Cassin-Scott Illustration of 14th Light Dragoon Trooper and equipment, 1854, showing the 1821 Pattern Light Cavalry Saber.
Greetings, dear reader(s), it's time for a continuation of the "Sword Lore" series. As a reminder, I collect antique swords with a focus on cavalry/mounted weapons from the time when they were primary fighting weapons. I focus also on collecting "service" swords--the actual weapons issued to troopers (although I have also gathered officer versions along the way). The thrust of the collection starts with the Napoleonic era and continues through the mid/late Victorian. More by accidents of availability and opportunity, I've managed to acquire swords that trace the progression of from the Napoleonic to the Franco Prussian (see Sword Lore: 1811 Blucher and Sword Lore II: 1852 Prussian Cavalry Saber). A recent acquisition--the topic of this post--has filled the gap in the progression of the British light cavalry swords from Napoleonic through Crimea. Specifically, this is a study of the 1821 British Light Cavalry Saber, which follows on from the Sword Lore IV study of the British 1796 Light Cavalry Saber. As usual, in this post, you may clix pix for BIG PIX. Enough of the preliminaries. If you have the time (and endurance), here is my study of the saber's history and how I decode the antique sword in my possession...
BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
The author's swords--illustrating the progression of the Napoleonic British Pattern 1796 Cavalry Saber to the Post-Napoleonic Pattern 1821--as influenced by the French Napoleonic AN XI Light Cavalry saber.
The British 1796 was a specialized weapon, designed for the cut, whereas the French AN XI light cavalry saber had a longer reach and a multi purpose blade: it was less curved, but still had an effective cutting edge with a spear point capable of delivering an effective thrust. This was reflected in the doctrine of the combatants. The French emphasized the thrust whereas the British the cut (cut vs thrust: a broader topic on which much more could be said but is beyond the scope of this study). For a more detailed discussion of the British Light Cavalry Pattern 1796, see the Sword Lore IV post.
When you compare the British 1821 saber to the French AN XI, it is clear that the experience of the Napoleonic Wars influenced the development of the post-Napoleonic successor, with more hand protection and a multi-purpose cut and thrust blade (the latter being consistent with post-Napoleonic blade development in general).
The earlier British swordsmanship manual that was distributed concurrent with the 1796 illustrated how to deliver six different cuts, but did not include any instruction on the thrust (outside of one illustration of how to hold the saber to "give point"). The updated 1819 British mounted swordsmanship manual, on the other hand, which was being put together no doubt with the updated 1821 blade in mind in mind, included instructions on delivering several different thrusts in addition to the standard cuts.
The British 1821 Pattern Light Cavalry saber was issued to the Light Dragoons, Lancers, Hussars, and gunners of the Royal Horse Artillery.
Consistent with the progression towards the merging of heavy and light cavalry swords, the Pattern 1821 was superceded by the British Pattern 1853 Universal Cavalry Saber--which, as the name suggests, was a single pattern for all cavalry. The Pattern 1853 is beyond the scope of this study, but the major difference, aside from being issued to all cavalry, was a full length tang that extended all the way to the pommel, a different, two piece grip secured by five rivets to either side of the tang, and the blade being a bit narrower.
Charge of the Light Brigade, 1854
The fielding of the new Pattern 1854 was still in progress when the Crimean War broke out. It is estimated that roughly half of the British cavalry at the Battle of Balaclava--and in the charge the Light Brigade--were equipped with the Pattern 1821 Light Cavalry Saber. By 1856, all the cavalry were equipped with the pattern 1853 sword.
DECODING AN ANTIQUE SWORD
At this point, we move from the general history and background to an examination of the actual sword in my possession, to tell the "story" of this particular sword. To begin with, it is useful to understand that a sword is composed of two parts: the blade and the hilt. Each of these also have their own sub components, but they provide us the framework for analysis. In the case of this sword, we also have the scabbard and the belt. We look at the markings (if present), the form, and the materials, against what the references tell us.
Withers, Harvey J.S. The British Sword from 1600 to the Present Day, an Illustrtated History. Harvey Winters Military Publishing, 2024.
Robson, Brian. Swords of the British Army: The Regulation Patterns, 1788-1914. 2nd Edition, Arms and Armor Press, 1975.
For anyone interested in the topic, Robson is considered the definitive resource for collecting British swords. Now, on to the analysis...
