Antique Arms & Militaria

A Good Zulu War Original 1821/45 Pattern Victorian Wilkinson Infantry Officer’s Deluxe Grade Combat Sword. Traditional Gothic Style VR Cypher Pierced Half Basket Hilt With Queen Victoria’s Cypher. Exactly As Worn By Lt Bromhead. 57th Regt. Officer

Commissioned from Wilkinson sword in late 1854 delivered in early 1855 for an officer in the 57th Foot, Lt. Alexander F. A. Slade serving in the Crimean War, at Sebastopol, then much later used in the Zulu War in the Battle of Gingindlovu. He later became a Captain {by purchase} in 1859 while serving in India. We acquired the sword with a complete set of Kinglake, A.W., The Invasion of the Crimea: Its Origin, and an Account of its Progress to the Death of Lord Raglan. Including Ist Editions.

Exactly the form of sword used by Lt Bromhead in the Zulu war, as was portrayed and carried in the film 'Zulu' by Sir Michael Caine. A fully etched blade, bearing the cypher and crest of H.M. Queen Victoria Gothic pieced half basket hilt, combined combat-dress steel scabbard. Combat weight fully etched blade. Monogrammed hilt

Photograph of a group of five officers from the 57th Regiment. The officers are arranged in a line, with one man seated and the rest standing. All are wearing military uniform and are carrying the very same swords. A dog lies on the ground in front of them and there is a tent behind. It is perfectly possible Lt. Slade is one of the officer's.

The 57th Regiment served during the Crimean War and were photographed on a number of occasions by Roger Fenton. 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot: Participated in major Crimean battles (Alma, Inkerman, Sevastopol) and also served in the Zulu War.

Arrival: The 57th landed in Natal in March 1879, joining the effort to relieve the besieged garrison at Eshowe.
Battle of Gingindlovu (April 2, 1879): They formed part of the relief force, holding the laager's right flank and repelling attacks, earning commendation from Lord Chelmsford for their steadiness under intense fire.
Second Invasion: Afterward, they marched with Crealock's Division, advancing along the coast, burning Zulu homesteads, and forming part of the force that occupied Ulundi.

Traditional gilt hilt of Gothic form, pierced with Queen Victoria's cypher

Photo in the gallery from the film "Zulu" and Michael Caine as Bromhead with his sword for information only not included.
The 1822/45 pattern of sword has a Gothic hilt and Queen Victoria's cypher within the pierced oval centre. This sabre would have seen service by an officer at the very cusp of England's Glory of Empire. A sabre fit to represent the age and used throughout the Zulu War and numerous other great and famous conflicts of the Victorian era. The 1822 pattern infantry with it's elegant pierced Gothic style hilt, and the graceful monogram of Queen Victoria make it one of the most attractive patterns of sword ever used by British Army officers, and it was a pattern that saw service for almost 80 years. The blade is by Henry Wilkinson, who developed in 1845 pattern blade. Many swords of British officers were continually used for many decades, until the 1890's in fact, as swords were quite often passed on from father to son, down the generations, in many military families. During the period of this sword's use, two of most famous pair of engagements in the British army's history, during the last quarter of the 19th century, happened over two consecutive days. Curiously, it is fair to say that these two engagements, by the 24th Foot, against the mighty Zulu Impi, are iconic examples of how successful or unsuccessful leadership can result, in either the very best conclusion, or the very worst. And amazingly, within only one day of each other. The 1879 Zulu War, for the 24th Foot, will, for many, only mean two significant events, Isandlhwana and Rorke's Drift. This is the brief story of the 24th Foot in South Africa; In 1875 the 1st Battalion arrived in Southern Africa and subsequently saw service, along with the 2nd Battalion, in the 9th Xhosa War in 1878. In 1879 both battalions took part in the Zulu War, begun after a British invasion of Zululand, ruled by Cetshwayo. The 24th Foot took part in the crossing of the Buffalo River on 11 January, entering Zululand. The first engagement (and the most disastrous for the British) came at Isandhlwana. The British had pitched camp at Isandhlwana and not established any fortifications due to the sheer size of the force, the hard ground and a shortage of entrenching tools. The 24th Foot provided most of the British force and when the overall commander, Lord Chelmsford, split his forces on 22 January to search for the Zulus, the 1st Battalion (5 companies) and a company of the 2nd Battalion were left behind to guard the camp, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Pulleine (CO of the 1/24th Foot).

The Zulus, 22,000 strong, attacked the camp and their sheer numbers overwhelmed the British. As the officers paced their men far too far apart to face the coming onslaught. During the battle Lieutenant-Colonel Pulleine ordered Lieutenants Coghill and Melvill to save the Queen's Colour—the Regimental Colour was located at Helpmakaar with G Company. The two Lieutenants attempted to escape by crossing the Buffalo River where the Colour fell and was lost downstream, later being recovered. Both officers were killed. At this time the Victoria Cross (VC) was not awarded posthumously. This changed in the early 1900s when both Lieutenants were awarded posthumous Victoria Crosses for their bravery. The 2nd Battalion lost both its Colours at Isandhlwana though parts of the Colours—the crown, the pike and a colour case—were retrieved and trooped when the battalion was presented with new Colours in 1880.

The 24th had performed with distinction during the battle. The last survivors made their way to the foot of a mountain where they fought until they expended all their ammunition and were killed. The 24th Foot suffered 540 dead, including the 1st Battalion's commanding officer.

