Antique Arms & Militaria

Ancient Roman Gladiator's Aes Corinthiacum Bronze Ring, Of A Colosseum Barbary Lion Late Old Republic Era To Early Empire Period. Over 2000 Years Old. Made & Used From the Reigns of Julius Caeser to Emperor Trajan

Over 2000 years old. Unusually it is a good wearable size. UK size R

*Corinthian bronze, also named Corinthian brass or aes Corinthiacum, was a metal alloy in classical antiquity. It is thought to be an alloy of copper with gold or silver (or both), although it has also been contended that it was simply a very high grade of bronze, or a kind of bronze that was manufactured in Corinth.

The wearing of the ring was the prerogative alone of Roman citizens or those of high rank and esteem, that some gladiators always aspired to but rarely achieved due to their short life span within their violent craft. However some did achieve such great success and were rewarded with riches, freedom and the right to wear the traditional Roman bronze status ring. Gladiators rings would be intaglio engraved depicting the exotic and fearsome beasts they fought, such as Lions, Tigers, Bears, Rhinocerous or even Sharks in giant water tanks complete with ships, or, armoured gladiators in combat. Could one imagine simply the logistics of transporting live sharks from the sea into the middle of Rome, it is simply astounding.

Julius Caesar (though he was never officially an emperor, he held the title of dictator perpetuo and is often considered the precursor to the imperial system)
The Julian Dynasty
Augustus (also known as Octavian, he was the first official emperor, reigning from 27 BC to AD 14)
Tiberius (reigned from AD 14 to 37)
Caligula (reigned from AD 37 to 41)
Claudius (reigned from AD 41 to 54)
Nero (reigned from AD 54 to 68)
The year of the 4 emperors, preceded by reign dates.
June 68 - Jan 69: Galba
Jan 69 - Apr 69: Otho
Apr 69 - Dec 69: Vitellius

The Flavian Dynasty
69 - 79: Vespasian
79 - 81: Titus
81 - 96: Domitian

The Nerva-Antonine Dynasty
96 - 98: Nerva
98 - 117 a.d.: Trajan

The Gladiators from Caeser to Trajan
In 65 BC, newly elected curule aedile Julius Caesar held games that he justified as munus to his father, who had been dead for 20 years. Despite an already enormous personal debt, he used 320 gladiator pairs in silvered armour. He had more available in Capua but the senate, mindful of the recent Spartacus revolt and fearful of Caesar's burgeoning private armies and rising popularity, imposed a limit of 320 pairs as the maximum number of gladiators any citizen could keep in Rome. Caesar's showmanship was unprecedented in scale and expense; he had staged a munus as memorial rather than funeral rite, eroding any practical or meaningful distinction between munus and ludi.

Gladiatorial games, usually linked with beast shows, spread throughout the republic and beyond. Anti-corruption laws of 65 and 63 BC attempted but failed to curb the political usefulness of the games to their sponsors. Following Caesar's assassination and the Roman Civil War, Augustus assumed imperial authority over the games, including munera, and formalised their provision as a civic and religious duty. His revision of sumptuary law capped private and public expenditure on munera, claiming to save the Roman elite from the bankruptcies they would otherwise suffer, and restricting gladiator munera to the festivals of Saturnalia and Quinquatria. Henceforth, an imperial praetor's official munus was allowed a maximum of 120 gladiators at a ceiling cost of 25,000 denarii; an imperial ludi might cost no less than 180,000 denarii. Throughout the empire, the greatest and most celebrated games would now be identified with the state-sponsored imperial cult, which furthered public recognition, respect and approval for the emperor's divine numen, his laws, and his agents. Between 108 and 109 AD, Trajan celebrated his Dacian victories using a reported 10,000 gladiators and 11,000 animals over 123 days.

