An April 13th 1945 Daily Mirror Roosevelt Dies Headline Newspaper

and "End in a Few Days", US Told; A likely unique opportunity to own a piece of WW2 history. It would look splendid framed. Including within its pages is a story of a 20 year old WW2 widow, photographed working as a cinema ticket booth operator, who was told her Killed in Action husband has been posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the rarest and most valorous medal in the world. It details that he stood in open ground on a battlefield in Burma and held back a force of 300 Japanese on his own, from a distance of only 10 yards. When they returned for another assault he used a mortar, single handed, again completely unprotected in open ground, killed 7 then was mortally wounded. These were real and most worthy heroes, not the seemingly pointless self centred media celebrities of today, that appear to be worshiped by todays masses of the 21st century. Also, an article of the 14th Army Killing 1,029 Japs, "its greatest day of Jap-Killing since the fall on Mandalay". Not a piece of Western reportage that we would ever expect to see today! Plus a most peculiar cartoon section that we need not describe in words, humour certainly has changed in 70 years, but we think the pictures say it all??  read more

Code: 20216

A Most Fearsome & impressive Original Medieval Crusaders Battle Mace, 700 to 800 Years Old

A most impressive but fearsome early weapon from the 1200's to 1300's around 700 to 800 years old, and most probably German. On replacement 'display' haft. An incredible elaborate 'pineapple' form lobed head that would be extremely effective at achieving its aim. This is also the form of Mace that could also mounted on a short chain with a haft and then used as a flail mace or scorpian sting for that extra reach while used on horseback. Unlike a sword or haft mounted mace, it doesn't transfer vibrations from the impact to the wielder. This is a great advantage to a horseman, who can use his horse's speed to add momentum to and under-armed swing of the ball, but runs less of a risk of being unbalanced from his saddle. On a Flail it had the name of a Scorpion in England or France, or sometimes a Battle-Whip. It was also wryly known as a 'Holy Water Sprinkler'. King John The Ist of Bohemia used exactly such a weapon, as he was blind, and the act of 'Flailing the Mace' meant lack of site was no huge disadvantage in close combat. Although blind he was a valiant and the bravest of the Warrior Kings, who perished at the Battle of Crecy against the English in 1346. On the day he was slain he instructed his Knights [both friends and companions] to lead him to the very centre of battle, so he may strike at least one blow against his enemies. His Knights tied their horses to his, so the King would not be separated from them in the press, and they rode together into the thick of battle, where King John managed to strike not one but at least four noble blows. The following day of the battle, the horses and the fallen knights were found all about the body of their most noble King, all still tied to his steed.
It is difficult to block with a shield or parry with a weapon such as this on a chain because it can curve over and round impediments and still strike the target. It also provides defence whilst in motion. However the rigid haft does have the advantage as the flail needs space to swing and can easily endanger the wielder's comrades.
Controlling the flail is much more difficult than rigid weapons. Mounted on a replaced old haft. One photo in the gallery is from a 13th century Manuscript that shows knights in combat, and one at the rear is using a stylised and similar Mace [photo for information only and not included with mace]. The head is around the size of a tennis ball. In the gallery is a section of a 13th century illuminated manuscript, The Smithfield Decretals showing two man-sized rabbits killing a restrained man with a mace, known as a 'bizarre and vulgar' illustration. A mace is a blunt weapon, a type of club or virge that uses a heavy head on the end of a handle to deliver powerful blows. A mace typically consists of a strong, heavy, wooden or metal shaft, often reinforced with metal, featuring a head made of stone, copper, bronze, iron, or steel.
The head of a military mace can be shaped with flanges or knobs to allow greater penetration of plate armour. The length of maces can vary considerably. The maces of foot soldiers were usually quite short (two or three feet). The maces of cavalrymen were longer and thus better suited for blows delivered from horseback. Two-handed maces could be even larger. During the Middle Ages metal armour such as mail protected against the blows of edged weapons. Solid metal maces and war hammers proved able to inflict damage on well armoured knights, as the force of a blow from a mace is great enough to cause damage without penetrating the armour. Though iron became increasingly common, copper and bronze were also used, especially in iron-deficient areas. The Sami, for example, continued to use bronze for maces as a cheaper alternative to iron or steel swords.