After the battle, some 4,000 to 5,000 Zulus headed for Rorke's Drift, a small missionary post garrisoned by a company of the 2/24th Foot, native levies and others under the command of Lieutenant Chard, Royal Engineers, the most senior officer of the 24th present being Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead. Two Boer cavalry officers, Lieutenants Adendorff and Vane, arrived to inform the garrison of the defeat at Isandhlwana. The Acting Assistant Commissary James Langley Dalton persuaded Bromhead and Chard to stay and the small garrison frantically prepared rudimentary fortifications.

The Zulus first attacked at 4:30 pm. Throughout the day the garrison was attacked from all sides, including rifle fire from the heights above the garrison, and bitter hand-to-hand fighting often ensued. At one point the Zulus entered the hospital, which was stoutly defended by the wounded inside until it was set alight and eventually burnt down. The battle raged on into the early hours of 23 January but by dawn the Zulu Army had withdrawn. Lord Chelmsford and a column of British troops arrived soon afterwards. The garrison had suffered 15 killed during the battle (two died later) and 11 defenders were awarded the Victoria Cross for their distinguished defense of the post, 7 going to soldiers of the 24th Foot.

The stand at Rorke's Drift was immortalised in the 1964 movie Zulu, and Michael Caine is carrying this very same pattern of sword.

Overall in nice condition, triple wire bound sharkskin grip, steel combat scabbard with light surface old russetting and two small combat dents at the bottom near the shoe. Blade nicely royal etched with old polished out bright surface russetting.  read more

Code: 26087

Superb 'War Of The Roses' Period, 15th Century, Rose Head Archers Ring. ‘Draw Archers, Draw Your Arrows to the Head!’ Richard IIIrd, By Shakespeare, Before the Battle of Bosworth. Embellished with Numerous English Royal Rose Heads Across The Entire Ring

What a fabulous piece of history!.

Bronze thumb ring with numerous relief cast royal rose head designs upon the whole surface. Overall in very nice condition, with very fine natural age patina, and, remarkably, a good wearable size.

Archers used thumb rings during the Wars of the Roses (15th Century England), primarily for the powerful English longbow, protecting the thumb from the bowstring. Many of the bowmen wore iron sallet helmets, and identifying noble or royal crests, such as boars heads for King Richard, plus, royal rose heads symbols, that were stitched upon their tunics or tabards, either white for Yorkists, or red for Lancastrians.

Richard III was one of the kings who recognised the value of the archer; Shakespeare makes him say, just prior to the Battle of Bosworth: ‘Draw archers, draw your arrows to the head!’ There are also records telling that Richard sent a body of 1,000 archers to France to aid the Duke of Brittany. Henry VII also provided anti-crossbow legislation and sent large levies of English archers to fight for the Duke of Brittany. During this entire period English longbowmen served in many parts of the then-known world.

A stunning condition cast bronze archer's ring embellished with the roses of the royal houses of either York, or Lancaster. The rose was the symbol of divinity and royalty. With stylized multiple 15th century rose symbols in bronze, across the entire shank, it is near impossible to decide with royal side it was from.

However, this ring may well be more likely the Yorkist rose, for a Yorkist archer, due to another near identical example we had thirty years ago. It was special and identifiable enough to be easily memorable, and near identical to this one, that was recovered just around Anbion Hill around 200 years ago.

Ambion Hill is a significant historical landmark in Leicestershire, England, famous as the former site of Richard III's camp before the pivotal Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, though the battle's core is now known to be nearby. It's home to the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre and features memorials, including a sundial marking a traditional water source for Richard III, and marks the location of the deserted medieval village of Anebein.


The name of the Wars of the Roses comes from emblems used by the warring parties. It is often attributed to Walter Scott who referred to ‘the wars of the White and Red Roses’ in a novel written in 1829 (Anne of Geierstein). However, the idea of a conflict involving roses started in the fifteenth century. One ballad called Edward IV the ‘the Rose of Rouen’ and, shortly after he became king, a painting was made in which members of the royal family, fighting each other, grew out of stylised red, white and gold roses.

In the Middle Ages, roses were considered the pre-eminent flower of the plant kingdom and so they were common symbols of divinity and royalty. The white rose was one of the emblems often used by the House of York. The red rose was perhaps used by Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry VII, before 1485 and maybe by earlier members of the House of Lancaster, although firm evience is lacking.

The Tudor Rose
After marrying Elizabeth of York, Henry VII combined the two roses to form the Tudor Rose to symbolise the peace which he claimed his reign had brought to England. Public pageants and poetry publicised this message and Shakespeare made it famous in his ‘history plays’. The plays of his second tetrarchy are full of metaphors of England as a garden that is not being properly looked after during the conflict between kings. Richard II is called a ‘fair rose’, Henry IV ‘this thorn, this canker’. The origin of Walter Scott’s title is probably the scene in Henry VI Pt 1 in which the Dukes of York and Somerset invite their supporters to pick white or red roses to declare their allegiances. The theme is picked up again in Henry VI Pts 2 and 3 and Henry Tudor’s final speech in Richard III promises:

We will unite the white rose and the red./ Smile heaven upon this fair conjunction,/ That long have frown’d upon their enmity!

A Latin poem, written down in 1486 is perhaps the earliest evidence of the ideas that led to the Tudor rose. It refers to Richard III’s emblem of the white boar and ends with the words,

the tusks of the Boar were blunted and the red rose, the avenger of the white, shines up on us.



