easy to use, and generally very effective. This is a complete shell and detonator case that takes 3 shells and it this one is complete with 2 fuze heads and 3 charge detonator bases with adjustable charge discs. This case is clearly marked Luft for issue and use Luftwaffe Fallshirmjager. The 7.5 cm Leichtgeschuetz 40 could be air-dropped and had a maximum range of 6,800 m. Para-trained commandos of II/KG200 (also known as the 3rd Staffel of Kampfgeschwader 200), were a Luftwaffe special forces unit who were para-trained commandos. II./KG 200 remain a mostly unheard of arm of Germany's World War II parachute forces due to the nature of their role and were listed on II./KG 200's ORBAT as the 3rd Staffel. Please Note* Shown in the photographs, there are two shells with their heads included, 3 steel shell cases, but two heads. Inert and perfectly safe, but not suitable for export.  read more

Code: 22502

A Very, Very Rare Scots Fusilier Guards Officer's Bearskin Cap 1854. Used at Sebastopol and Alm. The Only Other 'Foldable' Bearskin, Surviving From The Crimean War, That We Know Of, Can Be Seen in The Guards Museum

In overall very good condition, the interior is lined with a leather cap, stitched to the skin, as could be usual for the Crimean bearskin, so the caps could be transported flat one supposes, and it also has the officer's velvet band partially intact. It has no hackle mount externally, which is correct for the Scots Fusilier Guards bearskins, as they wore no hackle, unlike the Grenadiers, and Coldstream Guards. This is only the second 1850's example used in the Crimea we have seen outside of the Guards Museum
.
This is the bearskin headdress of an 1850's officer of the Scots Fusilier Guards, one of the most famous regiments of infantry in the British Army. This celebrated item, still worn by the Guards Division on ceremonial duties, has its origins in the Battle of Waterloo, where the 1st Foot Guards of Wellington’s army fought against the French Imperial Guard, who wore bearskin caps. It was during the reign of King George IV that the Guard uniforms were changed, along with the Guard Regiments themselves. The scarlet coatee was introduced, with gray or white trousers and in 1832 the bearskin cap became the official headdress of all three guards regiments, thus creating the ceremonial uniform that essentially remains in use today.

In the Crimean war the bearskin was reduced in height and the cap's pelt could be attached to a leather cap, as is this one, and not mounted on a frame of willow or rattan, one such bearskin mounted is in the Guards Museum London

In the Crimean war they were still a combat helmet, classified as a bearskin cap. Sometime after the Crimea the bearskin was only in use by the guards, and fusiliers as a dress cap, as it still is today.

The guards combat details follow below {in a brief resume} at the Battle of Alma, during the retreat and second attack.

By now, the 1st Division had finally crossed the river and the Russians in the greater redoubt saw approaching them the Guards' Brigade, with the Grenadier Guards on the right, the Scots Fusilier Guards in the centre, and the Coldstream Guards on the left. Out of sight on the far left was the Highland Brigade, commanded by Sir Colin Campbell. Campbell was irritated by the Guards' delay and ordered an immediate advance. A firm believer in the charge with bayonets, Campbell told his men not to fire their rifles until they were "within a yard of the Russians".

The Scots Fusiliers, by then ahead of the rest of the division, started to move uphill immediately, repeating the Light Division's mistake, which at that moment was running down from the redoubt, pursued by Russian infantry. The Light Division crashed into the advancing Scots Fusiliers with such force that the line was broken in many places. The Scots faltered, but emerged on the other side with only half their numbers and continued towards the great redoubt in a chaotic state. When they were 37 m (40 yd) from the redoubt, the Russians mounted a massive volley. The Scots Fusiliers were forced to retreat, stopping only when they reached the river.

The two other guards regiments filled the gap left by the Scots Fusiliers, but refused orders to charge with bayonets up the hill. Instead, the Grenadiers and the Coldstream formed into lines and started firing Minié volleys into the Russian advance parties. This stopped the Russians, and the Grenadiers and the Coldstream were soon able to close the gap between them; the Russians were again forced back into the redoubt. Vintage, replaced chinscales

Photos in the gallery of Hand-coloured photograph of three soldiers of the Scots Fusiliers Guards who served in the Crimean War. From right to left are Corporal Judd, Edward Temple and William Reynolds. They are all seated with Judd resting his bearskin on his lap and Temple holding one of the three rifles joint together pointing upwards.

Alongside this Crimean piece we also acquired a fabulous Crimean War pistol and an 1853 relic sword blade from the Charge of the Light Brigade.

