Antique Arms & Militaria

A Fabulous, Most Rare & Exceptionally Large, Imperial Roman Byzantine Empire, Original, Incised & Pierced Pectoral Stigmata Cross 4th to 10th Century AD from Jerusalem. Used from the Time of Emperor Constantine to the Earliest Crusades.

In superb condition, it is exceptionally rare due to its large size, extraordinary large {yet wearable} size with beautiful patination, almost 3" long. The stigmata cross represents the five wounds of Christ. The incisions could be set cabochon gemstones such as ancient garnets.

The form of earliest Christian Cross Crucifix worn around the neck over the Roman toga to clearly show one’s position as, say, a Christian noble or tribune of status in the Eastern Roman Empire of Emperor Constantine, and it may have been worn by subsequent generations as a symbol of continuity and stability and devotion of the new faith of the Empire. Later, in the evolution of Christianity in the East, acquired by or presented to a Crusader Knight and worn upon his tabard as a symbol of his devotion to liberating Jerusalem.

One of our clients bought a fabulous good sized Crusades period bronze cross from us recently, and had a jeweller make a wearable gold mount and hanging ring so it could be worn once more almost 1000 years since it was originally worn to the Holy Land. Another client acquired an encolpion cross and had a bespoke good sized frame made for its display, both looked absolutely stunning.

Just over 1700 years ago, it was written, a cross of light bearing the inscription “in hoc signo vinces” (in this sign you will conquer) miraculously appeared to Roman Emperor Constantine before the battle of Milvian Bridge. The Battle of the Milvian Bridge took place between the Roman Emperors Constantine I and Maxentius on 28 October 312. His victory over his brother-in-law and co- emperor Maxentius and subsequent conversion to Christianity had a profound impact on the course of Western civilization.
Byzantine is the term commonly used since the 19th century to refer to the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages centred in the capital city of Constantinople. During much of its history, it was known to many of its Western contemporaries as the Empire of the Greeks, due to the dominance of the Greek language and culture. However, it is important to remember that the Byzantines referred to themselves as simply as the Roman Empire. As the Byzantine era is a period largely fabricated by historians, there is no clear consensus on exactly when the Byzantine age begins; although many consider the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great, who moved the imperial capital to the glorious city of Byzantium, renamed Constantinople and nicknamed the “New Rome,” to be the beginning. Others consider the reign of Theodosius I (379- 395), when Christianity officially supplanted the pagan beliefs, to be the true beginning. And yet other scholars date the start of the Byzantine age to the era when division between the east and western halves of the empire became permanent.

While Christianity replaced the gods of antiquity, traditional Classical culture continued to flourish. Greek and Latin were the languages of the learned classes. Before Persian and Arab invasions devastated much of their eastern holdings, Byzantine territory extended as far as south as Egypt. After a period of iconoclastic uprising came to resolution in the 9th Century, a second flowering of Byzantine culture arose and lasted until Constantinople was temporarily seized by Crusaders from the west in the 13th Century. Christianity spread throughout the Slavic lands to the north. In 1453, Constantinople finally fell to the Ottoman Turks effectively ending the Byzantine Empire after more than 1,100 years. Regardless of when it began, the Byzantine Empire continued to carry the mantle of Greek and Roman Classical cultures throughout the Medieval era and into the early Renaissance, creating a golden age of Christian culture that today continues to endure in the rights and rituals of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Byzantine art and culture was the epitome of luxury, incorporating the finest elements from the artistic traditions of both the East and the West..
Many items of antiquity we acquire are from the era of the Grand Tour.

Richard Lassels, an expatriate Roman Catholic priest, first used the phrase “Grand Tour” in his 1670 book Voyage to Italy, published posthumously in Paris in 1670. In its introduction, Lassels listed four areas in which travel furnished "an accomplished, consummate traveler" with opportunities to experience first hand the intellectual, the social, the ethical, and the political life of the Continent.

The English gentry of the 17th century believed that what a person knew came from the physical stimuli to which he or she has been exposed. Thus, being on-site and seeing famous works of art and history was an all important part of the Grand Tour. So most Grand Tourists spent the majority of their time visiting museums and historic sites.