Though traditional English archers often used three fingers (Mediterranean draw) or finger tabs, while thumb rings were more common in Eastern archery (Turkish/Mughal styles), but finds like a bronze thumb ring from Agincourt (1415) prove their use by English archers, especially in large-scale battles, offering a smooth release for powerful bows, despite debate on their universal use in England.
The main purpose was to shield the thumb from the abrasion and injury caused by the bowstring (often waxed hemp or linen) when releasing the arrow, especially with heavy longbows.
A well-made ring, particularly those with a smooth, rounded edge, allowed the string to "slip" off the thumb cleanly, enabling a faster, more consistent release than fingers alone, notes this YouTube video.
In the Wars of the Roses English archers famously used the longbow

While common in Asian and Middle Eastern archery (Mughal, Turkish), their presence in Europe shows cultural exchange or independent adoption for powerful bows, says the Victoria and Albert Museum, which houses both such Mughal rings and British.

The rings could be made from various materials, including bronze, bone, horn, or even stone (like the diorite ring found in Meroë), depending on origin and period, explains National Museums Liverpool.
In summary, thumb rings were a tool for medieval archers, including those fighting in the Wars of the Roses, to enhance comfort and performance with powerful bows  read more

Code: 26086

A Victorian, Crimean War, Indian Mutiny & Zulu War Service 1831 Pattern General Officer's Sword Mamaluke With Original Near Mint Mercurial Gilt Hilt & Traditional, Brass Scabbard

With a magnificent mirror bright and frosted superbly etched and original polished blade, bearing Queen Victoria's royal cipher and VR Crown monogram, with classical acanthus and laurel leaf sprays. The sword fits very tight and sound into the scabbard, and the hilt and blade is exceptionally sound and tight as well with no movement at all.

In the gallery is a portrait of Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar holding his identical sword, and Field Marshal Sir Henry Evelyn Wood with his.

Ivory and gilt hilt of regulation generals pattern sword in the mamaluke form, with crossed sabre and field marshal’s baton quillon block

This general's sword was bespoke commissioned and thus as used in the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, and the Zulu War, by a general of the British army. Most Generals swords have the brass scabbard, that was originally designed in the Napoleonic Wars

It is near identical to the sword of General Raglan of the Charge of the Light Brigade fame in the Crimean War. General Raglan became commander of the British troops sent to the Crimea in 1854: his primary objective was to defend Constantinople, and he was also ordered to besiege the Russian port of Sevastopol. After an early success at the Battle of the Alma, a failure to deliver orders with sufficient clarity caused the fateful Charge of the Light Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava.

Promoted to major-general in June 1854, it was his service in the Crimean War (1854-56) that brought him to public attention and finally made his reputation.

This sword is also just as used by General Colin Campbell, in both the Crimean war and the Indian Mutiny. He commanded the Highland Brigade with notable success at the Battle of the Alma (1854). And at Balaklava (1854), his 'thin red line' of Highlanders repulsed the Russian cavalry assault.

Later in the campaign, Campbell took over command of the 1st Division from the Duke of Cambridge. He also did his best to improve the comfort of his men during the bitter Crimean winter. He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Bath in July 1855. Campbell's concern for his men and his prudent desire to keep casualties to a minimum meant that he was much loved by his soldiers. Throughout his career he always stressed the importance of their physical conditioning and mental well-being. When news of the Indian Mutiny (1857-59) reached England in July 1857, the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, offered Campbell the position of Commander-in-Chief of India in place of General George Anson, who had just died. He left the following day, arriving in Calcutta in August. Having organised his troops and cleared Lower Bengal of mutineers, Campbell advanced on 9 November with 4,500 men to relieve the besieged garrison at Lucknow. After defeating Tantya Tope at Cawnpore in December 1857, Campbell returned to Lucknow the following March for the final capture of the city.

He attacked in set-piece fashion, moving forward from position to position, after his engineers had constructed bridges across the Gumti River. La Martiniere was captured on 9 March and two days later the Secundra Bagh and the Shah Najaf mosque fell.

The Begum Kothi palace complex was a tougher nut to crack. Severe hand-to-hand fighting led to over 700 rebel deaths. Over the next three days, Campbell's gunners blasted their way through the buildings between the Begum Kothi and the rebel posts in the Kaisar Bagh - the Nawab of Oudh's palace - which was captured on 14 March.

Another general to use a sword exactly as this was Lieutenant-General Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet GCB, KCSI (29 January 1803 – 11 March 1863) was a British general who fought in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

And yet another famous British general, that also used another just as this fine sword, was Lieutenant-General Frederick Augustus Thesiger, 2nd Baron Chelmsford KCB in the Zulu War . Who lost his reputation due to the massacre at Isandlwana, but regained it due to his success at Ulundi. See photo 10 in the gallery of General Thesiger, Baron Chelsford.

Excellent condition hilt, with near all its original mercurial gilt remaining, and fine carved ivory grip plates. It is finely engraved throughout with the traditional cast langets of a wreathed crossed sabre and field marshal’s baton, depicting the rank of general.