THE BLADE
Blade Markings
The topic of Markings on the blades of British Swords in the 19th Century is rather involved and beyond the scope of this study. In summary, it can be said that it is not unusual for British blades to be unmarked. Beyond that, as the century progressed, markings became both more consistently present and more standardized. During the period concerned--the lifespan of the pattern 1821 light cavalry sword from 1821-53--suffice it to say that it was a transitional time for such standardization. Swords were starting to be centrally acquired by the Board of Ordnance as opposed to the regiments, in which case they would be marked "B.O." with an arrow. Swords were also beginning to be manufactured by the government at its own facility at Enfield (which would be marked as such). And (finally), contracted swords would still have an ordnance stamp, but which evolved, post 1820, to three parts: a crown over a letter over a number. Given that the sword in question has an ordnance mark, we will focus on its significance when telling its "story" (more on that later...).
The Scabbard
The scabbard markings indicate the manufacturer on one side, and the unit on the other. In this case, the Manufacturer is the same as is listed on the spine of the blade: W. Harvey--of Birmingham. According to my references, the firm of W. Harvey in Birmingham was producing swords from 1816-1839 (another important bit of information). On the reverse of the scabbard we have the full unit:
W.Y.C:
Worcestershire Yeomanry Cavalry
H:
Troop H
7:
Trooper #7
Again, the topic of unit markings, like blade markings, is an involved one. However, what can be said is that like blade markings, unit markings became more standardized as the century progressed. At the point in time we're dealing with, they tended to be by-unit, if present, but still conformed to a consistent pattern. Eventually, the regulation would follow these conventions, with an abbreviated form of the regiment, the troop letter, and a number, which would correspond to the trooper. Rather like a serial number in 20th Century Armies, the trooper would have a number, and be assigned the correspondingly marked sword. In this way, the markings on the sword/scabbard would remain consistent even as troopers came and went.
The Hilt
The steel hilt has improved hand protection, being of the very common "three bar" guard configuration, with a knuckle bow (the bottom guard) and two additional guards merging together and connecting to the pommel. There is a backstrap that runs the length of the grip, ending in a pommel cap with a peen button. Extending down from the backstrap are two "ears" secured to the tang by rivets. The grip is leather. Consistent with the scabbard, the Troop (H) and Trooper # (7) are marked on the quillon above the backstrap.
The Belt
The markings on the belt are consistent with the markings on the scabbard and hilt:
Regiment: W.Y.C.
(On Scabbard, Belt)
Troop: H
(On Scabbard, Hilt, Belt)
Trooper: 7
(On Scabbard, Hilt, Belt)
However, the belt has the additional "Q. O. R."
This stands for:
Queen's Own Regiment
Queen's Own Regiment
(a significant indicator, as will be mentioned later...)
W.Y.C.
THE WORCESTERSHIRE YEOMANARY CAVALRY:
DECODING THE "STORY" OF THIS SWORD
The Worcestershire Yeomanry Cavalry was raised in 1794. After the Napoleonic Wars, it was disbanded in 1827 and then re-raised in 1831, continuing on in service through the end of the century and beyond. For the purposes of this study, we are concerned with the period from 1821 through 1853 (the lifespan of the Pattern 1821 Light Cavalry sword).
There were ten, 50-man troops, in the regiment, each stationed in a different town in Worcestershire. This sword was assigned to Troop H, which was stationed in Upton.
Worcestershire Yeomanry Cavalry Uniforms
From 1794 through either 1824 or 1827 (depending on the source), the W.Y.C. were in the tarleton helmet and ladder-laced tunic (above left picture). They later adopted the double breasted tunic and bell topped shako (whether that was in 1824 or when re-raised in 1831 depends on the source). Up to 1821 (and possibly beyond), they would have been armed with the pattern 1796 Light Cavalry saber (as is the figure in the upper left image). There is a clue to when they would have been issued the Pattern 1821...more on that in a bit.
When (then) Princess Victoria toured Worcestershire in 1832, the W.Y.C. provided the escort. In recognition of this service, when she ascended the throne, the regiment received the Royal Designation in 1837, which added the "Queen's Own Regiment" to its title.
For more about the Worcestershire Yeomanry online, you can go to:
PUTTING IT ALL TOGEHTER:
Authentication
(is it a fake or authentic?)