Once young men began embarking on these journeys, additional guidebooks and tour guides began to appear to meet the needs of the 20-something male and female travelers and their tutors traveling a standard European itinerary. They carried letters of reference and introduction with them as they departed from southern England, enabling them to access money and invitations along the way.

With nearly unlimited funds, aristocratic connections and months or years to roam, these wealthy young tourists commissioned paintings, perfected their language skills and mingled with the upper crust of the Continent.

The wealthy believed the primary value of the Grand Tour lay in the exposure both to classical antiquity and the Renaissance, and to the aristocratic and fashionably polite society of the European continent. In addition, it provided the only opportunity to view specific works of art, and possibly the only chance to hear certain music. A Grand Tour could last from several months to several years. The youthful Grand Tourists usually traveled in the company of a Cicerone, a knowledgeable guide or tutor.

The ‘Grand Tour’ era of classical acquisitions from history existed up to around the 1850’s, and extended around the whole of Europe, Egypt, the Ottoman Empire, and the Holy Land.

Hanging loop lacking.  read more

Code: 23736

A Superb, Original Watercolour of a Victorian 1st Royal Dragoons NCO by H.R. Coombe

A most attractive portrait of a mounted Sergeant of Dragoons in full dress probably late Victorian. One of the non commissioned officers of one of the great historical regiments of the British Army. 14 x 19 framed picture 8.75 x 12.5 inches The regiment also fought at the Battle of Beaumont in April 1794 and the Battle of Willems in May 1794 during the Flanders Campaign. It served under Viscount Wellesley, as the rearguard during the retreat to the Lines of Torres Vedras in September 1810, and charged the enemy at the Battle of Fuentes de Onoro in May 1811 during the Peninsular War. The regiment also took part in the charge of the Union Brigade under the command of Major-General William Ponsonby at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815 during the Hundred Days Campaign. Captain Alexander Kennedy Clark, an officer in the regiment, captured the French Imperial Eagle of the 105th Line Infantry Regiment during the battle.

In 1816 a detachment of the regiment was involved with suppressing the Littleport riots.

Rough Rider Robert Droash of the 1st Royal Dragoons after serving in the Crimean War in 1856
The regiment, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel John Yorke, also took part in the charge of the heavy brigade at the Battle of Balaclava in October 1854 during the Crimean War. Having been re-titled the 1st (Royal) Dragoons in 1877, the regiment also saw action at the Battle of Abu Klea in January 1885 during the Mahdist War. In January 1900, during the Second Boer War, the regiment was part of a force that set out to discover the western flank of the Boer lines. It was able to ambush a column of about 200 Boers near Acton Homes and successfully trapped about 40 of them. Following the end of the war, 623 officers and men of the regiment left South Africa on the SS Kildonan Castle, which arrived at Southampton in October 1902.

The regiment, which had been serving at Potchefstroom in South Africa when the First World War started, returned to the UK and than landed at Ostend as part of the 6th Cavalry Brigade in the 3rd Cavalry Division in October 1914 for service on the Western Front.[9] It took part in the First Battle of Ypres in October 1914, the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915, the Battle of Loos in September 1915 and the advance to the Hindenburg Line in 1917  read more

Code: 22549

A Very Good Late Georgian Royal Navy, ‘Press-Gang’ Boatswain’s Persuader Cosh. Also For Use On Boarding Party Raids.

With a beautifully patinated turned walnut handle, rope linkage and turned walnut knob top. These scarce clubs are most attractive and extremely effective. The type used on press gangs and boarding raids by the boatswain. The persuader-cosh continued to be useful in all manner of areas right into and through the Victorian era, both on land and Sea. The Impress Service (colloquially called the "press-gang") was formed to force sailors to serve on naval vessels. There was no concept of "joining the navy" as a fixed career-path for non-officers at the time, since seamen remained attached to a ship only for the duration of its commission. They were encouraged to stay in the Navy after the commission but could leave to seek other employment when the ship was paid off. Impressment relied on the legal power of the King to call men to military service, as well as to recruit volunteers (who were paid a bounty upon joining, unlike pressed men). Seamen were not covered by Magna Carta and "failure to allow oneself to be pressed" was punishable by hanging, although the punishment became less severe over time.

