A Superb Original Waterloo Recovered Souvenir '6 Pounder ' Royal Artillery Cannon Ball Fired at La Haye Sainte During The Battle, Recovered From The Farm

Napoleonic Wars cannon ball recovered from a Waterloo excavation well over 190 years ago. One of three we just acquired that were brought back from Waterloo to England over 190 years ago, the first was sold by us recently.

At the Battle of Waterloo, the British Royal Artillery deployed 6-pounder cannons, from which this ball was fired, a relatively light artillery piece that fired a 6-pound (approximately 2.7 kg) solid iron ball. These cannons, introduced in 1793, were crucial for supporting cavalry charges and were easier to manoeuvre than heavier guns.

The 6-pounder was designed to provide lighter, yet still effective, artillery support to the cavalry and infantry.
Ammunition:
They fired various types of ammunition, including round shot (solid iron balls), canister shot (a type of scatter shot), and spherical case shot (a type of shell).
The effective range of the 6-pounder with round shot was around 800-900 yards (732-823 metres), though it could reach up to 1700 yards (1554 metres).
The cannonballs were devastating, capable of inflicting serious injury and damage to both men and horses.

At Waterloo, the 6-pounders were primarily used by the Royal Horse Artillery and some field artillery units, with variations in the types of 6-pounders used.
Captured at Waterloo:
Some French 6-pounder cannons were also captured by the British as trophies of war.
La Haye Sainte:
The strategic farmhouse of La Haye Sainte was a focal point of fighting, where the 6-pounder was used extensively.

We show in the gallery a photo of a Waterloo cannon ball embedded in a cemetery wall, from Waterloo Relics by Bernard & Lechaux

Another identical cannon ball is now in the National Army Museum, see gallery.
NAM Accession Number
NAM. 1999-05-8-1

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury, Britain's famous, favourite, and oldest original Armoury Antique store, 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, and thus, it is a lifetime guarantee.  read more

Code: 25987

A Superb, Original, Napoleonic Wars, Peninsular Campaign, Siege of Badajoz, 1812, French 8" Explosive Type Howitzer Ball. Used In the Defence of Badajoz. In Fabulous Condition For Age

A large and most impressive hollow iron mortar ball weighing around 30lb. In superb excavated condition, but as it was barely in the usually dry ground {a missfire as it failed to explode} for 15 years or so, it has only basic surface wear. Brought back to England in the 1820's from Badajoz, found during a 'Grand Tour' of Spanish, Napoleonic Wars, Peninsular Campaign battle sites.

The gun crews were composed of 5 men. In 1808, one 6 inch mortar type, with a 3 men crew was added to the list. There was also an 8 inch mortar, outside the Gribeauval system. For these calibres, the bombs could be loaded by one single man and the hooks were not needed.

The 8-inch howitzer was classified as a heavier piece used for siege and fortress artillery.
Consequently, the 8-inch howitzer was primarily deployed during the sieges of strongholds and fortified towns during the Napoleonic Wars, both for defensive, and, offensive barrages.
Specific examples of battles or campaigns where French siege artillery, including 8-inch howitzers, would have been used include:
The Siege of Zaragoza (1809)
The Siege of Badajoz (1812), where grenades (also fired from howitzers) were used as a defensive weapon alongside the large 8" Howitzer balls
The Siege of Tarragona (1811)
The Siege of Cadiz (1810-1812), where 9-inch and 11-inch howitzers (a later innovation) were also used
In the field, Napoleon favored mobility and speed, which led to the extensive use of the lighter 4-, 8-, and 12-pounder cannons and the 6-inch howitzer, often employed in "grand batteries" to concentrate devastating fire on specific points of the enemy line. The 8-inch howitzer, being heavier and less mobile, was not suited for regular mobile field warfare and was usually reserved for more static siege operations.