Throughout the war Queen Victoria had taken an active interest in the welfare of the troops and on their return from the Crimea she met a number of the veterans at Buckingham Palace, Chatham Military Hospital and Aldershot Garrison. Following these meetings she commissioned a series of photographs of the veterans from the photographers Joseph Cundall and Robert Howlett.

The other coloured photograph is of Colour Sergeant William McGregor of the Scots Fusilier Guards.  read more

Code: 24947

A Super Historical Saxon Warrior's Axe. Likely a Saxon Thegn. Circa 850. As Was Used at the Battle of Basing of Saxon King Æthelred and His Brother, The Future Saxon, King Alfred the Great During the Viking Invasions of the Kingdom of Wessex

Just returned today from over two months of no expense spared conservation.

Incredibly the axe was recovered with it's original haft wedge still intact and present, this simply almost never happens. it has little or no intrinsic value as such at all, as an axe wedge, but historically, it is amazing. Found many decades ago, by the grandfather of its last owner, near the old site of Rowlads Castle, Hampshire, in the Saxon Kingdom of Wessex.
The Battle of Basing was a victory of a Viking army over the West Saxons at the royal estate of Basing in Hampshire on about 22 January 871.

In late December 870 the Vikings invaded Wessex and occupied Reading. Several battles followed in quick succession, Englefield, a West Saxon victory, Reading, a Viking victory and Ashdown on about 8 January, a West Saxon victory. Two weeks later, King Æthelred and his brother, the future King Alfred the Great, were defeated at Basing. There was then a lull of two months until the Battle of Meretun, when the Vikings again prevailed. Soon after Easter, which fell on 15 April in that year, Æthelred died and was succeeded by Alfred.

In 871, the Vikings continued to attack. Alfred's brother Aethelred died in one of the battles and Alfred was crowned king at the age of 22. Over the next several years Alfred fought off the Vikings. After many battles, he thought they had finally achieved some kind of peace. However, in 878, the Danish King Guthrum led a surprise attack against Alfred and his army. He was defeated. Alfred managed to escape, but with only a few men. He fled so that he could plot his counterattack.
Many of the men of Wessex were tired of the constant raids and attacks of the Vikings; as a result, they rallied around Alfred and soon the king had a strong army again.

Despite being very courageous and a great leader, Alfred was a frail man who struggled with illness for most of his life. He did not let this stop him though; with his new army, Alfred counter-attacked the Vikings. After a hard-fought battle, he
defeated King Guthrum and took back his land at Chippenham. Subsequently, Alfred established a peace treaty: the Vikings would remain on the eastern side of Britain and the Anglo Saxons on the west. The Viking territory became known
as Danelaw.
Once peace had been established with the Vikings, Alfred went about rebuilding his kingdom. With so much focus on fighting off the Vikings, the educational system of England had almost disappeared. Alfred knew that education was
important, so he founded schools and rebuilt monasteries.
In 886, he re-captured London and was named King of the English on Anglo Saxon coins. This was the first time a man had ever reigned over most of the country.
A devout Christian, he began to spread the religion throughout England and many Saxons and Vikings, who were Pagan, converted to Christianity. Not only this, but he helped to translate the Bible from Latin into English so that more people could read – this is another example of how he helped to improve education too.
In addition to this, Alfred made other reforms and improvements to his kingdom:
he built forts throughout the country, established a strong navy, and brought talented European scholars and craftsmen across the channel to England. Furthermore, he also established a national code of law.

The Saxon settlement at Southampton was known as Hamtun, while the surrounding area or scīr was called Hamtunscīr. The old name was recorded in the Domesday book as Hantescire, and it is from this spelling that the modern abbreviation "Hants" and thus its name Hampshire derives.

In later Anglo-Saxon England, a thegn was an aristocrat who owned substantial land in one or more counties. Thanes ranked at the third level in lay society, below the king and ealdormen. Thanage refers to the tenure by which lands were held by a thane as well as the rank.

Thegns, the wealthy noblemen of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, served as retainers for their lords, fulfilling their obligation of military service.

Well-trained and equipped, thegns served as infantrymen, clad in chain mail armour and iron helmets shields.

Led to battle under dragon banners, they provided Saxon armies with a steadfast, hard-hitting core.

The term thane was also used in early medieval Scandinavia for a class of retainers, and thane was a title given to local royal officials in medieval eastern Scotland, equivalent in rank to the child of an earl.