This beautiful, antique, historical sword has just returned from several hours of artisan hand cleaning and polishing revealing its true beauty once more

The Mamaluke pattern British Army General's sword evolved from the swords captured at the Battle of The Nile and were brought back as war trophies by Admiral Lord Nelson. These beautiful ivory hilted swords so impressed The Duke of Wellington, and his senior officers, they were worn and adopted for wear during the Napoleonic Wars. There are several portraits of Wellington and his Generals in full uniform and adorned with such swords. The pattern was formally adopted by the British Crown as The Generals pattern in 1831, although a General could choose to wear the 1822 type, the Gothic Hilted sword. This sword is from the era from the Indian Mutiny, the Crimean War, the Zulu War and The Egypt Campaign. A beautifully etched blade with full General's symbol of crossed Baton and Sabre and Queen Victoria's cypher Crown VR.
The scabbard bears a few small combat service dents, and one small part of one single ivory panel is damaged underneath the general's sword knot. {not normally that visible}. The blade is spectacularly mint and stunningly beautiful. we are looking into seeing if we can have the ivory split restored. The formality of the usual Ivory restriction exception applied for. All UK domestic sales are unaffected, not suitable to export

THE LANES ARMOURY, THE PREMIER HOME OF ORIGINAL AND AFFORDABLE ANCIENT ANTIQUITIES , MILITARY ARMOURY ANTIQUES & COLLECTABLES IN BRITAIN  read more

Code: 26083

Excellent Pre-Contact Example of a Stone Leilira Knife from Central or Northern Australia. A First Nations' Cultural Object

The handle made of Spinifex Resin (plant) and the quartz blade shaped by chipping and shaping with a harder stone. The term Leilira was first coined by Spencer and Gillen circa 1899, and is currently the archaeological term used to describe large blades produced in northern and central Australia."--------2006, Kevin Tibbett, "When East Is Northwest: Expanding The Archaeological Boundary For Leilira Blade Production," Australian Archaeology, p. 26.
"Spencer and Gillian (1899, 1904) coined the term lalira or leilira blades (from the Arrernte alyweke (indigenous Australians), or stone knife)
Ethnographically, these were men's fighting knives and were also mythologically and symbolically linked with subincision On occasions they were used for other purposes such as ritualised fighting, initiation ceremonies etc

The term 'Leilira blade' refers to very long flaked blades made in central and northern Australia that are triangular or trapezoidal in cross section. They are made by 'flaking' - removing a small piece of rock from a large piece, called a core, by striking it with a hammerstone. The core is usually held in the hand or rested in the person's lap or on the ground. Often one or both edges of the blade are retouched to create a dentated or notched edge or a rounded end.

Leilira blades are usually made from quartzite, a hard metamorphic rock that varies in colour from white to dark grey, but slate and other stones are also used. All of the blades shown are quartzite. The middle blade and the one on the far right were made from quartzite extracted from Ngillipidji stone quarry on Elcho Island, a major quarry in the region. Stone from Ngillipdiji quarry and finished blades made from the quarried stone were traded over long distances.

The has a handle or grip made from resin. The resin was heated and moulded around the unpointed end of the blade; when it cooled, it dried hard. paperbark, tied on with string. The plant-fibre scabbard may be pandanus paperleaf or bark.

Many First Nations' cultural objects were collected during the American-Australian Scientific Expedition to Arnhem Land in 1948.

Indigenous Australian's were manufacturing stone tools for more than 40,000 years. The flaked stone tools they left behind are very simple. In fact, most of their hafted knives, spears and fighting picks were made from simple core struck blades that have little or no further modification. Bifacial flaking in Australia is rare compared to other regions of the world. The best examples are reported as large hand axe-like bifaces and small bifacially flaked points. Bifacial reduction is also reported in the manufacture of some ground stone axes. Australia's most famous bifacially flaked artifact is the more recent Kimberly point. The most famous blade knife is the resin hafted leilira knife.  read more

Code: 25140

Original 18th Century Scottish Fencible Regimental Basket Hilted Broadsword

With distinctive two part centrally welded basket, in sheet iron, with scrolls and thistles there over. Interesting original regimental swords of the 18th century, from Scottish regiments are very much sought after throughout the entire world. Scottish Fencible Regiment's swords are now jolly rare indeed, and they are highly distinctive in their most unique form. Fancy carved replacement grip. Some ironwork separation on the basket by the forte of the blade, but overall in good sound condition. Overall natural age surface pitting. Made for the war with Revolutionary France in the 1790's. The total number of British fencible infantry regiments raised during the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence was nine, of which six were Scottish, two were English and one was Manx. The regiments were raised during a time of great turbulence in Europe when there was a real fear that the French would either invade Great Britain or Ireland, or that radicals within Britain and Ireland would rebel against the established order. There was little to do in Britain other than garrison duties and some police actions, but in Ireland there was a French supported insurrection in 1798 and British fencible regiments were engaged in some pitched battles. Some regiments served outside Great Britain and Ireland. Several regiments performed garrison duties on the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. A detachment of the Dumbarton Fencibles Regiment escorted prisoners to Prussia, and the Ancient Irish Fencibles were sent to Egypt where they took part in the operations against the French in 1801.

When it became clear that the rebellion in Ireland had been defeated and that there would be peace between France and Britain in 1802 (The preliminaries of peace were signed in London on 1 October 1801) the Fencible regiments were disbanded.
The British cavalry and light dragoon regiments were raised to serve in any part of Great Britain and consisted of a force of between 14,000 and 15,000 men. Along with the two Irish regiments, those British regiments that volunteered for service in Ireland served there. Each regiment consisted of eighteen commissioned officers and troops of eighty privates per troop. The regiments were always fully manned as their terms of service were considered favourable. At the beginning of 1800 all of the regiments were disbanded  read more

Code: 20632

A Good King George IIIrd Period Belgian Light Dragoon Type Percussion Holster Pistol

Based very comparably to the British 1756 Light Dragoon pattern holster pistol, but made circa 1822. A very strong an robust pistol bearing numerous Belgian proof and military inspection stamps, and a Liege 1811 barrel proof stamp, brass skull-crusher butt cap with lanyard ring. percussion action, finest walnut stock that its surface has been fully relief carved with a snakeskin pattern, a cross, a heart and a serpent, and has a fabulous natural patina. strong mainspring, overall 16 inches long, 9 inch barrel. Set to a hair-trigger action  read more