The French garrison at the Siege of Badajoz in 1812 did not make significant use of howitzers in an offensive capacity, but, records indicate they possessed and used howitzers considerably in a defensive role, particularly for firing shells and grapeshot from the ramparts and in sorties against the British and Portuguese infantry assaults. The british assaults were performed by the volunteer men known as the 'Folorn Hope'
A forlorn hope is a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the vanguard in a military operation, such as a suicidal assault through the breach of a defended position, or the first men to climb a scaling ladder against a defended fortification, or a rearguard, to be expended to save a retreating army, where the risk of casualties is high. Such men were volunteers motivated by the promise of reward or promotion, or men under punishment offered pardon for their offenses, if they survived.
:
Defensive Use: The French, under the command of General Philippon, were well-equipped with various types of artillery for the city's defense. They used their guns and these howitzers to inflict heavy casualties on the British and Portuguese besiegers during the construction of siege trenches and during the final assault on the breaches.
Eyewitness accounts from earlier sieges (e.g., May 1811) specifically mention the French bringing a "Royal Howitzer" out to the area of the Picurina hill during a sortie to fire shells into the allied camps, demonstrating their use of this type of ordnance.

By the time of the final British assault in April 1812, the French garrison was running short of ammunition for their heavy guns and howitzers, which forced them to be economical with their fire to save what they had for the final resistance. This would have limited the overall use of howitzers during the latter stages of the siege.
Defenses at Breaches: During the final assault, the French used a variety of measures to defend the breaches, including explosives, harrows, and chevaux de frise, alongside heavy musket and artillery fire from the ramparts and retrenchments.
In essence, French howitzers were a component of the city's overall defensive artillery, used for firing explosive shells and other close-range ammunition against the besiegers' lines and attacking columns.

Colin Campbell leading the 'Forlorn Hope' in the assault, a painting by William Barnes Wollen

I9th century painting of the Siege of Badajoz in the gallery showing very clearly the trajectory and explosive power of the Howitzers used by both the British and French forces at the same time during the assault.

French Bronze Howitzer photos By PHGCOM - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5283907

The cast iron ball is empty thus perfectly inert and safe.  read more

Code: 25984

A Superb 19th-20th Century French M1886/93/16 Pattern Lebel Rifle Epee Sword Bayonet. WW1 French Foreign Legion Issue, Without Quillon Pattern. With Frog Hook Scabbard

Without quillon and in extra fine condition. Used by the French Foreign Legion into WW1, a very good example of these long and impressive sword bayonets.65.5cm long overall. {25.75 inches}. Cross section epee blade nickle hilt. The scabbard has a frog hook fitting that fixes to the belt with a strap instead of the past and common frog button

Our current just arrived selection of bayonets ranges from a collection just acquired of really great and rare bayonets, from a collector who wanted the very best he could find over the past 40 years. Rare French examples from the Russian contract during WW1, uncovered in Ukraine in the late 90's, French Foreign Legion bayonets, acquired from a French Foreign Legion reserve armoury depot clear-out in the 70's,

The bayonet was made famous as the bayonet used by the French Foreign Legion from 1916, used in WWI and WWII, albeit with several modifications. The bayonet was produced with a long cruciform blade on a white alloy hilt. The crossguard originally had a downswept quillon {removed in 1916} and had a press button rifle locking mechanism. This is quillon removed version.

The Lebel bayonet type with the quillon removed is the M1886/93/16 (Model 1886/93/16).
The original M1886 bayonet featured a prominent hooked quillon, intended for parrying or trapping enemy bayonets. This design was updated in 1893 with a new press button mechanism (M1886/93), and then altered again in 1916 (M1886/93/16) to eliminate the quillon.
The quillon was removed for several practical reasons during World War I:
Ease of manufacture: Removing the quillon simplified and sped up the production process to meet the demands of the war effort.
Field functionality: The hooked quillon was found to be impractical in close combat, as it could get tangled in equipment or other objects.
Material conservation: Around the same time, the original nickel-silver (cupro-nickel-zinc alloy) handles were replaced with brass or steel to conserve nickel for other war uses.
Bayonets produced with the quillon (pre-1915 models) were often officially modified later by having the quillon cut off while in service. Bayonets manufactured after 1916 were made without the quillon from the start.

French Model 1886/93/16 Epee Lebel Bayonet

The model M1886/93/16 Bayonet was standard issue to French soldiers fighting in the second half of WW1 after 1916 who were issued the Lebel rifle.