*Pliny the Elder distinguished it into three kinds, depending on the metal that is added to the copper base: in the first, gold is added (luteum); in the second, silver (candidum); in the third, gold, silver, and copper are equally blended. Plutarch and Cicero both comment that Corinthian bronze, unlike many other copper alloys, is resistant to tarnishing, and the ring certainly appears to have resisted tarnishing at the bottom two thirds of the intaglio seal engraving.  read more

Code: 25491

A Superb 16th Century Tudor Era Gothic Renaissance Halberd, Queen Elizabeth Ist Period. Traditional Iron Head With Tall Central Spike With A Twin Bird's-Head Axe Blade & Sharp Flat Hook Counter Blade. With Original 7ft Studded Haft

The iron head is in superb condition for its age, with fixed and shortened haft straps. It’s original haft is now very worn.
Halberds appeared by the late Middle Ages. The halberd’s origin, or its evolution from earlier battle axes, is obscure. Some Georgian-era antiquarians traced the weapon all the way back to the ancient Amazons of classical mythology. Other sources called it “the Danish axe” and credited its invention to the Vikings. In documented history, Swiss soldiers fighting for the independence of their cantons or as international mercenaries made the halberd famous in the 14th century.

Halberds were mounted on sturdy poles about six to eight feet long, which were crafted from ash or similar hardwoods. The iron head had a pointed long spear tip with two additional blades set at right angles to the central axis. One of these side blades resembled a hatchet head, and the other was a sharp, downturned fluke or hook. The hatchet blades often were small and crescent-shaped and could have elaborate contours and pierced decoration as does this halberd. On the other hand, some halberds had a monstrously large axe added to one side. Those designed for combat were usually sturdy and simple, while those with the more elaborate patterns were carried by honour guards and palace sentries.

The halberd’s pointed tip fended off opponents, as would a simple pike. The sharp point could puncture chain mail or slip between plates of armor. The curved fluke could catch a horse’s reins or pull riders down from their mounts. By swinging the six to eight-foot-long wooden handle, the axe blade landed with considerable power on the armour of a dismounted knight. Halberdiers were vulnerable when swinging their weapons back to deal a blow. They were also at a disadvantage against soldiers carrying much longer weapons, such as lances or full pikes. In practice, armies mixed halberdiers with soldiers bearing pikes, bows, and other weapons.

The introduction of the harquebus in the early 16th century heralded the slow demise of the halberd as a battlefield weapon.
Halberds also helped soldiers climb up steep slopes or defensive obstacles. The sharp axe-like blades were also perfect for hacking and tearing down field fortifications such as fascines or gabions.

It has its original studded haft but since it has been in armoury display for likely two to three centuries, all its surface velvet is now gone and overall surface worn. Delivery fully intact and full length, upon its haft, can be within the UK mainland only. Photo two in the gallery are three halberd in an Italian castle armoury, the third on the far right is very similar to this one. Note the red velvet covered hafts within the castle armoury photo of three halberds, that is how this one would have looked originally, but the red velvet is now completely lost through age, and it now looks as it does on the third halberd in the photo.

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: 25650

An Absolutely Stunning Museum Piece & Fit For A Prince, An 18th-19th Century Wootz Steel & Gold Dagger. Likely Made for A Turkish, Ottoman Empire Pasha Or Noble Of the Highest Status. Napoleonic Wars Period. As Worn By A Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire

A wonderful antique khanjar dagger of all wootz steel, and the hilt is decorated with chiselled flower heads within an Islamic geometric cartouche form pattern, with scrolling acanthus leaves and flowers at the ricasso of the wootz Damascus blade, overlaid with fine gold koftgari.