In Elizabethan times a statute regulated impressment as a form of recruitment, and with the introduction of the Vagabonds Act in 1597 men of disrepute (vagrants) found themselves drafted into service. In 1703 an act passed limiting the impressment of men under 18 years of age to those who were not apprenticed. A further act in 1740 raised the maximum age to 55. Although no foreigner could normally be pressed, they lost their protection if they married a British woman or had worked on a British merchant ship for two years. Some governments, including Britain, issued "protections" against impressment which protected men had to carry on their person at all times; but in times of crisis the Admiralty would order a "hot press", which meant that no-one remained exempt.

The Royal Navy also impressed seamen from inbound British merchant ships at sea, though this was done by individual warships, rather than by the Impress Service. Impressment, particularly press gangs, became consistently unpopular with the British public (as well as in the American colonies), and local officials often acted against them, to the point of imprisoning officers from the Impress Service or opposing them by force of arms. The cord linkage is present but now a little frayed at the handle join  read more

Code: 17644

A Beautiful, Original, Large Size Roman Empire Bronze Seal Ring With The Engraved Fulminata of Julius Caeser's XIIth Legion & Ancient Greek Script. Around 2000 Years Old

Circa 1st Century. A good still wearable large size, in bronze copper ally, engraved with a traditional seal in Greco-Roman, and the symbol onf the 12th legion 'Fulminata' The Lighting Twelfth. It was another Roman legion established by Julius Caesar. Named after the unit’s symbol, the thunderbolt, the Twelfth could trace its origins to 58 BCE. The legion served in some of Caesar’s most famous battles in Gaul, including the Siege of Alesia. It also saw a fair share of fighting in the civil war against Pompey, participating in the decisive showdown at Pharsalus. Following victory in the war, Caesar changed the legion’s name to Victrix (“winner”). Another cognomen was later added by Mark Antony—Antiqua—meaning the “old one” (as in “reliable one”).

During Caesar's war against his fellow-triumvir and rival Pompey the Great, which broke out in January 49, the Twelfth participated in the invasion of Italy, and a year later, it was with Caesar during the battle of Pharsalus (9 August 48). After Caesar's victory, the men were pensioned off and received land in the neighborhood of Parma .

We know that it was called Victrix ("winner") after the civil war, which is a bit confusing because later, there was another legion called XII Victrix.

Mark Antony brought the Lighting Twelfth to the East to join his war against Parthia. While the campaign ended in defeat, the legion remained in the East during the imperial period, continuing the fight against the Parthian and the Sassanid Empires. The unit still guarded the Euphrates crossing next to its base—Melitene—at the beginning of the fifth century. This longevity makes Legio XII Fulminata another one of the longest-standing Roman legions on record.

Likely the ring of a serving centurion of the 12th, with a traditional motto somewhat similar to 'good soul'. It bears KAAH {in reverse, as it was the centurion's seal} which, depending on context can be mean to represent good, faithful or beautiful.  read more

Code: 24761

A Simply Stunning Ancient Roman Museum Grade Fine Gold Seal Ring with Intaglio Portrait Engraved Garnet Gem Stone 2nd to 3rd Century A.D. Likely a Depiction of an Emperor Such As Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Verus, or Even A Parthian Vassal King.

A museum grade, around 1900 year old pure gold ancient Roman intaglio carved garnet gemstone seal ring.

Worn by such a noble as the rank of Imperial Legate { Legatus Augusti pro praetore}. The commander of two or more legions, who also served as the governor of an eastern province in which the legions he commanded were stationed. He was of Senatorial rank and was appointed by the Emperor for a term of 3 or 4 years.

The carved gem’s seal is depicting a profile hand carving, possibly of an Emperor such as Verus, or vassal King of Parthia. Possibly as a celebration of Verus’s ‘Triumph’ from the Parthian War. Classified by the seminal classification of ancient ring forms, by Dr. Martin Henig, as Ancient Roman, Henig type II

The Roman triumph was one of ancient Rome’s most important civic and sacred institutions. These spectacular processions were celebrations of Rome’s military victories, the courage of its soldiers, and the favour of the gods. They were also one of the highest honors a Roman man could achieve: designated a triumphator, he was awarded a grand procession through the imperial capital. The lavish parade of prisoners and captured treasures was sure to guarantee the eternal fame of the conquering general. Over time, the triumph became an important tool in the manipulation of Roman politics.