The M1886 bayonet is an usual design which has a long thin cruciform Blade with a peculiar locking device just behind the muzzle ring and an all metal grip

M1886/93/16 bayonet

Cast brass smooth handle
No hooked Qullion
Square cut press stud
Cruciform blade
Black steel tube scabbard with frog hook.
Overall length 67cms
Blade length 51.5cms
Originally the bayonets had a nickel-silver handle and a hooked quillion. By 1916, with the need to conserve nickel for the war effort, some of the handles were made of brass. About the same time they were manufactured without the quillion  read more

Code: 25981

A Superb 19th-20th Century French 1886 Pattern Lebel Rifle Sword Bayonet & Frog Hook Scabbard. WW1 French Foreign Legion Issue

With full quillon, complete, and in extra fine condition. Used by the French Foreign Legion into WW1, a very good example of these long and impressive sword bayonets.65.5cm long overall. {25.75 inches}. Cross section epee blade nickle hilt. An absolutely stunning, museum grade example. The scabbard has a frog hook fitting that fixes to the belt with a strap instead of the past and common frog button
Our current just arrived selection of bayonets ranges from a collection just acquired of really great and rare bayonets, from a collector who wanted the very best he could find over the past 40 years. Rare French examples from the Russian contract during WW1, uncovered in Ukraine in the late 90's, French Foreign Legion bayonets, acquired from a French Foreign Legion reserve armoury depot clear-out in the 70's,

The bayonet was made famous as the bayonet used by the French Foreign Legion used in WWI and WWII, albeit with several modifications. The bayonet was produced with a long cruciform blade on a white alloy hilt. The crossguard originally had a downswept quillon like this one {was removed in 1916} and had a press button rifle locking mechanism.

The French Foreign Legion fought in the trenches during WWI on the Western Front, alongside other European theaters of war like the Balkans. This was a shift from their traditional role as they were deployed to fight in Europe instead of just colonial territories. The Legion's units were made up of both veteran mercenaries and wartime volunteers who joined to fight for France, with the latter often finding themselves in the Legion due to circumstances rather than choice.
Deployment: The Legion was not only on the Western Front but also fought in other theaters, such as in the Balkans in engagements in Greece, Serbia, and Macedonia.
Composition: While the traditional "mercenary" legionnaires were part of the force, a large number of new volunteers also joined specifically to fight in the war for France.
Trench warfare: Legion units, like other French army units, were involved in the brutal trench warfare that characterized the war on the Western Front.
Combined forces: The Legion fought alongside other Allied forces, such as the British army in some theaters.

The Lebel bayonet type with the quillon removed is the M1886/93/16 (Model 1886/93/16).
The original M1886 bayonet featured a prominent hooked quillon, intended for parrying or trapping enemy bayonets. This design was updated in 1893 with a new press button mechanism (M1886/93), and then altered again in 1916 (M1886/93/16) to eliminate the quillon.
The quillon was removed for several practical reasons during World War I:
Ease of manufacture: Removing the quillon simplified and sped up the production process to meet the demands of the war effort.
Field functionality: The hooked quillon was found to be impractical in close combat, as it could get tangled in equipment or other objects.
Material conservation: Around the same time, the original nickel-silver (cupro-nickel-zinc alloy) handles were replaced with brass or steel to conserve nickel for other war uses.
Bayonets produced with the quillon (pre-1915 models) were often officially modified later by having the quillon cut off while in service. Bayonets manufactured after 1916 were made without the quillon from the start.

French Model 1886/93/16 Epee Lebel Bayonet

The model M1886/93/16 Bayonet was standard issue to French Foreign Legion soldiers fighting in the second half of WW1 after 1916 who were issued the Lebel rifle.

The M1886 bayonet is an usual design which has a long thin cruciform Blade with a peculiar locking device just behind the muzzle ring and an all metal grip

The later model was the same but with adjustments, see below, and re designated the M1886/93/16 bayonet

Cast smooth handle
No hooked Qullion
Square cut press stud
Cruciform blade
Black steel tube scabbard with frog hook.
Overall length 67cms
Blade length 51.5cms
Originally the bayonets had a nickel-silver handle and a hooked quillion, just as this example. By 1916, with the need to conserve nickel for the war effort, some of the handles were made of brass. About the same time they were manufactured without the quillion  read more

Code: 25983

A Near Mint WW2 Third Reich German Machinegunners Close Combat Knife / Bayonet For Heer & Waffen SS, Complete With Its Original Frog Belt Mount Also In Near Mint Condition

Seitengewehr fur Machinegewher-Schutzenor Kurzes' Seitengewehr 98. In black and silver livery. The short close combat type bladed knives used by German MachineGunners and provided as privately-purchased bayonets reference; The A to Z of Bayonets K: Karabiner 98 by Graham Priest.