One example of a mace capable of penetrating armour is the flanged mace. The flanges allow it to dent or penetrate thick armour. Flange maces did not become popular until after knobbed maces. Although there are some references to flanged maces (bardoukion) as early as the Byzantine Empire c. 900 it is commonly accepted that the flanged mace did not become popular in Europe until the 12th century, when it was concurrently developed in Russia and Mid-west Asia.
.It is popularly believed that maces were employed by the clergy in warfare to avoid shedding blood (sine effusione sanguinis). The evidence for this is sparse and appears to derive almost entirely from the depiction of Bishop Odo of Bayeux wielding a club-like mace at the Battle of Hastings in the Bayeux Tapestry, the idea being that he did so to avoid either shedding blood or bearing the arms of war. Iron head 2 inches x 2.25 inches across, length 21 inches  read more

Code: 21134

A Most Interesting & Fine Original Antique Edwardian Bastinado or Whipping Cane

Very flexible bamboo cane with a London hallmarked silver top dated 1902. In superb 'whippy' condition. Flagellation was so common in England as punishment that caning, along with spanking and whipping, are called "the English vice".

Caning can also be done consensually as a part of personal 'amusement'
Foot whipping, falanga or bastinado is a method of inflicting pain and humiliation by administering a beating on the soles of a person's bare feet. Unlike most types of flogging, it is meant more to be painful than to cause actual injury to the victim. Blows are generally delivered with a light rod, knotted cord, or lash.

The receiving person is forced to be barefoot and soles of the feet are placed in an exposed position. The beating is typically performed with an object like a cane or switch. The strokes are usually aimed at the arches of the feet and repeated a certain number of times.

Bastinado is also referred to as foot (bottom) caning or sole caning, depending on the instrument in use. The German term is Bastonade, deriving from the Italian noun bastonata (stroke with the use of a stick). In former times it was also referred to as Sohlenstreich
The first clearly identified written documentation of bastinado in Europe dates to 1537, and in China to 960.2 References to bastinado have been hypothesised to also be found in the Bible (Prov. 22:15; Lev. 19:20; Deut. 22:18), suggesting use of the practice since antiquity
Foot whipping was used by Fascist Blackshirts against Freemasons critical of Benito Mussolini as early as 1923. It was reported that Russian prisoners of war were "bastinadoed' at Afion camp by their Turkish captors during World War I. However British prisoners escaped this treatment. Also, as used in days gone by at Eton, Harrow, & Rugby, and by Miss Doris Goodstripe, of 37 Railway Cuttings, East Cheam (apparently)  read more

Code: 23926

An 18th Century English Small Sword Circa 1760

An English small sword often favoured by English naval officers, in blackened cut steel as this type of finish inhibited rust, single knuckle bow and an ovoid neo classical pommel with a fine diamond cut pattern. Plain wooden grip oval guard with small pas dan. Hollow trefoil blade with central fuller. Original blackened finish. One pas dans and the quillon have been shortened. See the standard work "Swords and Blades of the American Revolution" by George C. Neumann Published 1973. Sword 216s. Page 136 for two very similar swords. A particular painting showing a very good example of this is in the National Maritime Museum and it is most similar. The painting is of British Naval Captain Hugh Palliser, who wears the same form of sword with a blackened hilt , but with a gold sword knot which gave it a sleek overall appearance. A full-length portrait of Sir Hugh Palliser, Admiral of the White, turning slightly to the right in captain's uniform (over three years seniority), 1767-1774. He stands cross-legged, leaning on the plinth of a column, holding his hat in his right hand. The background includes a ship at sea. From 1764 to 1766, when he was a Captain, Palliser was Governor of Newfoundland, where James Cook, who had served under him earlier, was employed charting the coast. He was subsequently Comptroller of the Navy and then second-in-command to Augustus Keppel at the Battle of Ushant in 1778. Good condition overall, Blade 27.5 inches long  read more

Code: 22553

A Simply Magnificent, Huge, Ozutso Samurai Hand Cannon Teppo Matchlock Gun, of Negishi Sukenobu, Inlaid With Silver and Gold Dragon With Both the Amago Clan of Kamei Kenenori and Tokugawa Clan Mons.