Likely worn and used by such as, for example, a great ruler of the Ottoman's, Ali Pasha {he ruled from the 1788 till 1822}.
The great Ali Pasha was, during the Napoleonic Wars, at first, an admirer of Napoleon and formed a brief alliance with him during said Napoleonic wars, but, with changing winds he went against his previous ally in order to support the British. Napoleon thus sanctioned a planned rebellion against Ali, but the British arrived, as funds were being collected and rebels were being recruited. Ali's rival, Ibrahim Pasha of Berat, turned to the French and gathered a coalition of Ali's enemies, including Mustafa Pasha of Delvinë, Pronio Aga of Paramythia, Hasan Çapari of Margariti, the Beys of Himara, the Aga of Konispoli and the Souliotes. This coalition began attacking Ali's realm with support from French artillery, and Ali responded by bribing Ibrahim's supporters with British support. Ali besieged Ibrahim Pasha in Berat with an 8,000-man army commanded by the Albanian captain Omer Bey Vrioni, and with the aid of British rockets, Berat finally fell after a year of skirmishing. Ibrahim retired to Vlorë, and Ali told the Porte that he had taken Berat in response to the revolts in upper Albania that were the result of Ibrahim's inability to rule

The wootz of the blade is in the typical recurved form shape with an armour piercing tip. The type of dagger arm was particularly adept at piercing the armour of enemy combatants.

Developed originally in India, wootz steel technology features a system of isolating micro carbides within a matrix of tempered martensite. The ancient metalwork specialist Herbert Maryon of the British Museum in London described the metal technique as: the undulations of the steel resemble a net across running water the pattern waved like watered silk it was mottled like the grains of yellow sand. With roots in the Tamil Nudu region of the sub-continent, the technology was considered the most effective in the world for maximizing armor piercing potential. The indigenous Indian population presented the invading armies of Alexander the Great with tribute ingots of wootz around 300 B.C. From there, the process was refined over time throughout the world in Damascus, Syria; continental Europe; and later Great Britain, where the process underpinned the Industrial Revolution that began in the 18th century. The Rajahs of India submitted tulwars, shamshirs, khanjars, in addition to other ancient swords and daggers manufactured with wootz to the International Exhibition of 1851 and 1862, whereby the pieces become coveted for the quality of their steel.

We show in the gallery an 18th century portrait of Yirmisekizzade Mehmed Said Pasha, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire in Paris. At his waist is his gold hilted khanjar almost identical to ours.

Originally this khanjar would have had a simple red velvet covered wooden scabbard, now lost.

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: 20674

A Really Rare Chevasse & Co Confederate Contract Pattern 1856, 1856/8 Two Band Enfield Rifle Sword Bayonet with Yataghan Blade. American Civil War Import From Birmingham England, by Confederate Supply Contractor Horace Chavasse.

A British Victorian Export Enfield Pattern 56, bayonet pattern 1856-58, for the two band Enfield Rifle, a Yataghan blade sword bayonet, the regulation bar-on-barrel, model. Bar on the band muzzle ring. The blade is 22 3/4", with Birmingham retailers name CHAVASSE(Horace Chavasse), at the ricasso/forte, with serial number and Confederate regimental numeral stamps. And no British government inspector or ordnance marks, just as it shouldn’t.

Overall in superb condition for age.

You really don't see such rarities available in the UK market today, and precious few in the American market actually, especially one that came from the States 50 odd years ago.

We bought the entire small collection from the widow of a 'Best of British Empire and German' Rifles and Bayonets' collector, who acquired them over the past 40 years, and only ever kept the very best he could afford to keep. Act fast they are selling really fast. All are top quality and condition,19th and 20th century scarce British and German collectables are always the most desirable of all. This bayonet he bought in Louisiana in the USA, in 1970's

Horace Chavasse of Alma Street, Aston, Birmingham (1860-1868) is known for his export contract of these M1856/8 sword bayonets to the Confederate States during The US Civil War,

It has standard chequered leather grip plates, and is production three digit numbered 509, {Confederate bayonets are often recognised as bearing four digit engraved, or, three or four number stamped serial numbers, } and it also bears Confederate regimental stamp number, '10' on the pommel top, with a good working spring catch, and usual wear on the grips, the overall condition is very good,

In 1861 Chavasse & Co, produced the 1853 Enfield socket bayonet, and sword bayonets
under contract with no British government markings or stampings to link with British government indicating that all the bayonets were made for export to America for the American Civil War Confederate States. The company was used because of its manufacturing abilities and its connections and successes in sales in the foreign market, markings on bayonet rear pommel of the hilt and blade ricasso of the sword bayonet. The mark of "CHAVASSE & Co" or 'Chavasse'. Total manufactured 11,173 of the bayonets.