Although patterned with a bayonet 'type' hilt it was not intended for that use as machine gunners never carried rifles, and its rifle slot is a psuedo fitting, possibly to get around the Treaty of Versailles which severely limited Germany's ability to re-arm {such as, with machine guns, tanks, planes etc.} after WW1.

This is a fabulous condition example, in fact so good we have not seen one any where near as good as this for over 50 years. This will the prize of any collection of rare 20th century knives and bayonets from WW! or WW2.

During World War II, American G.I.s called the German MG42 machine gun “Hitler’s buzz saw” because of the way it cut down troops in swaths.

The Soviet Red Army called it “the linoleum ripper” because of the unique tearing sound it made—a result of its extremely high rate of fire. The Germans called the MG42 Hitlersäge or “Hitler’s bone saw”—and built infantry tactics around squads of men armed with the weapon. However, the gunners had a need for a close combat defensive weapon, for guns were often over run, and this short close combat bladed bayonet fitted the bill very nicely indeed.

Many military historians argue that the Maschinengewehr 42 was the best general-purpose machine gun ever. It fired up to 1,800 rounds per minute in some versions. That’s nearly twice as fast as any automatic weapon fielded by any army in the world at the time.“It sounded like a zipper,” Orville W. “Sonny” Martin, Jr., who was a second lieutenant with the U.S. Army’s 13th Armoured Division, said in an oral history of infantry and armor operations in Europe. “It eats up a lot of ammunition and that makes for a logistical problem, but it eats up a lot of people, too.”

When the war began in 1939, the Germans had a solid, reliable general-purpose machine gun—the MG34. But it was expensive and difficult to manufacture.

The German high command wanted front-line troops to have more machine guns. That meant a weapon designed to deliver a high rate of fire like the MG34, but which was cheaper and quicker to produce.

Mauser-Werke developed a machine gun that fired a 7.92-millimeter Mauser cartridge fed into the gun from either a 50-round or 250-round belt. What’s more, the company manufactured the machine gun from stamped and pressed parts, welding the components together with a technique that reduced production time by 35 percent.

For reference, see; The A to Z of Bayonets, K: Karabiner 98 by Graham Priest.  read more

Code: 25980

A 16th C. Moghul - Hindu 'Shaturnal' Swivel Cannon Barrel For Use on Moghul War-Elephant Or War-Camel. Up To 500 Years Old. An Amazing Early War-Piece of Early Mobile Artillery Used In The Moghul Empire Of Akbar The Great

This incredible and historical war piece would have been mounted upon the Howdah, the huge wooden travelling carriage type apparatus for which the war crew would be seated, one to drive, steer and command the elephant, the others to operate cannon and arquebusses. Or, mounted upon the front of a war camel’s saddle.

A superb late Medieval matchlock swivel cannon barrel, called a shaturnal, specifically designed for combat service mounted upon the back of a great beast of war.

Only the second example of such an intriguing war-piece that we have seen in the past ten years. They are truly very scarce to find, and a great and most impressive piece of historical weaponry from late medieval India.

Interestingly the best way to see just how they were used would be in Sir Peter Jackson’s magnificent trilogy and interpretation of Tolkien’s masterpiece, Lord of the Rings. In one of the awesome battle scenes there are huge giant ‘fantasy’ war elephants, and each one bears a massive howdah for the crew to rain arrows and spears down upon the unfortunate enemy below, just as the Moghul war elephants once did in reality in India, centuries ago, but with arquebuss and light-cannon fire, instead of simply arrows or spears.
In the gallery is an engraving of War elephants depicted in Hannibal crossing the Rhône
A war elephant was an elephant that was trained and guided by humans for combat. The war elephant's main use was to charge the enemy, break their ranks, and instill terror and fear. Elephantry is a term for specific military units using elephant-mounted troops.

War elephants played a critical role in several key battles in antiquity, especially in ancient India.While seeing limited and periodic use in Ancient China, they became a permanent fixture in armies of historical kingdoms in Southeast Asia. During classical antiquity they were also used in ancient Persia and in the Mediterranean world within armies of Macedon, Hellenistic Greek states, the Roman Republic and later Empire, and Ancient Carthage in North Africa. In some regions they maintained a firm presence on the battlefield throughout the Medieval era. War-elephants were significantly used in the Battle of the Hydaspes,
The Battle of Zama, the Second Battle of Panipat
And the Battle of Ambur. At the Battle of Panipat, in 1556, the Hindu ruler King Hemu had a force of 500 war elephants, but although defeated, and Hemu beheaded, Hemu’s war elephants so impressed his enemy, by their awesome power and the effectiveness of their arquebuss musketeers and crossbowmen mounted in their howdahs, they took 120 surviving elephants from the battle and adopted them into the Moghul army. It is even possible this may be one of those Hindu shaturnal, used by the war-elephant musketeers, that were captured in that battle.