Signed Japanese red oak stock. The huge uncompromising barrel is inlaid with twin, large silver Amago clan mon and and gold-copper triple leaf Aoi, clan mon of the Tokugawa at the breech, it has a pinhole block site, extravagant gold and silver scrolling dragon inlay, up through the length of the barrel, terminating in a multi sided and stunning tulip form muzzle. Within the channel of the stock is a beautiful hand scripted signature of the samurai owner, Negishi Sukenobu no Tutu. Translation; Negishi Sukenobu's gun tutu is an old Japanese name for a matchlock gun

It has a sinchu matchlock mechanism with a long engraved match arm, inlaid with speckles of silver, traditional spring release utilising the ball trigger. the stock has engraved, silver cherry blossom form inlaid, barrel retaining mekugi-ana apertures, for the long copper mekugi to retain the barrel..

Part of a huge collection that just arrived after a long and patient wait a sensational O-Zutsu hand cannon tanegashima, it is huge and incredibly heavy, of around 10 monme, 18mm bore

It is often the case were early samurai weaponry bear twin mon decoration, often demonstrating a co-joining or allegiance between two samurai clans.

Resembling the Portuguese arquebus, the first matchlock gun to be seen in Japan, this massive and handsome weapon expresses the Japanese desire for powerful, finely made firearms.

A 17th century Japanese tradition relates that after the accidental arrival of three Portuguese mariners on Tanegashima Island in 1543, the sword-smith Kiyosada gave his daughter to their captain in order to learn the secrets of musket manufacture.

The actual guns were snap matchlocks made in Malacca, a Portuguese colony, and by 1550 were in production on a large scale. Known as ‘Tanegashima’ or ‘Teppō’ they were used by the Samurai and their foot soldiers and changed the way war was fought in Japan forever.

Large carbines such as this example were known as ‘ozutsu’ or cannon and were mounted on castle walls, used on merchant ships to repel pirates, on horseback in war or as assault weapons to blast through door hinges.

They could also launch incendiary or explosive arrows known as ‘Hiya’ to set fires during sieges. When fired these powerful weapons had a large recoil, and bales of rice were used to support the gunners back from injury.

Ammunition consisted of heavy round lead balls with differing sizes described as ‘Monme’. Made to take between 10 to 30 ‘Monme’ shots, this carbine is one of the largest examples of Japanese Edo Period handheld firearm

One woodblock in the gallery of a samurai holding an ozutso, and another of the great Takeda Shingen contemplating a small teppo matchlock gun, and it’s dramatic effect on the future of samurai warfare. The shape and form of ours is the same as the one contemplated by Takeda Shingen in the print, but ours is around four times the size, not a long gun but of incredible mass, beauty and presence. Somewhat like a dragon, a beast to admire for its breathtaking beauty, but to fear and respect for its power and presence.
The Amago clan, descended from the Emperor Uda (868–897) by the Kyogoku clan, descending from the Sasaki clan (Uda Genji).

Kyogoku Takahisa in the 14th century, lived in Amako-go (Omi Province), and took the name 'Amago'. The family crest, is also the one of the Kyogoku clan.

They were Shugodai (vice-Governors) of Izumo and Oki provinces for generations, for the Kyogoku Shugo branch , and their seat was Gassan Toda castle.

In 1484, Amago Tsunehisa (1458–1541), was deprived of the position of Shugodai by Kyogoku Masatsune, who was the Shugo, because he did not obey the request of tax from the Muromachi bakufu, and was expelled from Gassan Toda castle. Although Enya Kamonnosuke was dispatched to Gassan Toda castle as the new Shugodai, Tsunehisa recaptured Gassan Toda castle by a surprise attack in 1486, took control of Izumo, and developed the Amago clan into a Sengoku Daimyo clan.

The Amago fought the Ouchi clan or the Mori clan (who had been among their vassals), during Japan's Sengoku period.