Code: 23641

One Amazing {of Two} 17th Century Iron Cannon Balls From 'Queen Elizabeth's Pistol', A 24 Foot Long Basilisk Cannon. The Cannon Balls Were Found in the 19th Century. A Fabulous Relic From 'The Siege of Hull' During the English Civil War

'Queen Elizabeth's Pistol', was the Tudor nickname of a fabulous cannon presented to Queen Elizabeth's father King Henry the VIIIth. In the English Civil war it was called 'the great Basilisco of Dover' and it was used in the English Civil war, first by the Parliamentarian artillery train forces of the Earl of Essex, it was captured, at Lostwithiel in August 1644, then used by the King's Artillery train, and then retaken by the Parliamentarian forces.

The basilisk got its name from the mythological basilisk: a fire-breathing venomous serpent that could cause large-scale destruction and kill its victims with its glance alone. It was thought that the very sight of it would be enough to scare the enemy to death

The cannon balls were recovered from the besieged area of Hull, and sold at auction in the 19th century, and since then, they have been in the same family's ownership. We are selling them separately, and priced individually.

The 24 foot long bronze cannon was cast in 1544 by Jan Tolhuys in Utrecht. It is thought to have been presented to Henry VIII by Maximiliaan van Egmond, Count of Buren and Stadtholder of Friesland as a gift for his young daughter Elizabeth and is known to have been referred to as Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol by an article in the Gentleman's Magazine from 1767. The cannon is thought to have been used during the English Civil War, described as 'the great Basilisco of Dover' amongst other ordnance captured by Royalist forces from the Earl of Essex in Cornwall in 1644, later used at the siege of Hull and recaptured by Parliamentarians. The barrel is decorated in relief with fruit, flowers, grotesques, and figures symbolizing Liberty, Victory and Fame. The gun carriage was commissioned by the Duke of Wellington in the 1820s, when it was then known as Queen Anne's gun, cast from French guns captured at Waterloo.

Maximilian van Egmont, Count of Buren, Stadtholder of Friesland, 1509-1548, was a distinguished military commander in the service of the Emperor. He was on terms of friendship with Henry VIII and commanded the Imperial contingent at the Siege of Boulogne in 1544. The gun may have been installed at Dover as soon as it was received in England. In the inventory of the Royal possessions drawn up after the King's death in 1547 "the Ordynance and Munycions of Warre......which were in the black bulworke at the peire of Dover....included Basillisches of brasse .....oone Basillisches shotte ......Cl ti"

A popular rendering of the inscription on the gun was 'Load me well and keep me clean, I'll send a ball to Calais Green'. A footnote in the 1916 inventory suggests that this is a doubtful boast since ' Calais Green' was a part of Dover. There appears, however, to be no basis for this statement.

We show in the gallery two of the Basilisk cannon balls recovered outside the curtain wall of Pontefract Castle

Pontefract Castle sits on the edge of the medieval market town. Conservation work is being undertaken with the ambition of making Pontefract a key heritage destination within West Yorkshire. The £3.5m Heritage Lottery funded project is known as the Key to the North, after the title bestowed upon the castle by Edward I. During the project, workmen at the castle recovered seven cannonballs from a section of the castle’s curtain wall.

This cannon ball {a pair to our other one} was acquired from an auction, of recovered Civil War relics from the Siege of Hull, that was held in Hull in the early Victorian period, and acquired from the buyers directly descended family, by us, very recently.

The basilisk was a very heavy bronze cannon employed during the Late Middle Ages. The barrel of a basilisk could weigh up to 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) and could have a calibre of up to 5 inches (13 cm). On average they were around 10 feet long, though some, like Queen Elizabeth's Pocket Pistol, were almost three times that length.
The basilisk got its name from the mythological basilisk: a fire-breathing venomous serpent that could cause large-scale destruction and kill its victims with its glance alone. It was thought that the very sight of it would be enough to scare the enemy to death

The Basilisk cannon used in the Civil War was a most specific calibre of almost 5 inches, and fired this distinct size of round shot cannon ball munition of just over 4 1/2 inch diameter

We also show in the gallery a photograph of 'Queen Elizabeth's Pistol'. in Dover Castle, with a stack of the very same sized cannon balls.

The ball is very surface russetted, but still spherical and very good for its age,

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  read more

Code: 25075

A 1000 Year Old Survivor From Antiquity. Early Crusades Reliquary, Pectoral, Encolpion Cross. Containing A Shard of The True Cross. Hinged Cross Of the Ancient Holy Land. Likely Presented to a Warrior Knight Before for the Crusade, by a Bishop

An absolute beauty, worthy of the British Museum or the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York,with superb low relief detailing, reflecting in the quality of the entire piece. This was clearly made to the standard for gifting to a knight of such as a warrior Knights Templar.

The front is decorated with the relief cast image of Mary displayed in the Orans position in prayer. Depicted on the reverse is the figure of Corpus Christi on the cross.

Obviously with light signs of natural old surface wear, but it has survived superbly complete, especially considering after all the extraordinary turmoil, privations, and indeed likely combat the knight owner would have experienced during the earliest crusades to the Holy Land.


With a deep relief cast bronze Jesus Christ in a crucifix pose on the obverse side with four

This is a two part, hinged bronze reliquary cross, which is complete, and may once have contained part of the true cross.