With a bore of around 5/8th inch and a barrel around eight times thicker than the normal width of a musket, this superb piece of early forged ironwork, known as a shaturnal, would have been fitted upon a wooden support on the back of the beast and rotated with something resembling a row boat rowlock. Extraordinarily effective, easy to manipulate, and quite devastating in battle.

By the time of Akbar (October 15, 1542 - October 27, 1605) heavy mortars and cannons were rarely used in the Mughal military, the preference being for lighter more easily mobile artillery such as this shaturnal.

Light cannons that could be used on the battlefield were the mainstay of the Mughal artillery corps, including the shaturnal, similar to swivel guns, but carried on the backs of war-camels and in the howdahs of war-elephants.

Akbar, widely considered the greatest of the Mughal emperors was thirteen years old when he ascended the throne in Delhi, following the death of his father Humayun. During his reign, he eliminated military threats from the Pashtun descendants of Sher Shah Suri, and at the Second Battle of Panipat he defeated the Hindu king Hemu. It took him nearly two more decades to consolidate his power and bring parts of northern and central India into his realm. There are original paintings copied in the gallery showing Akbar's matchlocks and artillery being used in combat. Towards the end of 1568 Akbar concentrated his forces around the fort of Ranthambhor, held by a vassal of the Maharana of Chittor, Rao Surjan Hada of Bundi. This fort had been attacked earlier in 1560, but that Mughal army had been defeated by the Rajputs.

The fort of Gagraun, to the south of Bundi, had however been captured that year. Now after the capture of Chittor Akbar could turn once again to Ranthambhor.

Weight around 5.25 kilos. 28.75 inches long. With an old Maharajah of Jaipur’s arsenal armoury’s storage mark. Around 50 years ago a colleague of ours acquired the entire contents of the Maharajah of Jaipur’s palace armoury of original antique Moghul and pre Raj period arms. We were fortunate to acquire from his great purchase a few hundred of the great arquebusses, some, up to 10 feet long, for our armoury collection, some of which we still have stored in our gun rooms here at The Lanes Armoury

As with all our antique guns no license is required as they are all unrestricted antique collectables. Photographed on a temporary stand, but this is not included.

Picture 5 shows a 19th century photograph of a much smaller shaturnal, from a museum, mounted upon a camel for an historical demonstration of early war camel warfare in India..  read more

Code: 20243

Original Ancient Imperial Roman ‘Cross-bow” Fibula Bronze Toga Pin Military Issue, Fine Piece For Higher Ranking Figures in the Legion, Such As a Centurion or Tribune

Bow Fibula with a folded or rolled sleeve hinge, c. Early Imperial - Beginning of 2nd Century. We acquired a very small collection of roman toga pins, from super, small collection of original, historical, Imperial Roman and Crusader's artefacts
Shaped in the form of a roman military crossbow fibula, in bronze.
It became the most popular form of closure for Roman fibulae, and is characteristic of the bow brooches from the early imperial times to the beginning of the 2nd century. Outside the Roman Empire and after that time, this type of hinge was seldom used. The sleeve hinge consists of a small sleeve at the top of the head which is forged from a square sheet metal plate and then rolled up. In a center-cut slot, the spiked needle is inserted and held by a shaft (usually iron) passing through the whole sleeve. At the ends of each of the Aucissa fibulae and their early successors were buttons holding the hinge axis; later, the hinge axis was clamped in the sleeve and needed no buttons. The needle always carries a thorn-like projection on its perforated oval plate, which beats against the head of the fibula and, by virtue of this resistance, causes the suspension to spring forth. The sleeve hinge is used exclusively in bow fibulae. The needle is primarily rectilinear, but bends hand in hand with the flattening of the bow to the outside to continue to leave enough space between the bracket and needle. The sleeve hinge is considered a typical Roman construction. The paludamentum was usually worn over one shoulder and fastened with a fibula (ancient version of a safety pin). Arguments abound over what shoulder was exposed, but it seems fairly clear that the garment was fastened loosely enough to move around, The paludamentum was a cloak that was specifically associated with warfare. A general donned one for the ceremonial procession leading an army out of the sacred precinct of the city of Rome and was required to remove it before returning to the city…a sign that he was no longer a general, but a common citizen. The paludamentum or sagum purpura (purple cloak) was the iconic red cloak worn by a Roman general (Legatus) and his staff officers. Originally, it’s distinctive red/purple color clearly delineated between these officers and the rest of the army, which sported the sagum gregale (cloak of the flock). Although the sagum gregale, worn by the rank and file, started out the color of the flock (i.e. undyed wool), it seems likely to have transitioned to a coarser version of the sagum purpura by the imperial period (27BCE – 476CE). Outfitting the entire army in red garments would have been a mark of the great wealth of Rome – well, that and the fact that the Romans controlled the source of purple dye by then.The pin is now frozen through two millennia in a fixed position. Fibula 58mm x 28mm not including pin , pin is now rigid in position.

