A Most Attractive & Scarce Carved Hilt British King George IIIrd Period 18th Century Infantry & Marines Officer's Spadroon Sword, From the American Revolution, the Wars with France and the Napoleonic Wars

A scarce form of spadroon with a trefoil triple edged blade, and traditional brass stirrup 'spadroon ' guard.
A spadroon is a light sword with a straight edged blade, enabling both cut and thrust attacks. The style became popular among military, infantry marines and naval officers in the late 1700s. Also popular as well as pirates, spreading from England to the United States and to France, where it was known as the epee Anglaise.

A spadroon is a light sword with a straight-edged blade, enabling both cut and thrust attacks. This English term first came into use in the early 18th century, though the type of sword it referred to was in common usage during the late 17th century. They were primarily used as a military (army & navy) sidearm in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and for officers in the latter part of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The type of sword also saw widespread use across Europe and America, though the term 'spadroon' is unique to the Anglophone world.
Spadroon is a term used to categorise a type of sword that is in between a small sword (which thrusts only), and the heavier-bladed broadsword.

1786 regulation
A hugely significant year for the sword and specifically the spadroon, in army service, was 1786, as it saw the end of pole arms for officers, and the introduction of the first standard for a sword, the 1786 pattern. Though it may be called that today, it was not in fact a pattern at all. 'Pattern' refers to a piece of example equipment that has been accepted for army service. Since the start of the eighteenth century a band of officers (or other responsible persons) has approved the quality and finish of all items of military clothing, it was then sealed with the wax of the Board of Ordnance or other Government (wax) seal to be recognised as the standard to be kept by manufacturers. This allowed manufacturers, tailors, and swordsmiths to have an example to use as a reference for both design and quality. The 1786 sword was not a pattern, but a rather vague description. Nonetheless it was the first standard outlined for army wide service, and so is commonly referred to as the 1786 pattern today but might be better described as the 1786 regulation. No scabbard

Code: 21581