Made and worn by the highest ranking Roman, such as a Legate, possibly even a member of the Imperial household at the time from Emperors Marcus Aurelias, Lucius Verus, & Commodus, and just into the early following century.

Rings were one of the most popular pieces of jewellery in Roman culture. Under the Republic the wearing of gold rings was exclusively reserved to certain classes of persons or for specific occasions. In the late 3rd century BC only senators and knights equo publico had this privilege. Towards the end of the Republic, gold rings were also bestowed on civilians. Under the Roman Empire gold rings, although still regarded as a privilege and awarded as a military distinction

During the era of dual Emperors Marcus Aurelius, and Lucius Verus, 161 to 180 ad, the last part of his reign was dramatically represented in the blockbuster film 'Gladiator', starring Richard Harris as the Emperor Marcus Aurelias. He acceded to the throne of Emperor alongside his adoptive brother, who reigned under the name Lucius Verus. Under his rule the Roman Empire witnessed heavy military conflict. In the East, the Romans fought successfully with a revitalised Parthian Empire and the rebel Kingdom of Armenia. Marcus defeated the Marcomanni, Quadi, and Sarmatian Iazyges in the Marcomannic Wars; however, these and other Germanic peoples began to represent a troubling reality for the Empire. Ultimately, the Romans were victorious in the Parthian War of 161-167 CE. After the sacking of Ctesiphon and Seleucia, Lucius Verus took the title Parthicus Maximus. As a feature of his imperial titulature, the epithet conveyed his military might and power. But the question remains: to what extent can the Roman victory over the Parthian Empire be attributed to Verus?
Indeed, much of the successes the Romans enjoyed in this eastern war surely belong to the supremely able retinue of generals and administrators who were with Verus at the time. Regardless, upon his return from the campaign, Verus was awarded a triumph, the traditional celebration of Roman military conquest that had been used since the Republican era. This was to be the high point of Verus’ imperial story, however. In 169 CE, as he was journeying back from the Danubian frontier — where he had been fighting in the Marcomannic wars with Marcus Aurelius — Verus suddenly fell ill and died. It is highly probable, according to historians, that Verus was a victim of the pestilence that his soldiers had carried back to the empire with them from the Parthian War.

Commodus. the successor and son of Emperor Antoninus Pius,, was the Roman emperor who ruled from 177 to 192. He served jointly with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until the latter's death in 180, and thereafter he reigned alone until his assassination. His reign is commonly thought of as marking the end of a golden period of peace in the history of the Roman Empire, known as the Pax Romana.
Commodus became the youngest emperor and consul up to that point, at the age of 16. Throughout his reign, Commodus entrusted the management of affairs to his palace chamberlain and praetorian prefects, named Saoterus, Perennis and Cleander.

Commodus's assassination in 192, by a wrestler in the bath, marked the end of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty. He was succeeded by Pertinax, the first emperor in the tumultuous Year of the Five Emperors.

Jewellery in the Roman Republic
The core ideologies of the Roman Republic, centred around moderation and restraint, meant that elaborate jewellery was relatively unpopular until the transformation to imperial rule. The law of the Twelve Tables in the 5th century BC, limited the amount of gold which might have been buried with the dead. The Lex Oppia, 3rd century BC, fixed at half of an ounce the amount of gold which a Roman lady might have worn. During the Roman Empire, however, jewellery became a public display of wealth and power for the elite.
Rings of the higher ranks were often embellished with intaglios, cameos and precious gemstones. Mythology and Roman history were used as a repertoire of decorative themes. Roman rings featuring carved gemstones, such as carnelian, garnet or chalcedony, were often engraved with the depiction of deities, allegories and zoomorphic creatures.

1 inch across, UK size H1/2, {measured on the round inside the oval} 9.6 grams, approx 22 carat gold 91.16% Gold, 6.66% silver, 1.93% copper, which is a typical consistency of ancient Roman gold determined by x-ray flourescence analysis with Oxford Instruments in 2017
As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity.  read more

Code: 24779

A Really Good and Interesting 18th Century Indian Sikh or Mughal Empire Lahore Combat & Battle Talwar, With a Good Blade

The hilt also known as tulwar comprises langets with lotus-head outlines, domed quillons, and a centrally swollen grip. A knuckle guard with a terminal that recurves toward the disc-pommel which has been attached with domed top and lotus bud finial.

