Seeking ID/Advice on British 1827 Rifle Rgmnt Officer Sword
Sept 8, 2023 6:07:16 GMT
Post by dccameron on Sept 8, 2023 6:07:16 GMT
Hello,
This is the second of two posts on two swords I just acquired (the other is an Artillery officers sword, while this one is Rifle officers sword). I am posting each in its own separate thread. I am a total newcomer to antique swords (though not to fencing) and new to the forum. I am grateful for any advice you all can give regarding identification, dates, and care/restoration.
I have no experience with these swords, but have previously handled a modern (cheap) reproduction of the 1845 infantry saber and it felt like brick—there is no way I could actually fence with it—but these two antique swords feel great—the difference from the repro is like night and day. Just wonderful to handle them! I can see how antique swords can be enticing if not addictive.
This sword...
Identification — After consulting Brian Robson’s book and searching this forum, I think this sword is an 1827 Rifle Regiment Officers sword (identical in form to the Infantry Officers sword, except for the hilt, which in this case has the Bugle and is made of steel). The blade seems to be the 1892 dumb-bell thrusting blade. Blade length is approx 32.5 inches; width at shoulder is 1 inch.
The maker’s name wasn't immediately visible when I traded for the sword, but a flashlight and some squinting revealed the letters “..RODDA, …UTTA” which can only be R.B. Rodda, Calcutta. I am attaching a page from their 1929 catalogue, which shows the swords they sold. Although the catalogue may post-date this sword by some years (?), this sword looks like the one at the top of the page (“Rifle Pattern Officers Swords”). I could not find any other Rodda catalogues to consult.
The blade is decorated along the fuller and has the Rifles bugle, along with a royal crown, but no royal cipher (at least that I can make out—it just looks like decoration to me). The crown itself looks to my uneducated eyes more like a king’s crown than a queen’s crown, but I welcome knowledgable opinion here. However, the crown on the steel hilt (right above the Rifles bugle) looks more like a queen’s crown to me. Does this mean the hilt dates from Victoria’s time, while the blade is later? Being a Rifles sword, there is no royal cipher on the hilt. Not sure if it was for a Volunteer unit, but I see no Volunteer unit markings anywhere. If the sword was purchased at Rodda in Calcutta, could it be the officer was attached to a Rifle regiment stationed there, perhaps a Gurkha regiment? Am I near the mark here? Anything I missed?
Date of manufacture — If I read the sources correctly, the Rifle regiments still use this sword in this form… so, how to date this? If the crown on the hilt is Victoria’s, that would be one way. But the crown on the blade looks different. The backstrap is fully checkered, so would this date it to post-1895?
Care/restoration — I have not done any cleaning yet whatsoever. The hilt looks like it has rust but the blade does not. I would like to make sure it doesn’t get any worse. Everything on the hilt is tight. Leather washer is still there. It came in a poor condition brown wood/leather scabbard, but if the officer were in the Rifles, shouldn’t the leather be black? I’ll assume the scabbard is not original to the sword. Its interior is full of mold anyway, so I think I may need to write off the scabbard as a total loss. Any recommendations on the best place to find a replacement scabbard (perhaps steel)?
I would like to arrest any deterioration, clean the sword up, and bring back some of the its original appearance if possible. I have consulted several online articles, but I’m not sure which are considered authoritative or would be most applicable to this sword. Should I start with some gun oil and a rag? Perhaps a brass brush to remove rust from the hilt? I appreciate any recommendations for care and restoration.
I welcome your input. I will try to return the favor by contributing to the forum as best I can. I initially tried to post this question on SFI, but their Register page doesn’t work—oh well, I hope SBG turns out to be the best forum. Thank you.
This is the second of two posts on two swords I just acquired (the other is an Artillery officers sword, while this one is Rifle officers sword). I am posting each in its own separate thread. I am a total newcomer to antique swords (though not to fencing) and new to the forum. I am grateful for any advice you all can give regarding identification, dates, and care/restoration.
I have no experience with these swords, but have previously handled a modern (cheap) reproduction of the 1845 infantry saber and it felt like brick—there is no way I could actually fence with it—but these two antique swords feel great—the difference from the repro is like night and day. Just wonderful to handle them! I can see how antique swords can be enticing if not addictive.
This sword...
Identification — After consulting Brian Robson’s book and searching this forum, I think this sword is an 1827 Rifle Regiment Officers sword (identical in form to the Infantry Officers sword, except for the hilt, which in this case has the Bugle and is made of steel). The blade seems to be the 1892 dumb-bell thrusting blade. Blade length is approx 32.5 inches; width at shoulder is 1 inch.
The maker’s name wasn't immediately visible when I traded for the sword, but a flashlight and some squinting revealed the letters “..RODDA, …UTTA” which can only be R.B. Rodda, Calcutta. I am attaching a page from their 1929 catalogue, which shows the swords they sold. Although the catalogue may post-date this sword by some years (?), this sword looks like the one at the top of the page (“Rifle Pattern Officers Swords”). I could not find any other Rodda catalogues to consult.
The blade is decorated along the fuller and has the Rifles bugle, along with a royal crown, but no royal cipher (at least that I can make out—it just looks like decoration to me). The crown itself looks to my uneducated eyes more like a king’s crown than a queen’s crown, but I welcome knowledgable opinion here. However, the crown on the steel hilt (right above the Rifles bugle) looks more like a queen’s crown to me. Does this mean the hilt dates from Victoria’s time, while the blade is later? Being a Rifles sword, there is no royal cipher on the hilt. Not sure if it was for a Volunteer unit, but I see no Volunteer unit markings anywhere. If the sword was purchased at Rodda in Calcutta, could it be the officer was attached to a Rifle regiment stationed there, perhaps a Gurkha regiment? Am I near the mark here? Anything I missed?
Date of manufacture — If I read the sources correctly, the Rifle regiments still use this sword in this form… so, how to date this? If the crown on the hilt is Victoria’s, that would be one way. But the crown on the blade looks different. The backstrap is fully checkered, so would this date it to post-1895?
Care/restoration — I have not done any cleaning yet whatsoever. The hilt looks like it has rust but the blade does not. I would like to make sure it doesn’t get any worse. Everything on the hilt is tight. Leather washer is still there. It came in a poor condition brown wood/leather scabbard, but if the officer were in the Rifles, shouldn’t the leather be black? I’ll assume the scabbard is not original to the sword. Its interior is full of mold anyway, so I think I may need to write off the scabbard as a total loss. Any recommendations on the best place to find a replacement scabbard (perhaps steel)?
I would like to arrest any deterioration, clean the sword up, and bring back some of the its original appearance if possible. I have consulted several online articles, but I’m not sure which are considered authoritative or would be most applicable to this sword. Should I start with some gun oil and a rag? Perhaps a brass brush to remove rust from the hilt? I appreciate any recommendations for care and restoration.
I welcome your input. I will try to return the favor by contributing to the forum as best I can. I initially tried to post this question on SFI, but their Register page doesn’t work—oh well, I hope SBG turns out to be the best forum. Thank you.