Thegns were divided into three ranks: ealdormen (later earl), king's thegns, and median thegns. Below ealdormen were king's thegns, so called because they only served the king. The lowest thegnly rank were the median thegns who owed service to other thegns. The higher a thegn's rank, the greater the heriot he paid to the king.

Thegns were the backbone of local government and the military. Sheriffs were drawn from this class, and thegns were required to attend the shire court and give judgment. For these reasons, historian David Carpenter described thegns as "the country gentry of Anglo-Saxon England". Although their exact role is unclear, the twelve senior thegns of the hundred played a part in the development of the English system of justice. Under a law of Aethelred they "seem to have acted as the judicial committee of the court for the purposes of accusation". This suggests some connection with the modern jury trial.

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: 25448

A Superb Condition Relic From the Battle of Agincourt. A Fierce-Some Armour or Helmet Piercing Welsh Longbowman'sTanged Long Arrowhead. Recovered From Azincourt in the 1820's

Yet another small part of our wondrous, historical, and original Ancient Roman, Ancient Greek, Viking, Crusaders, and Medeavil battlefield antiquities and artefacts, another Grand Tour collection

Much of it acquired by a Scottish Duke's family in the 1820's while on a Grand Tour of Anglo French battle sites within Northern & Western France from Azincourt, in the Pas-de-Calais, to Poitiers in Aquitaine.

Most English and Welsh war arrows for longbows could vary, and some archers would have some type of armour piercing bodkin or “plate cutter” since their job was to penetrate armour (gambesons, hauberks, and plate). They had long and short bodkin, plate cutter, leaf, trefoil, crescent, and swallowtail broadheads. Broadheads were for targeting un-armoured men and knight's horses.

English & Welsh longbowman groups bore the brunt of the fighting in ‘overseas’ France, thus endowing them with a professional character. Their improved pay scale also reflected such a change, with the new figure being 6 pence a day – adding up to around 9 pounds per year. In a practical scope, the number actually came down to around 5 pounds per year; and for comparison’s sake, a medieval knight required around 40 pounds per year to support himself and his panoply.

The Battle of Poitiers was a major English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It was fought on 19 September 1356 in Nouaillé, near the city of Poitiers in Aquitaine, western France. Edward, the Black Prince, led an army of English, Welsh, Breton and Gascon troops, many of them veterans of the Battle of Crécy. They were attacked by a larger French force led by King John II of France, which included allied Scottish forces. The French were heavily defeated; an English counter-attack captured King John, along with his youngest son, and much of the French nobility who were present.

The effect of the defeat on France was catastrophic, leaving Dauphin Charles to rule the country. Charles faced populist revolts across the kingdom in the wake of the battle, which had destroyed the prestige of the French nobility. The Edwardian phase of the war ended four years later in 1360, on favourable terms for England.

Poitiers was the second major English victory of the Hundred Years' War, coming a decade after the Battle of Crécy and about half a century before the Battle of Agincourt.The English army was led by Edward, the Black Prince, and composed primarily of English and Welsh troops, though there was a large contingent of Gascon and Breton soldiers with the army. Edward's army consisted of approximately 2,000 longbowmen, 3,000 men-at-arms, and a force of 1,000 Gascon infantry.

Like the earlier engagement at Crécy, the power of the English army lay in the longbow, a tall, thick self-bow made of yew. Longbows had demonstrated their effectiveness against massed infantry and cavalry in several battles, such as Falkirk in 1298, Halidon Hill in 1333, and Crécy in 1346. Poitiers was the second of three major English victories of the Hundred Years' War attributed to the longbow, though its effectiveness against armoured French knights and men-at-arms has been disputedGeoffrey the Baker wrote that the English archers under the Earl of Salisbury "made their arrows prevail over the French knights' armour",but the bowmen on the other flank, under Warwick, were initially ineffective against the mounted French men-at-arms who enjoyed the double protection of steel plate armour and large leather shields. Once Warwick's archers redeployed to a position where they could hit the unarmoured sides and backs of the horses, however, they quickly routed the cavalry force opposing them. The archers were also unquestionably effective against common infantry, who could not afford plate armour.

The English army was an experienced force; many archers were veterans of the earlier Battle of Crécy, and two of the key commanders, Sir John Chandos, and Captal de Buch were both experienced soldiers. The English army's divisions were led by Edward, the Black Prince, the Earl of Warwick, the Earl of Salisbury, Sir John Chandos and Jean III de Grailly, the Captal de Buch.