For much of the next hundred years, the clan battled with the Ouchi and Mori, who controlled neighbouring provinces, and fell into decline when Gassantoda Castle fell to the Mori in 1566.

Amago Katsuhisa tried to regain prestige for the clan by joining the forces of Oda Nobunaga, invaded Tajima and Inaba provinces, but was defeated and died in the siege of Kozuki by the Mori in 1578.
Kamei Korenori (亀井 茲矩, 1557 – February 27, 1612) was a Japanese daimyō who lived through the early Edo period. He was first a retainer under the Amago clan of Izumo Province, but eventually became a daimyō in his own right. Receiving Shikano castle in Inaba Province as a reward for his notable service in 1578, Korenori ascended to higher rank as he assisted in Hideyoshi's 1587 invasion of Kyūshū. Following Hideyoshi's death in 1598, entered the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Following the Sekigahara Campaign of 1600, his income was raised from 13,000 to 43,000 koku as a reward for his service to the Tokugawa clan. Korenori died of natural causes in 1612.

Korenori's descendants were eventually made daimyō (lords) of the Tsuwano Domain, which they ruled until the Meiji Resoration.

Weight an impressive and formidable 6.6 kilos, length overall, 42 inches, barrel 30.5 inches  read more

Code: 24307

Japanese Type 1932 Otsu NCO's Gunto Sabre 770mm Blade Serial Numbered Matching Sword and Scabbard

Type 32 Guntō is a government supply non-commissioned officer sword enacted in 1889 (August 23, Meiji 32).
There are two kinds of these Guntōes, the "Kō" for a cavalry trooper and the "Otsu" for a transport soldier.

The "Kō" for the cavalry trooper has long cutting edge length, compared with the "Otsu", and a "Kō" has a leather fingerplate on a guard.

Crab's eye shaped guard nut screw acting as the spring clip holder for retaining the scabbard. Checkered steel haikin hilt backstrap , with kanime-nat crab's eye screw retaining pommel screw.

The Tsuka of the "Otsu" was improved by Japanese sword pattern in 1932 (32 advanced type), and was replaced with the Type 95 Guntō in 1935. The "Kō" was manufactured to the defeat in 1945.
Therefore, the "cavalry department" which was one of the military 3 major arming was reorganised by the trend of the time in 1942 after 1937 at the "armour department." However, the Third Cavalry Brigade was continued till the beginning of 1945, and the Fourth Cavalry Brigade was continued by horse-riding organization to the end of the war.

The "Otsu"was used also for the infantry and military-police non-commissioned officer.

There is a stamp of "Ho" to the bottom of the scabbard chape {Ishizuki}. This is an inspection mark of the Tokyo Artillery Arsenal.

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: 25009

A Big, Beautiful, and Impressive Katana Bearing A Very Desirable Name & Signature of the ‘Gassan School’

Very long blade measuring a huge 31 inches from Tsuba to Tip. Signed Osaka-ju Gassan Unryûshi Minamoto Sadakazu. With wave design fuchi kashira highlighted with gilt, gilded menuki of gourds. Original Edo lacquer saya. A very nice Koto sukashi tsuba, probably a Choshu school tsuba, of butterflies and leaves, with a russetted surface.
It is a very beautiful sword, that is bearing the name of one of the great 19th century sword smith school's of ‘Gassan’, yet we price it for it's own merits and beauty alone, as if it was not actually signed personally, but, it has most intriguing possibilities. A few swords, also bearing his signature name, have appeared in the past fifteen years and sold in the best London auction rooms, but similarly without any guarantee at all as to the authenticity of the smith's personal signature, yet they have still sold for very respectable five figure sums. Thus this is a superbly executed sword, and therefore very possibly a Gassan school homage to a piece bearing his personal name.
It has a stunning hamon that looks tremendously vibrant and impressive, with yakideshi. It has a few small pitting marks at the upper end of the blade, but nothing at all to effect it's use in any way.
This beautiful katana has lain externally untouched as a sleeper for nigh on 100 years or more.
Gassan Sadakazu was born in 1836 in Sugoshi Village in Omi Province. He was the son of Tsukamoto Shichirobei. When he was a young boy, he was adopted into the family of the famous sword maker Gassan Sadayoshi who's only living heir died prematurely.
Gassan Sadayoshi was the founder of the Osaka ‘Gassan school’ of sword making. He studied under Suishinshi Masahide until Masahide's death in 1825. At that time he moved to Osaka and started the revived ‘Gassan school’ of sword making which had died out in the early Edo period.