Materials and Form: The materials are all consistent with the sources. The specifications (length and configuration of blade, hilt, and overall sword) are exactly consistent with all sources.
Markings: The form and placement of markings are all consistent with what the sources indicate for the period in question. It is more usual than not for an antique sword and scabbard to not be matched. On the other hand, a matched sword and scabbard, as in this case, is not unheard of. The fact that the unit markings on the scabbard and belt are not an exact match lends credibility. In the case of a fake, they most likely would be the same.
The Vendor: This sword was obtained from a U.K. dealer in antique arms. Although this, by itself, does not ensure authenticity, it does weigh in favor of authenticity where there is any ambiguity involved as opposed to a sword acquired via ebay or a similar source.
Service Life: the service life of the sword runs from 1821 to 1853, so we can say that this particular sword was issued sometime in that period.
Manufacturer: We know that the firm of W. Harvey was in business from 1816-1839, so we can narrow this timeframe down to from 1821 to 1839.
Royal Designation: We know that the regiment received the Royal Designation, "Queen's Own Regiment," in 1837. Taken at face value, the scabbard does not include the "Q.O.R." designation. Given the absence of this designation on the scabbard, and the match between sword and scabbard, we can infer that this sword dates from before 1837.
The belt, on the other hand, given that it has the "Q.O.R" designation, dates from 1837 or after.
So far, these factors put the sword in the 1821-1836 timeframe. But we can infer a more specific time within that range...
-----------------------
Manufacturer and Ordnance Mark Combination: If you're still reading this and recall the hint that I dropped in the discussion of the ordnance mark, here is the payoff.
The above image is of my 1796 British Light Cavalry Saber. It dates from 1797-1803. During the Napoleonic Wars, the mass production of swords was done under contract by various firms (many of them based in Birmingham, Harvey being one of them--other major ones being Gill and Osborne). During this time, the colonel of the regiment, subsidized by the government, was in charge of equipping the unit. Thus, although swords were all of the same pattern they would be provided by different firms (and marked accordingly). Many swords of this period have no markings, but if marked, they would have the manufacturer on the spine and the government acceptance (ordnance) stamp on the ricasso in the form of a crown over a letter).
After 1820, the configuration of the ordnance mark changed (as noted earlier), going from a crown over a letter to a crown over a letter over a number. This change was not clear cut, but took place over time. The manufacturer's names were also becoming less likely, given that these firms were no longer mass producing swords and evolving changes in acquisition over time.
The blade markings on this sword conform to the (early) Napoleonic combination and style: the manufacturer is on the spine and the pre-1820 version of the ordnance mark is on the ricasso.
Stacking this information on top of the service life of the sword and the unit history of the Worcestershire Yeomanry...
BUYER BEWARE
Antique Pattern 1821 Cavalry Swords are not hard to find. More specifically, swords advertised as Pattern 1821 British Cavalry Swords are not hard to find. Most of these are officer's swords (and they are advertised as such in most cases, so no error on that score). There are also replica versions made by firms like Kult of Athena (and others). The vast majority of those available are officer's swords. It is rare to find an antique service (trooper's) sword, so being able to differentiate between the two is important (but not difficult)...
In overall form, the officer's sword is very similar to the service sword...
Finally, this pattern sword was adopted as the Royal Artillery Officer's sword in the 1830s--and is still the pattern to this day. You will see these listed as British 1821 Light Cavalry Officer's swords, which technically they are (that is their nomenclature). However, it is important to understand that there are both cavalry and artillery versions. The artillery officer's swords come in two lengths: the horse artillery officer's sword has the 35 1/2" cavalry blade. The foot artillery officer's sword has a 32" blade. So if you see a sword of this pattern with a 32" inch blade, you know that it is not a cavalry sword (whether it is listed as an officer's or not). Having said that, other than the markings, a horse artillery officer's sword is identical to the cavalry officer's. Officer's blades are also decorated with the royal cipher and other marks (artillery swords often have cannons on them). There is an NCO version of these swords as well, which has a plain blade with an officer's hilt (all of the NCO versions I've seen have had 32" blades: most likely foot artillery).
INFLUENCE
Although US edged weapons are generally influenced by French models, the US Ames 1833 saber was influenced by the British 1821 Light Cavalry Sword.
If you've read this far, I am both thankful and impressed at your endurance!
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