For example; With regards to some expert conservation methods of bronze objects {and some other materials} The dirt from the surface of the object could be removed manually using a scalpel under magnification. Care would be taken not to dislodge the powdery, corroding surface. Where the surface was in particualrly bad condition the dirt will be left in situ and small areas might be locally consolidated using 2.5% HMG Paraloid B72 (methyl ethyl methacrlylate) in 50:50 Acetone (propan-1-one/dimethyl ketone) and Industrial methylated spirits ethanol,methanol.
The above practice is just one form of conservation method also used by the British Museum.  read more

Code: 24610

Very Small Exclusive Collection of Amazing Crossbow Relics From the 1st Battle of Scottish Independence, The Battle of Bannockburn, in 1314, Crossbow Quarrel Heads. The Decisive Victory of Robert the Bruce In Combat Against King Edward II

Recovered around 225 years ago, as a group of heads, covering about 2000 square yards, within in the battle site area, around one and a quarter miles south of Sterling. From the family of a renown 18th-19th century antiquity collector, a nobleman of Scotland. The crossbow was a weapon of both the Scots army and the British. Priced individually.

Overall the crossbowmen in the English army would have been equipped in quite a similar way to the longbowmen, apart from their choice of weapon.

The early fourteenth century was a time of great innovation in crossbow technology. Their stout bows were still being made out of wood, often the yew also used for longbows. However they were also increasingly made in a composite construction – strips of ibex or goat horn glued together formed the core, over which layers of frayed animal tendon were placed, and the whole wrapped in birch bark to seal out moisture. The most advanced bows, however, were made of tempered steel. This was a very new technology in 1314; the first documentary references to steel bows appear only around 1300.
The crossbow was a powerful weapon, with a much greater draw weight than the longbow. However the short bolts shot from the crossbow were also heavier, while the bolt’s acceleration time on the bowstring was much briefer; both of these factors meant that much more bow-strength was required to cast a crossbow bolt the same distance as a longbow arrow. The range and striking power of the crossbows at Bannockburn may not actually have been very different in real terms from those of the longbows deployed alongside them. The crossbow’s key advantage lay in the ease of its use. Only a short time was required to teach the operation of a crossbow, a stark contrast to the lifetime’s practice, beginning in childhood, which was essential for good longbow shooting.

The Battle of Bannockburn was fought on 23–24 June 1314, between the army of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England, during the First War of Scottish Independence. It was a decisive victory for Robert Bruce and formed a major turning point in the war, which ended 14 years later with the de jure restoration of Scottish independence under the Treaty of Edinburgh–Northampton. For this reason, the Battle of Bannockburn is widely considered a landmark moment in Scottish history.

King Edward II invaded Scotland after Bruce demanded in 1313 that all supporters, still loyal to ousted Scottish king John Balliol, acknowledge Bruce as their king or lose their lands. Stirling Castle, a Scots royal fortress occupied by the English, was under siege by the Scottish army. King Edward assembled a formidable force of soldiers to relieve it—the largest army ever to invade Scotland. The English summoned 25,000 infantry soldiers and 2,000 horses from England, Ireland and Wales against 6,000 Scottish soldiers, that Bruce had divided into three different contingents. Edward's attempt to raise the siege failed when he found his path blocked by a smaller army commanded by Bruce

The Scottish army was divided into four divisions of schiltrons commanded by Bruce, his brother Edward Bruce, his nephew, Thomas Randolph, the Earl of Moray and one jointly commanded by Sir James Douglas and the young Walter the Steward. Bruce's friend, Angus Og Macdonald, Lord of the Isles, brought thousands of Islesmen to Bannockburn, including galloglass warriors, and King Robert assigned them the place of honour at his side in his own schiltron with the men of Carrick and Argyll.