Sadakazu started studying the art of sword making at about age 11. He made his first sword at age 14 and by age 20 was recognized as a top quality swordsmith and horimono carver.
In the early 1860's when his teacher passed the age of 60, he assumed the role of Daisaku and made swords in his father's name. About this time he produced a number of swords in the Bizen or Yamato style in addition to the main Ayasugi tradition. His blade structure featured a modest curvature and a pronounced large boshi with only a slightly rounded edge (fukura-kareru), which were also characteristic of Sadayoshi's work.
Work stopped for Sadakazu from 1876 when the wearing of swords was abolished until around 1887 when Japan went to war with China and the demand for swords resumed.
He died in 1918 after a long and very distinguished career as one of the premier sword makers of the 19th and 20th centuries.

With reference to part of an article {above} by Fred Weissberg on the ‘Gassan School’.  read more

Code: 23309

Rare, Victorian, British Board of Trade, Rocket Apparatus, Combination Gold Coin & Medal. 'Proof of Service at a Wreck'. This 19th Century Coin Medal Was A Value of 5/- For Rocket Launching Servicing A Wreck’ In Distress. {1/- Extra for Saving A Life}

Board of Trade, Life Saving Rocket Apparatus Service Gold Coin-Medal
Obverse: Port broadside view of a full-rigged ship at anchor. Legend: 'BOARD OF TRADE ROCKET APPARATUS'. Reverse: A large royal crown centre. 'PROOF OF SERVICE AT A WRECK'.

Interestingly, we had our first example in 20 years only a week or so ago, which we sold within just an hour or so, but one of our viewers saw our bronze example on our site and offered us this rarer still gold version which is the first we have seen in decades.

To attend a wreck at sea near a coast was very perilous indeed. Ships were only usually in such dire straights due to severe storms and the most foulest of weather. At such a time the crew of the rocket launching were at severe risk of death, that was almost as much as the ships crew. One had to remember the skill of swimming was not remotely as common as it is today, in fact most sailors purposely failed to learned to swim as a quick death by drowning was preferable to a long drawn out fate of swimming in a vast sea awaiting a most unlikely rescue.

The Board of Trade owned the apparatus which was held at Coastguard Stations. Users could claim expenses from the board. The rocket apparatus was used to fire a line to a ship in distress. The line then used to haul over hawsers and the block to be affixed to the mast. Once fixed a breeches buoy could be used, hauled on a continuous whip line, to take off passengers and crew one by one. It was used by Coastguards but also by Volunteer Life Brigades and Life Saving Companies. The first of these founded in Tynemouth in 1864. Coastguards trained the volunteers in the use of the rocket apparatus. This was a medal come coin that had a face value.

Afterwards all those who helped at a shipwreck were awarded one of these coin medals which they could redeem for cash if they so chose. The lesser version had a redemption value of 2/6 {two shillings and sixpence} For attending a wreck, or,.this superior type has a redemption value of 5/- {five shillings} For proof of rocket launching service at a wreck, but with an extra 1/- {one shilling} awarded for saving a life.

They came in three grades, as well as three classifications. There were gold, silver, and bronze grades apparently, although, not of course solid gold, just like the famous Olympic medals, but only in silver or gold finish, never solid gold.

the gold finish is excellent except one small section that has corrupted and now lost its gold surface {see the photos, in the 5,o'clock position on the sailing ship side}

Royal Mint (Tower Hill), London, United Kingdom.  read more

Code: 25777

A Superb Condition 1415 ad Relic From the Battle of Agincourt. A Fierce-Some Armour or Helmet Piercing Welsh Longbowman's Tanged Trefoil Blade Arrowhead. Recovered From Azincourt in the 1820's During a Grand Tour By Family of Scottish Nobility

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 the familiy of a Scottish Duke 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, armour piercing 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’.