The cross is composed of two bronze boxes with were formed and joined by hinges. A thick suspension ring enabled the encolpion to be worn as a pectoral pendant. The reliquary was probably thought to contain a splinter of the True Cross. For other reliquary crosses, see the exhibition catalogue “Kreuz und Kruzifix” (Diocese Museum of Friesing, Germany, 2005) – pgs 174-175. Another example in bronze is pictured in Pitirakis, "Les Croix-Reliquares Pectorales Byzantine", Paris, 2006, 162. Byzantine representations of the Crucifixion which show Christ wearing a robe are normally earlier than those in which he wears a loincloth.

The hollow portion formed inside the box was intended for the sacred relic that the faithful would have worn around the neck. Part four of the amazing small collection of antiquites including Crusades period Crucifixes and reliquary crosses for the early Anglo Norman Crusader knights and Jerusalem pilgrims.
As used in the early Crusades Period by Knights, such as the Knights of Malta Knights Hospitaller, the Knights of Jerusalem the Knights Templar, the Knights of St John.
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. An encolpion "on the chest" is a medallion with an icon in the centre worn around the neck upon the chest. This stunning and neck worn example is bronze three part with its hinged top. 10th to 12th century. The hollow portion formed inside the cross was intended for the sacred relic that the faithful would have worn around the neck. The custom of carrying a relic was largely widespread, and many early bronze examples were later worn by the Crusader knights on their crusades to liberate the Holy Land. Relics of the True Cross became very popular from the 9th century, and were carried in cross-shaped reliquaries like this, often decorated with enamels, niellos, and precious stones. The True Cross is the name for physical remnants from the cross upon which Jesus Christ was crucified. Many Catholic and Orthodox churches possess fragmentary remains that are by tradition believed to those of the True Cross. Saint John Chrysostom relates that fragments of the True Cross were kept in reliquaries "which men reverently wear upon their persons". A fragment of the True Cross was received by King Alfred from Pope Marinus I (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, year 883). An inscription of 359, found at Tixter, in the neighbourhood of Sétif in Mauretania, was said to mention, in an enumeration of relics, a fragment of the True Cross, according to an entry in Roman Miscellanies, X, 441.

Fragments of the Cross were broken up, and the pieces were widely distributed; in 348, in one of his Catecheses, Cyril of Jerusalem remarked that the "whole earth is full of the relics of the Cross of Christ," and in another, "The holy wood of the Cross bears witness, seen among us to this day, and from this place now almost filling the whole world, by means of those who in faith take portions from it." Egeria's account testifies to how highly these relics of the crucifixion were prized. Saint John Chrysostom relates that fragments of the True Cross were kept in golden reliquaries, "which men reverently wear upon their persons." Even two Latin inscriptions around 350 from today's Algeria testify to the keeping and admiration of small particles of the cross. Around the year 455, Juvenal Patriarch of Jerusalem sent to Pope Leo I a fragment of the "precious wood", according to the Letters of Pope Leo. A portion of the cross was taken to Rome in the seventh century by Pope Sergius I, who was of Byzantine origin. "In the small part is power of the whole cross", says an inscription in the Felix Basilica of Nola, built by bishop Paulinus at the beginning of 5th century. The cross particle was inserted in the altar.

The Old English poem Dream of the Rood mentions the finding of the cross and the beginning of the tradition of the veneration of its relics. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle also talks of King Alfred receiving a fragment of the cross from Pope Marinus (see: Annal Alfred the Great, year 883). Although it is possible, the poem need not be referring to this specific relic or have this incident as the reason for its composition. However, there is a later source that speaks of a bequest made to the 'Holy Cross' at Shaftesbury Abbey in Dorset; Shaftesbury abbey was founded by King Alfred, supported with a large portion of state funds and given to the charge of his own daughter when he was alive – it is conceivable that if Alfred really received this relic, that he may have given it to the care of the nuns at Shaftesbury

Most of the very small relics of the True Cross in Europe came from Constantinople. The city was captured and sacked by the Fourth Crusade in 1204: "After the conquest of the city Constantinople inestimable wealth was found: incomparably precious jewels and also a part of the cross of the Lord, which Helena transferred from Jerusalem and which was decorated with gold and precious jewels. There it attained the highest admiration. It was carved up by the present bishops and was divided with other very precious relics among the knights; later, after their return to the homeland, it was donated to churches and monasteries.To the category of engolpia belong also the ampullae, or vials or vessels of lead, clay or other materials in which were preserved such esteemed relics as oil from the lamps that burned before the Holy Sepulchre, and the golden keys with filings from St. Peter's chains, one of which was sent by St. Gregory the Great to the Frankish King Childebert.

The last time the Pope gave a piece of the true cross was for the coronation of King Charles IIIrd set within the cross for Wales. The relics of what is known as the True Cross were given to King Charles by Pope Francis, as a coronation gift. The cross uses Welsh materials such as slate, reclaimed wood, and silver from the Royal Mint in Llantrisant. King Charles hammered the hallmark onto the silver used in the cross.

Encolpion, a different anglicization of the same word, covers the early medieval tradition in both Eastern and Western Christianity. Superb condition overall, with both the top and bottom hinges

The natural, aged, surface bronze patination over the past 1000 years is in superb condition, and remarkably still sealed

Encolpia were small pendants worn around the neck, and examples have been found tracing back to Late Antiquity. The cross shape was the most popular symbol for such amulets, as the silhouette was believed to have apotropaic qualities. Many encolpia were designed to hold reliquaries, as does ths beauty,.The reliquary was believed to work in tandem with the talismanic qualities of the cross-shape to protect the wearer from harm and evil. Such pieces were very popular in the crusades, and were made in an assortment of materials, from gold and silver, to bronze and lead.
6cm long approx

See; Les Croix-Reliquaires Pectorales Byzantines En Bronze, Paris, 2006, p.37, for similar.