After several decades of relative peace, the English had renewed their war effort in 1415 amid the failure of negotiations with the French. In the ensuing campaign, many soldiers perished due to disease and the English numbers dwindled, but as they tried to withdraw to English-held Calais they found their path blocked by a considerably larger French army. Despite the disadvantage, the following battle ended in an overwhelming tactical victory for the English.

King Henry V of England led his troops into battle and participated in hand-to-hand fighting. The French king of the time, Charles VI, did not command the French army himself, as he suffered from severe psychotic illnesses with moderate mental incapacitation. Instead, the French were commanded by Constable Charles d'Albret and various prominent French noblemen of the Armagnac party.

This battle is notable for the use of the English longbow in very large numbers, with the English and Welsh archers forming up to 80 percent of Henry's army. The decimation of the French cavalry at their hands is regarded as an indicator of the decline of cavalry and the beginning of the dominance of ranged weapons on the battlefield.

Agincourt is one of England's most celebrated victories. The battle is the centrepiece of the play Henry V by Shakespeare. Juliet Barker in her book Agincourt: The King, the Campaign, the Battle ( published in 2005) argues the English and Welsh were outnumbered "at least four to one and possibly as much as six to one". She suggests figures of about 6,000 for the English and 36,000 for the French, based on the Gesta Henrici's figures of 5,000 archers and 900 men-at-arms for the English, and Jean de Wavrin's statement "that the French were six times more numerous than the English". The 2009 Encyclopædia Britannica uses the figures of about 6,000 for the English and 20,000 to 30,000 for the French. Part of an original medieval collection we have just acquired, of Viking and early British relics of warfare from ancient battle sites recovered up to 220 years ago.

It has been suggested that the bodkin came into its own as a means of penetrating armour, but research by the Royal Armouries has found no hardened bodkin points, though only two bodkin points were actually tested, not a statistically relevant number. Bodkins did, however, have greater ability to pierce mail armour than broadheads, and historical accounts do speak of bodkin arrows shot from close range piercing plate armour. Broadheads were made from steel, sometimes with hardened edges, but were more often used against lightly armoured men or horses than against an armoured adversary.

In a modern test, a direct hit from a steel bodkin point penetrated mail armour, although at point blank range. However, the test was conducted without a padded jack or gambeson, which was layered cloth armour worn under heavier armour for protection against projectiles, as it was known to stop even heavy arrows.

Armour of the medieval era was not completely proof against arrows until the specialised armour of the Italian city-state mercenary companies. Archery was thought not to be effective against plate armour in the Battle of Neville's Cross (1346), the Battle of Bergerac (1345), and the Battle of Poitiers (1356); such armour became available to European knights and men at arms of fairly modest means by the late 14th century, though never to all soldiers in any army.

Some recent tests have demonstrated that needle bodkins could penetrate all but heavy steel plate armour; one test used padded "jack" armour, coat of plates, iron and steel mail and steel plate. A needle bodkin penetrated every type, but may not have been able to inflict a lethal injury behind plate. As with all other tests, accuracy of these tests is called into question as the arrowheads were all high carbon steel and hardened, and the historical accuracy of the armour tested is unknown.The name comes from the Old English word bodkin or bodekin, a type of sharp, pointed dagger. Arrows of the long bodkin type were used by the Vikings and continued to be used throughout the Middle Ages. The bodkin point eventually fell out of use during the 16th and 17th centuries, as armour largely ceased to be worn and firearms took over from archery. 105mm long overall including socket

As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity.

Most of our antiquities and artefacts are from 200 year past souvenir accumulations from British ‘Grand Tours’. Beautiful Items and antiquities were oft acquired in the 18th and early 19th century by British noblemen and women touring battle sites in Northern France and Italy, in fact most of Europe and the Middle East, on their so-called ‘Grand Tour’. They were often placed on display upon their return home, within the family’s 'cabinet of curiosities', within their country house. Some significant British stately homes had entire galleries displaying the treasures and artefacts gathered and purchased on such tours, and some tours lasted many years, and the accumulated souvenirs numbered in their hundreds or even thousands. A popular pastime in the 18th and 19th century, comprised of English ladies and gentlemen traveling for many months, or even years, throughout classical Europe, and the Middle East, acquiring knowledge and education on the arts, and thus returning with antiquities and antiques as souvenirs for their private collections, and these travels have been thus called ‘Grand Tours’.

83mm long overall including tang

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Code: 25671