65mm long overall including tang

As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity read more  read more

Code: 25776

Circa 600 ad Middle Ages Sword Blade, Re-Hilted Around 1000 Years Ago At The Time of the Norman Invasion in 1066 of a Norseman Of Viking Origin. It Is Around 1400 Years Old, Later Used Around 1000 Years Ago, And The Crusades To Liberate The Holy Land

It is very rare indeed to fine an original sword from the pre Norman period, but this one is exceptional, in that it is very likely mounted with an earlier inlaid blade of the 5th to 8th century, possibly a Norse or Frankish ancestor of its Norman conquest period owner, therefore its blade was already between 300 to 500 years old, when it was hilted around 900 to 1000 years ago during the Norman Conquest. Thus the blade could be between 1300 to 1500 years old. The Normans that invaded England, Britain’s last and final conquerors, were settled Vikings, that remained in Normandy after the Viking seiges of Paris era in the 800’s.

Scandinavia as the Origin:
The Vikings, and later the Normans, originated from Scandinavia, particularly the regions of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
Raids and Settlements:
In the 9th century, Scandinavian Vikings began raiding the northern and western coasts of France.
By about 900, after six sieges of Paris, they had established a permanent foothold in the valley of the lower Seine River, eventually leading to the creation of the County of Rouen and later the Duchy of Normandy.
The intermingling between the Norse Vikings and the native Franks led to the development of a distinct Norman identity, adopting the French language, religion, and social customs.
From Vikings to Normans:
Despite their eventual adoption of Christianity and French culture, the Normans retained many of their Viking traits, such as their adventurous spirit and martial skills.
The six sieges of Paris may well have created a lesson for the future that has rarely been learned by its victims. After every siege began the Viking raiders were simply paid to go away and loot another part of France, which meant it happened six times in around 40 years. The Vikings learnt quite quickly the concept and incredible advantages of the ‘Danegeld’, { so known as such, due to, “to pay the Dane to go away, meant he will forever return for more”}.

It was the earliest Norman knights that went on the earliest crusades to liberate Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Such as Richard the Lionheart, aka King Richard the 1st. The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated and supported by the Christian Latin Church in the medieval period, primarily aimed at reclaiming the Holy Land from Muslim control. These campaigns, spanning from 1095 to 1291, were driven by a mix of religious fervor, political ambitions, and economic opportunities

The blade is shorter than when first used, with the end probably damaged and lost in combat. It is inlaid with inserts of copper, bronze and silver, in a circular bullet shaped patterns, one with 3 metal concentric circles. The pommel appears to be once further inlaid with silver. All the indications are that this amazing sword could very likely have been used by a very high ranking nobleman in the Norman Invasion 1066 period, and it most likely it had already been used by a highborn warrior or noble for almost 5 centuries prior to its re-hitting during the time of the invasion of Britain.

This piece simply a remarkable artefact from the previous two millennia.