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

Code: 26075

Most Rare and Intriguing, Original 1300's, Medieval Ecclesiastical Personal Bronze Seal Matrix of Two Figures Each in a Lancet Arch, Engraved At The Rim St Philip {the Apostle}. Over 700 Years Old. With Potential Connection to Kirkham Priory, Yorkshire

Made and used from the early Plantagenet period of King Edward Ist, also known as Edward Longshanks or Hammer of the Scots.

A most similar example to one found concealed and lost for centuries within a box in Lincoln Cathedral in 2018. Their seal depicts the patron saint of Lincoln Cathedral, the Virgin Mary, who is shown crowned and seated on a throne, holding the infant Christ in her lap. In her left hand she holds a flowering rod topped by a fleur-de-lis. Another seal they hold was for use by the Dean and Chapter in the 1100's.

As this Plantagenet period seal matrix was discovered in Yorkshire {over 40 years ago} it may well have a connection to the 1300's medieval Kirkham Priory, as its gatehouse has within two lancet arches figures of St Philip and St Bartholomew. The arches on the seal may indeed by those saints. And this seal mentions St. Philip.

Seals were attached to documents, usually legal ones, and the most famous of all documents bearing such a seal was the Magna Carta signed by King John. Documents were sealed by means of strips of parchment or silk laces which had been inserted into the bottom of the document. They were the medieval equivalent of a signature. At a time when few could read, or write, they were a useful way of guaranteeing that the people who were supposed to be agreeing to what was in a document had agreed to it. They were made by warming a piece of wax, pressing it around the lace or parchment and flattening it between the two halves of the seal-die, which were locked together until the wax cooled. Some seals were made of gold or silver, which was really a way of showing off the wealth of the owner.

Philip was born in Bethsaida, Galilee. He may have been a disciple of John the Baptist and is mentioned as one of the Apostles in the lists of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and in Acts. Aside from the lists, he is mentioned only in John in the New Testament. He was called by Jesus Himself and brought Nathanael to Christ. Philip was present at the miracle of the loaves and fishes, when he engaged in a brief dialogue with the Lord, and was the Apostle approached by the Hellenistic Jews from Bethsaida to introduce them to Jesus. Just before the Passion, Jesus answered Philip's query to show them the Father, but no further mention of Philip is made in the New Testament beyond his listing among the Apostles awaiting the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room. According to tradition he preached in Greece and was crucified upside down at Hierapolis under Emperor Domitian. His feast day is May 3.

Bronze was the metal usually used for seal-dies, because it was hard. This meant that dies could be engraved with more detail than was possible with other metals and that they would not wear away quickly with repeated use.

Since they were the equivalent of a signature, they were valuable objects and were usually kept under lock and key. There are tales of monks using the seals to embezzle money from their monasteries.

A beautiful bronze seal with pierced trefoil lug; incuse image of two facing figures each in a lancet arch, supplicant in D-shaped panel below;
blackletter legend to rim, only partially decipherable to us, as 'St Philip...

In the 13th century, ecclesiastical jurisdiction in Europe, especially England, was extensive, covering marriage, wills (probate), defamation, church property (tithes/benefices), clergy discipline, and heresy, often overlapping with secular law and extending its reach where royal courts were weak, with appeals moving up through archdeacons to archbishops and ultimately to the papal courts in Rome, marked by intense jurisdictional struggles, like those around Canterbury.

For reference the Lincoln Cathedral discovered seal matrix;

Experts, including academics from the University of East Anglia and the British Museum, agree that the matrix dates from the early medieval period.

Lloyd de Beer, Ferguson Curator of Medieval Europe at the British Museum, said: “Institutional seal matrices like this are extremely rare, especially in silver and from such an early date. The Lincoln seal is a joy to behold. It is a masterpiece of micro sculpture made by a truly skilled goldsmith. What’s more, the reverse contains beautiful swirls of niello surrounding an enthroned Christ.”

Its prior existence was known of, and “the Great Seal of the Chapter of Lincoln Cathedral” had a world-wide reputation as a rare piece of 12th century craftsmanship, but until recently no one in living memory had seen or handled the real object.

https://museumcrush.org/the-12th-century-medieval-seal-matrix-found-in-a-cathedral-box/

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

Code: 26052

An Ancient Roman Eastern Empire Battle Axe, 4th Cent. & Through The 1st Millenia A.D. An Amazing, Original, Collectors Item From the Ancient Roman Empire of Constantine The Great. A Throwing Axe Often Classified as The Arch Shaped Axe, The Francisca

This is a typical axe for the Eastern Roman Empire legionary and warrior. From the time of Emperor Constantine 'The Great' and used to The beginning of Byzantium period. A blade form that evolved slightly, and thus remained popular as a throwing axe right into the early Viking and Anglo Saxon warrior eras. As a companion throwing axe, used alongside the Danish Huscarles great axe.

There is a very similar arch shaped example, but with a slanting socket, in the British Museum, classified as a throwing axe, or Francisca from circa 500 a.d. found in a war grave at the foot of Mount Blanc. See photo 7 in the gallery. Museum number
1856,0701.1416

The Battle of Cibalae was fought in 316 between the two Roman emperors Constantine I (r. 306–337) and Licinius (r. 308–324). The site of the battle, near the town of Cibalae in the Roman province of Pannonia Secunda, was approximately 350 kilometers within the territory of Licinius.