After Robert Bruce killed Sir Henry de Bohun on the first day of the battle, the English withdrew for the day. That night, Sir Alexander Seton, a Scottish noble serving in Edward's army, defected to the Scottish side and informed King Robert of the English camp's low morale, telling him they could win. Robert Bruce decided to launch a full-scale attack on the English forces the next day and to use his schiltrons as offensive units, as he had trained them. This was a strategy his predecessor William Wallace had not employed. The English army was defeated in a pitched battle which resulted in the deaths of several prominent commanders, including the Earl of Gloucester and Sir Robert Clifford, and capture of many others, including the Earl of Hereford.

The Two Days of the Battle;
An English army attempting to relieve the siege of Stirling Castle was defeated by a Scottish army under Robert the Bruce over two days.

Robert Bruce had been elected guardian of Scotland in 1298, replacing William Wallace as the leader of the long campaign against the English attempt to conquer Scotland. After the devastating defeat of Wallace at Falkirk (Falkirk, 1298) and then Bruce’s own defeat at Methven (Perth & Kinross, 1306), much of Bruce’s campaign took the form of guerrilla warfare, avoiding as far as possible major set piece battles. In this way he completely changed the balance of power in Scotland, through the progressive reduction of English garrisons.

By 1314 just two major strategic fortresses remained in English hands: that on the border at Berwick and that controlling the crossing of the Forth at Stirling. But the Stirling garrison finally agreed to surrender if the English king did not arrive with a relieving force by 24th June 1314. In response Edward II mustered an army of about 12-13,000 at Berwick, marching north in May and reaching Falkirk on the 22nd June.

Bruce deployed his forces in woodland south west of Stirling, through which the major road approached the town. He carefully prepared his chosen ground, beside the Bannock burn and, as the English advanced against him, over two days of fighting achieved a dramatic victory.

The action was fought, immediately to the north of the area where the Roman road crosses the Bannockburn around 1.2 miles to the south of Stirling. Day 2: Historic Environment Scotland places the fighting around the Carse of Stirling and the Dryfield, though five main alternative sites have been identified separated by more than 2 miles.

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 .

Pictures in the gallery of crossbowmen from original Medeavil manuscripts, {not included} and a contemporary battle scene drawn from the battle

Please note, *priced individually. The bent tipped quarrel head {photos 3 and 4} is now sold!  read more

Code: 25735

 read more

Code: 25978

Ko Tosho School Swordsmith Made Koto Katana Tsuba Circa 1400

The strong, softly lustrous metal and very well cut, the large Hitsu-ana, and the antique chisel marks around the Hitsu-ana are all characteristic indications of early-Muromachi period works. Carved openwork clan mon. The Hitsu-ana, made when the guard was first produced, suggests that it is a work of the time of Yoshimitsu. A well worked and hammered plate. According to tradition, it says each time a Tosho made a to-ken, he made a habaki with his own hands, and at the same time he also added a single tsuba such as this.
The earliest Tosho tsuba are referred to in Japanese as Ko-Tosho old sword smith and date from the Genpei War (1180-1185) to middle Muromachi Period (1400-1500).

During the late Kamakura Period large Ko-Tosho tsuba were developed and were used mostly as field mounts for odachi by high-ranking Samurai during and after the Mongol invasion of Japan in Genko Jidai (1274-1281 ) in the Muromachi Period (1336-1573) the Ko-Tosho tsuba became even more common with the development and popularization of the onehanded sword uchigatana as the only sword of Ashigaru.
The most common design characteristic, next to the plain flat plate, for Ko-Tosho tsuba is kosukashi the simplistic use of small negative silhouetted openwork. The most common openwork designs are of mon (family crest), sun, moon, tools, plants, Buddhist, Shinto and sometimes Christian religious symbols. The plates iron is characteristically of a good temper, having good hardness and elasticity. The plate is made of local iron forged by the swordsmith or apprentice, the same as for Japanese sword blades. 74mm  read more

Code: 19741