It is a joy to own it even just for a very brief and it is still a wonderful original knight’s sword from the days of the Norman invasion, and prior to that, from the period known to historians as the ‘dark ages‘
It is an iron two-edged sword with broad two-edged lentoid-section blade, slightly tapering square-section crossguard. flat tang, D-shaped pommel, likely with inlaid silver, vertical bar to each face; the blade has traces of copper inlay to one face, to the other two applied discs: the upper copper-alloy with punched rosette detailing, the lower abraded to its present state of three concentric rings (apparently copper, bronze and silver). 850 grams, 61cm (24"). Fair condition, typical for its great age; lower blade now absent; edges notched and partly absent, all potentially due to combat.
See Oakeshott, E., Records of the Medieval Sword, Woodbridge, 1991, items X.4, X.5, and see p.21, item 8, for the blade.
The blade does not bear a fuller and is a plain lentoid-section which it is why it could well indicate a date of manufacture in the 5th-8th century, the Dark Ages in northern Europe; the crossguard and the pommel are the re-hilted later additions, more typical of the later 10th century, i.e. Petersen's Type X (Oakeshott, p.25). The Normans were an ethnic group that arose from contact between Norse Viking settlers of a region in France, named Normandy after them, and indigenous Franks and Gallo-Romans. The settlements in France followed a series of raids on the French coast mainly from Denmark — although some came from Norway and Iceland as well — and gained political legitimacy when the Viking leader Rollo agreed to swear fealty to King Charles III of West Francia following the Siege of Chartres in 911 AD. The intermingling of Norse settlers and native Franks and Gallo-Romans in Normandy produced an ethnic and cultural "Norman" identity in the first half of the 10th century, an identity which continued to evolve over the centuries. The new Norman rulers were culturally and ethnically distinct from the old French aristocracy, most of whom traced their lineage to the Franks of the Carolingian dynasty from the days of Charlemagne in the 9th century. Most Norman knights remained poor and land-hungry, and by the time of the expedition and invasion of England in 1066, Normandy had been exporting fighting horsemen for more than a generation. Many Normans of Italy, France and England eventually served as avid Crusaders soldiers under the Italo-Norman prince Bohemund I of Antioch and the Anglo-Norman king Richard the Lion-Heart, one of the more famous and illustrious Kings of England.The Story of the Norman Conquest
The majority of the scenes which together tell the story of the Norman Conquest match in many instances with medieval written accounts even if there are, as one might expect with a purely visual narrative, some omissions such as the Anglo-Saxons’ battle with Norway’s Harald Hardrada at Stamford Bridge three weeks prior to Hastings. Again because it is a visual account, with only a few Latin words as pointers, many scenes are open to several interpretations. The tapestry starts with a scene set in 1064 CE where the English king Edward the Confessor (r. 1042-1066 CE) says farewell to Harold Godwinson, his brother-in-law and the Earl of Wessex, who is to travel to Normandy on an unknown mission. Norman writers would record the mission’s purpose as a pledge of Saxon loyalty to William, Duke of Normandy, while an English chronicle suggests it was merely a visit to secure the release of Saxon prisoners. On 14 October 1066, William’s forces clashed with an English army near Hastings. Within a century of these events taking place, over a dozen writers had described the battle and its aftermath. Some of these accounts are lengthy, but they contradict each other and do not allow us to reconstruct the battle with any certainty.

English perspectives on the Battle of Hastings are found in the Old English annals known as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. In one version, perhaps copied in the 1070s, it was claimed that William built a ‘castel’ at Hastings before Harold arrived. Harold then gathered a large army but William attacked before Harold could organise his troops. There were heavy casualties on both sides: among the dead were King Harold himself and his brothers, Leofwine and Gyrth.There are also differing accounts of one of the most iconic yet debated parts of the battle: the death of Harold. Was he killed by an arrow to the eye, as claimed by Amatus of Monte Cassino, writing in the 11th century? Was he hacked to bits, as recounted by Bishop Guy of Amiens (died 1075)? Or was he shot with arrows and then put to the sword, as described by the 12th-century chronicler, Henry of Huntingdon? Hastings is one of the most famous battles in English history. Modern historians continue to debate its impact. The Norman Conquest brought many social, economic, political and cultural changes, but some people living in 11th-century England did not even consider this battle to be the most important event of 1066.

A monk writing at Christ Church, Canterbury, recorded just two events for that year in a chronicle kept at the cathedral: ‘Here King Edward died. In this year, Christ Church burned.’ Another scribe then added the words, ‘Here came William’. This is a good reminder that that the Battle of Hastings did not affect everyone in the same way, even if it became part of English folklore. This fabulous most ancient sword could be simply framed under glass for display. Almost every weapon that has survived today from this era is now in a fully russetted condition, as is this one, because only the swords of kings, that have been preserved in national or Royal collections are today still in a good state and condition. We will include for the new owner a complimentary wooden display stand, but this amazing ancient artefact of antiquity would also look spectacular mounted within a bespoke case frame, or, on a fine cabinet maker constructed display panel.  read more

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