Constantine won a resounding victory, despite being outnumbered.

The opposing armies met on the plain between the rivers Sava and Drava near the town of Cibalae .
The battle lasted all day. The battle opened with Constantine's forces arrayed in a defile adjacent to mountain slopes. The army of Licinius was stationed on lower ground nearer the town of Cibalae, Licinius took care to secure his flanks. As the infantry of Constantine needed to move forward through broken ground, the cavalry was thrown out ahead, to act as a screen. Constantine moved his formation down on to the more open ground and advanced against the awaiting Licinians. Following a period of skirmishing and intense missile fire at a distance, the opposing main bodies of infantry met in close combat and fierce hand-to-hand fighting ensued. This battle of attrition was ended, late in the day, when Constantine personally led a cavalry charge from the right wing of his army. The charge was decisive, Licinius' ranks were broken. As many as 20,000 of Licinius' troops were killed in the hard-fought battle. The surviving cavalry of the defeated army accompanied Licinius when he fled the field under the cover of darkness

It is a matter of debate when the Roman Empire officially ended and transformed into the Byzantine Empire. Most scholars accept that it did not happen at one time, but that it was a slow process; thus, late Roman history overlaps with early Byzantine history.

Constantine I (the Great) is usually held to be the founder of the Byzantine Empire. He was responsible for several major changes that would help create a Byzantine culture distinct from the Roman past.

As emperor, Constantine enacted many administrative, financial, social, and military reforms to strengthen the empire. The government was restructured and civil and military authority separated. A new gold coin, the solidus, was introduced to combat inflation. It would become the standard for Byzantine and European currencies for more than a thousand years. As the first Roman emperor to claim conversion to Christianity, Constantine played an influential role in the development of Christianity as the religion of the empire. In military matters, the Roman army was reorganised to consist of mobile field units and garrison soldiers capable of countering internal threats and barbarian invasions. Constantine pursued successful campaigns against the tribes on the Roman frontiers the Franks, the Alamanni, the Goths, and the Sarmatians, and even resettled territories abandoned by his predecessors during the turmoil of the previous century.

The age of Constantine marked a distinct epoch in the history of the Roman Empire. He built a new imperial residence at Byzantium and renamed the city Constantinople after himself (the laudatory epithet of New Rome came later, and was never an official title). It would later become the capital of the empire for over one thousand years; for this reason the later Eastern Empire would come to be known as the Byzantine Empire. His more immediate political legacy was that, in leaving the empire to his sons, he replaced Diocletian’s tetrarchy (government where power is divided among four individuals) with the principle of dynastic succession. His reputation flourished during the lifetime of his children, and for centuries after his reign. The medieval church upheld him as a paragon of virtue, while secular rulers invoked him as a prototype, a point of reference, and the symbol of imperial legitimacy and identity. The Varangian Guard was an elite unit of the Byzantine Army, whose members served as personal bodyguards to the Byzantine Emperors. The Varangian Guard was known for being primarily composed of recruits from northern Europe, including Norsemen from Scandinavia and Anglo-Saxons from England. The recruitment of distant foreigners from outside Byzantium to serve as the emperor's personal guard was pursued as a deliberate policy, as they lacked local political loyalties and could be counted upon to suppress revolts by disloyal Byzantine factions.

These axe form and evolved into somewhat similar correspondent to the type 1 of the classification made by the Kirpichnikov for early axes. Particularly, it seems akin to the specimens of Goroditsche and Opanowitschi, dated in the turn of 10th - 11th centuries however, due to its earlier ageits shape is slightly different, considering the strong influence of the Roman Armies on the much later Baltic ones in 11th century.

The general Nikephoros Ouranos remembers in his Taktika (56, 4) that small axes were used at the waist of the selected archers of infantry : "You must select proficient archers - the so called psiloi - four thousand. These men must have fifty arrows each in their quivers, two bows, small shields and extra bowstrings. Let them also have swords at the waist, or axes, or slings in their belts".

The axe was inserted in its wooden shaft and fixed to it by means of dilatation of the wood, dampened by water.

The Byzantine Empire is the great Greek-language Christian empire that emerged after 395AD from the eastern part of the Roman Empire, Thanks to efficient government and clever diplomacy that divided its many enemies, the empire survived. Much diminished after 1204 AD when it was sacked by Christian Crusaders from the west en route to liberate Jerusalem, it finally fell to the Turks in 1453--indeed its fall is often used to date the end of the Middle Ages. Its capital was Constantinople, built on the site of the Greek colony of Byzantium and which is now known as Istanbul). The center of Orthodox Christianity, it is famous as well for its art and culture. The inhabitants of the empire referred to themselves as 'Romans' and considered themselves as such, the term 'Byzantine' not being used to describe the empire and its peoples until the seventeenth century, but after the seventh century the language of empire changed from Latin to Greek.

Almost every iron weapon that has survived through the millennia, to today, from this ,era is now in a fully russetted condition, as is this one.

Condition; very nicely preserved with small projecting upper front point lacking, likely a battle loss.

For reference see;; ROACH SMITH C. 1854. Catalogue of the Museum of London Antiquities, Collected by, and the Property of, Charles Roach Smith, privately printed, p. 102 no. 544
Axe; Registration number
1856,0701.1416
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/H_1856-0701-1416  read more

Code: 22671