Questions about mortuary hilts

Here's a comparison of modern reproductions:
sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/thread/52503
I own the Cromwell which has a lively blade but a terrible antiqueoid finish.

I've wanted one of these for a while however, none of the reproductions seem to have the thumb ring for some reason.

Then what am I seeing at the 3:20 mark of this video?

thanks all for your valuable input!

Dear yelman,


That's correct.


Screwed; I'm not aware of any riveted examples, and the screws are present on many, perhaps most, extant ones. Some of the screws even seem to be originals rather than later replacements.

I'd add that other important features of mortuary hilts are: a boat-shaped counterguard (the dished portion of the guard that lies between the grip and the blade) with a rolled wrist-guard; short languets that lie along the blade's base (these are occasionally absent); the typically bifurcated root of the side knuckle-guards that curls into a pair of horns; and an oblong shoe between the counterguard and the grip (which you can just about see at 4:55 in the video that Nox posted). (Please note that in part I'm using Cyril Mazansky's terminology from his 2005 book, British Basket-Hilted Swords: A Typology of Basket-Type Sword Hilts, which is an excellent study and has a section on mortuary hilts. Stuart C. Mowbray's 2013 British Military Swords, Volume I: 1600 to 1660: The English Civil Wars and the Birth of the British Standing Army also has a very helpful section on swords with these hilts; it's the same book that bas links above. And Charles Martyn discusses some examples in his 2004 book The British Cavalry Sword from 1600.)


Bud-shaped pommels are also very common for the style. Actually, I think that these hilts don't often have the type of large, hollow, spherical pommels often seen on c. 1600 basket-hilts. Their period of greatest popularity ended twenty or twenty-five years before the mortuary hilt developed. Mortuary hilts do often have a type of smaller, flattened-spherical pommel, usually with a base or stem where it joins the grip. Typically there's a pommel nut, rather than the tang's being peened directly against the pommel.


They're variable. All examples have front knuckle-guards. A few examples are known that have only outer side knuckle-guards (i.e., protecting the back of the user's hand) and lack inner side knuckle-guards, but they're rarer than ones that have only front knuckle-guards. The sword in the video is one of these, as the thumb-ring replaces the inner side knuckle-guard. Most common are the type with all three knuckle-guards (front, outer, and inner). As bas says, the number of branches connecting each side knuckle-guard to the front knuckle-guard is very variable. Extant examples range from having no branches (these are rare) to having three, although one or two are most common. The arrangement is typically symmetrical.

Incidentally, I have to disagree slightly with bas about the so-called proto-mortuary style. I think that they represent a convergent line of development that starts from different antecedents. Current research indicates that they do not in fact pre-date mortuary hilts, and may actually have appeared slightly later. Their counterguards aren't boat-shaped and usually are arched rather than dished. They also lack the shoe between counterguard and grip that mortuary hilts have, as well as the connecting branches between the side and front knuckle-guards, and the languets. But they are functionally similar and resemble true mortuary hilts, so the two types are worth discussing together.


As bas says, they're found with both broadsword and backsword blades, and most are sized for cavalry use but some are infantry length.


The comparison by Dave Kelly that AndiTheBarvarian posted above covers almost all of the production mortuary swords available. I note that Armour Class in Glasgow make several variations, including their basic model (which as mentioned in Dave Kelly's comparison is reviewed at myArmoury); two versions of the sword that Cromwell is reputed to have carried at Drogheda; and a late style of proto-mortuary. You can see the latter three on Armour Class' 17th Century Page 2; the basic model is on 17th Century Page 3. Armour Class offer blades in different lengths, both blunt for re-enactment and HEMA use, and sharp.

I used to have a proto-mortuary backsword by Nielo Sword in Czechia, too. I liked it, but sold it several years ago and don't remember how it handles. A Web search shows a facebook page and a Twitter account for Nielo Sword, but I can't find the Web site that I remember. Kult of Athena used to carry their products, but no longer do. I don't know whether the company is still in business.


I hope this proves helpful.

Best,

Mark Millman

Dear Nox,

You're very welcome.

I think you would have to go custom to get a mortuary-hilted sword, or most other types of western European sword with a thumb-ring. But you do correctly recall that thumb-rings persisted well into the eighteenth century on western and northern European cavalry swords, particularly in the German states. I have a vague memory of a reproduction pallash that has one, but I can't bring any specifics to mind. Kult of Athena carries Universal Swords' Swedish swords, both of which have thumb-rings, but they're out of stock.

Best,

Mark Millman

An exception to the rule…. Welcome to the wonderful hobby of collecting pre (and in some cases post) pattern swords.    

thanks all for contributing to this excellent thread

Dear yelman,

I'm happy to be able to help.

Best,

Mark Millman