The surface is plain

There are clear indications that this particular hilt is of Punjab manufacture: the fat vase shape of the grip section, the slightly forward angle of the quillons. The hilt is of average proportions.

The blade shape is quite deeply curved. Such blades are ideal for close-quarters cutters, with the deep curve helping it target specific places that normal swords could not attach. The type of blade is a referred to as a ‘goliya’ (meaning round) in India. The blade is a highly practical one, with several indications impacts etc. that show that it was clearly used in battle.

Blade 24.5 inches overall 29.5 inches long No scabbard  read more

Code: 25739

Rare, Victorian, British Board of Trade, Rocket Apparatus, Combination Coin & Medal. 'Proof of Service at a Wreck'. This 19th Century Coin Medal Was A Value of 5/- For Rocket Launching Servicing A Wreck’ In Distress.{But Only 1/- Extra for Saving A Life

Board of Trade, Life Saving Rocket Apparatus Service Coin-Medal
Obverse: Port broadside view of a full-rigged ship at anchor. Legend: 'BOARD OF TRADE ROCKET APPARATUS'. Reverse: A large royal crown centre. 'PROOF OF SERVICE AT A WRECK'.

To attend a wreck at sea near a coast was very perilous indeed. Ships were only usually in such dire straights due to severe storms and the most foulest of weather. At such a time the crew of the rocket launching were at severe risk of death, that was almost as much as the ships crew. One had to remember the skill of swimming was not remotely as common as it is today, in fact most sailors purposely failed to learned to swim as a quick death by drowning was preferable to a long drawn out fate of swimming in a vast sea awaiting a most unlikely rescue.

The Board of Trade owned the apparatus which was held at Coastguard Stations. Users could claim expenses from the board. The rocket apparatus was used to fire a line to a ship in distress. The line then used to haul over hawsers and the block to be affixed to the mast. Once fixed a breeches buoy could be used, hauled on a continuous whip line, to take off passengers and crew one by one. It was used by Coastguards but also by Volunteer Life Brigades and Life Saving Companies. The first of these founded in Tynemouth in 1864. Coastguards trained the volunteers in the use of the rocket apparatus. This was a medal come coin that had a face value.

Afterwards all those who helped at a shipwreck were awarded one of these coin medals which they could redeem for cash if they so chose. The lesser version had a redemption value of 2/6 {two shillings and sixpence} For attending a wreck, or,.this superior type has a redemption value of 5/- {five shillings} For proof of rocket launching service at a wreck, but with an extra 1/- {one shilling} awarded for saving a life.

Royal Mint (Tower Hill), London, United Kingdom  read more

Code: 25764

One of The Earliest Pieces of Its Kind You May See Anywhere In the World, An Original Man-Made Weapon and Tool A Most Fine, Large, Palaeolithic 300,000 Year Old Stone Age Hand Axe

A most fine and impressive axe of large size and in superb condition. An axe one could only normally expect to see in the British Museum or the Smithsonian. Only a couple of years ago, another very similar example, also determined to be 300,000 years old, was found in Kent, and it made world news, appearing in hundreds of newspapers and news programmes around the globe.

It is simply incredible to try to comprehend just how long human kind walked the earth with so little improvement in weapon and tool making. from the Palaeolithic right through to the Neolithic age covering around 300,000 years and it wasn't until less than 5,000 years ago that the move from stone to bronze enabled the incredible leap forward right through to the modern day. From bronze age axes and spears to flights to Mars, in under 5000 years, yet for the previous 295,000 years we made little or no progress at all, such as from big knapped flint axes, to small polished ones.

To put the time frame in today's context, when Anthony and Cleopatra were conducting their famous affair in ancient Egypt, over 2000 years ago, this flint axe would have still been 298,000 years old to them.

Precisely when and where did our species emerge Anthropologists have struggled with that question for decades, and scattered clues had suggested the answer lay somewhere in sub-Saharan Africa about 200,000 years ago.

However, new evidence now exists as outlined in two papers published in the journal Nature that challenges that hypothesis. Instead, the authors describe recently discovered remains that suggest the first Homo sapiens showed up more than 100,000 years earlier than we thought in a place many experts didn't suspect.

The fossils could represent the earliest known examples of H. sapiens ever found (if confirmed by further research), and they serve as evidence that members of our species lived beyond sub-Saharan Africa. As with all our items it will be accompanied with our lifetime guarantee Certificate of Authenticity. 8.25 inches long very substantial & weighty  read more

Code: 22746

A Superb 'Tower of London' Made Front Line Regimental British Light Dragoon & Hussars Flintlock Pistol Circa 1802 Napoleonic Wars, Peninsular War and Waterloo Service use

Excellent walnut stock with original patina to all parts steel brass and walnut. All fine brass fittings and captive ramrod. In original flintlock, made byThe Tower of London Armoury. GR Crown Tower stamped lock plate. With numerous ordnance inspectors stamps throughout.

This is the pattern of pistol for use by British Light Dragoon & Hussars Cavalry regiments, and called the New Land Pattern, used initially from around 1802, during the Peninsular War, the War of 1812, and the Hundred Days War, culminating at Waterloo.
It is simply a superb Napoleonic wars original collector's item and good condition example. Certainly with usual signs of combat service use but with excellent natural age patina. Excellent perfect crisp action.

Introduced in the 1796 and in production by 1802, the New Land Pattern Cavalry Pistol provided one model of pistol for all of Britain's light cavalry and horse artillery. Another new element was its swivel all steel ramrod, which greatly improved the process of loading the pistol on horseback and ensuring no loss of ramrod due to miss-handling or dropping..
The regiments that used this very pistol under The Duke of Wellington's command were;
Hussars
7th (Queen's Own) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Hussars) — white facings, silver lace and buttons, blue and white sash
15th (King's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Hussars) — red facings, silver lace and buttons, red and yellow sash
18th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons (Hussars) — white facings, silver lace and buttons, blue and white sash, grey dolmans
Light Dragoons
8th (King's Royal Irish) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — red facings, silver lace and buttons, blue and red belt, grey dolmans
9th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — red facings, gold lace and buttons, blue and yellow belt
10th (Prince of Wales's Own Royal) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — red facings, silver lace and buttons, red and yellow sash
11th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — buff facings, silver lace and buttons, blue and buff belt
12th (Prince of Wales's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — yellow facings, silver lace and buttons, blue and yellow belt
13th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — buff facings, gold lace and buttons, blue and buff belt
14th (Duchess of York's Own) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — orange facings, silver lace and buttons, blue and orange belts
16th (Queen's) Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — red facings, silver lace and buttons, blue and red belt
17th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — white facings, silver lace and buttons, blue and white belt
19th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — yellow facings, gold lace and buttons, blue and yellow belt
20th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — orange facings, gold lace and buttons, blue and orange belt
21st Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — pink facings (black from 1814), gold lace and buttons, blue and pink belt
22nd Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — pink facings, gold lace and buttons, blue and pink belt, grey dolmans
23rd Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — red facings (maybe yellow), silver lace and buttons, blue and red belt
24th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — grey facings, gold lace and buttons, blue and grey belt
25th Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — grey facings, silver lace and buttons, blue and grey belt, grey dolmans

The division between 'heavy' and light was very marked during Wellington's time: 'heavy' cavalry were huge men on big horses, 'light' cavalry were more agile troopers on smaller mounts who could harass as well as shock.

During the Napoleonic Wars, French cavalry was un-excelled. Later, as casualties and the passage of years took their toll, Napoleon found it difficult to maintain the same high standards of cavalry performance. At the same time, the British and their allies steadily improved on their cavalry, mainly by devoting more attention to its organization and training as well as by copying many of the French tactics, organization and methods. During the Peninsular War, Wellington paid little heed to the employment of cavalry in operations, using it mainly for covering retreats and chasing routed French forces. But by the time of Waterloo it was the English cavalry that smashed the final attack of Napoleon's Old Guard.

We show superb Napoleonic Light Dragoons illustration prints in the gallery by David Higham, that were gifted to us by a grateful client.
These can be bought at the link below, and they are extremely comfortably priced.
https://www.printsforartssake.com/products/7th-queens-own-british-regiment-of-light-dragoons-waterloo-1815.
This is a complimentary recommendation, for which we make no financial gain
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  read more

Code: 25762

A Superb, Original, Long Viking Spear Head 1000 to 1100 Years Old, In Superb Excavated Condition. A True Museum Piece

Overall in superb and well preserved condition. Only deeper pitting on the socket, and small impact damage to one outer edge of the diamond form blade. Remarkably the socket still has it remaining rivet for fixing to the wooden haft at the base on the inside. This almost certainly may be a traditional Viking pattern welded blade, in the traditional 'Wolf's Teeth' form, but the surface is too intact to tell, however its shape is very similar to the most famous recovered 'Wolf's Teeth' Viking spear head in Helsinki Museum see gallery. According to the older parts of the Gulating Law, dating back to before the year 900 AD covering Western Norway, a free man was required to own a sword or ax, spear and shield. It was said that Olaf Tryggvason, King of Norway from 995-1000 AD, could throw two spears at the same time. In chapter 55 of Laxdæla saga, Helgi had a spear with a blade one ell long (about 50cm, or 20in). He thrust the blade through Bolli's shield, and through Bolli. In chapter 8 of Króka-Refs saga, Refur made a spear for himself which could be used for cutting, thrusting, or hewing. Refur split Þorgils in two down to his shoulders with the spear. The spearheads were made of iron, and, like sword blades, were made using pattern welding techniques (described in the article on swords) during the early part of the Viking era . They could be decorated with inlays of precious metals or with scribed geometric patterns
After forming the head, the smith flattened and drew out material to form the socket . This material was formed around a mandrel and usually was welded to form a solid socket. In some cases, the overlapping portions were left unwelded. Spear heads were fixed to wooden shafts using a rivet. The sockets on the surviving spear heads suggest that the shafts were typically round, with a diameter of 2-3cm (about one inch).

However, there is little evidence that tells us the length of the shaft. The archaeological evidence is negligible, and the sagas are, for the most part, silent. Chapter 6 of Gísla saga tells of a spear so long-shafted that a man's outstretched arm could touch the rivet. The language used suggests that such a long shaft was uncommon.

Perhaps the best guess we can make is that the combined length of shaft and head of Viking age spears was 2 to 3m (7-10ft) long, although one can make arguments for the use of spears having both longer and shorter shafts. A strong, straight-grained wood such as ash was used. Many people think of the spear as a throwing weapon. One of the Norse myths tells the story of the first battle in the world, in which Oðin, the highest of the gods, threw a spear over the heads of the opposing combatants as a prelude to the fight. The sagas say that spears were also thrown in this manner when men, rather than gods, fought. At the battle at Geirvör described in chapter 44 of Eyrbyggja saga, the saga author says that Steinþórr threw a spear over the heads of Snorri goði and his men for good luck, according to the old custom. More commonly, the spear was used as a thrusting weapon. The sagas tell us thrusting was the most common attack in melees and one-on-one fighting, and this capability was used to advantage in mass battles. In a mass battle, men lined up, shoulder to shoulder, with shields overlapping. After all the preliminaries, which included rock throwing, name calling, the trading of insults, and shouting a war cry (æpa heróp), the two lines advanced towards each other. When the lines met, the battle was begun. Behind the wall of shields, each line was well protected. Once a line was broken, and one side could pass through the line of the other side, the battle broke down into armed melees between small groups of men.

Before either line broke, while the two lines were going at each other hammer and tongs, the spear offered some real advantages. A fighter in the second rank could use his spear to reach over the heads of his comrades in the first rank and attack the opposing line. Konungs skuggsjá (King’s Mirror), a 13th century Norwegian manual for men of the king, says that in the battle line, a spear is more effective than two swords. In regards to surviving iron artefacts of the past two millennia, if Western ancient edged weapons were either lost, discarded or buried in the ground, and if the ground soil were made up of the right chemical composition, then some may survive exceptionally well. As with all our items it comes complete with our certificate of authenticity 13.5 inches long 350 grams weight.  read more

Code: 23143