It also details in the records that the 1853 and 1856 Enfield pattern rifle’s socket and sword-bayonet batches, sent to American Confederate States, did not have any British government stamps or markings.
All the above details are from their company records, and the company was based at the Crocodile Works Alma Street, Ashton Newton, Birmingham, England from 1860 to 1869

Chavasse supplied his sword-bayonets and socket bayonets from early on during the Civil War, and it was through this that he became acquainted with William Joshua Grazebrook. Their partnership was formalised in early 1862, and the pair brought a large amount of military weapons to sell to the Confederacy. Their attempt at blockade running was disastrous however, as well as financially ruinous, as the ship, the ill fated Modern Greece was wrecked off of Wilmington, North Carolina in June 1862.

Although some damaged cargo was salvaged by Confederate authorities and sold at auction, Chavasse would not receive any money from the cargo, and his partner, Grazebrook, would soon declare bankruptcy in June of 1863 after the capture of the Dolphin and Nicolai I in March of that year.

Chavasse would continue legal action against Grazebrook to no avail, as the courts determined that Grazebrook was insolvent in 1865. The financial ruin brought on by his support of the Confederacy would cause Chavasse himself to declare bankruptcy in 1868. He died virtually penniless in 1917 at the age of 87.

No scabbard, as is more usual than not for surviving sword-bayonets by Chevasse  read more

Code: 26287

An Extraordinary Original Conversation Piece. A Superb, Original, Late Queen Elizabeth Ist to King James Ist Period Miniature Pistol. Late 1500's, To The Turn of The 17th Century, Functioning Miniature Pistol

A pistol made in bronze, many hundreds of years ago, to fire off for the entertainment of the nobility and their children. Dark blue-black bronze aged patination. No moving parts.

An extraordinary little piece of rarely known history, from the earliest age of the black powder pistol. These intriguing miniature functioning pistols were called petronel, named after the original early name of matchlock and wheellock pistols, and very much of the period, from the Elizabethan to the Carolean age. we show in the gallery an Elizabethen portrait of Captain Thomas Lee by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, with a full sized pistol of the age, that this miniature represents {clearly in its most simplistic form}

A petronel is a 16th and 17th century black powder muzzle-loading firearm, defined by Robert Barret (Theorike and Practike of Modern Warres, 1598) as a horsemans peece. It was the muzzle-loading firearm which developed on the one hand into the pistol and on the other into the carbine. The name (French petrinel or poitrinal) was given to the weapon either because it was fired with the butt resting against the chest (French poitrine, Latin pectus) or it was carried slung from a belt across the chest. Petronels are found with either matchlock or wheellock mechanisms.

The sclopus was the prototype of the petronel. The petronel is a compromise between the harquebus and the pistol. Early petronels date back to the end of the 14th century, with a crude buttstock. Generally the touch hole is on the right side, and fired by a separate slow match. Sometimes they had small hinged plate covers to protect the priming from moisture. By extension, the term petronel was also used to describe the type of light cavalry who employed the firearm. The petronel (cavalryman) was used to support the heavy cavalry such as demi-lancers and cuirassiers. The petronel was succeeded by a similarly armed cavalryman called the harquebusier.


We acquired a stunning little collection of miniature petronel, effectively toys, and they are the Zenith of original, and historical conversation pieces, especially when one considers they are around 450 year old working pistols. Naturally they were not made with the action mechanism of a full sized petronel, one just ignited them with a smouldering match cord, to create an instantaneous small bang and puff of smoke.
Please note, under no circumstances should one try to use them today.  read more

Code: 26288

A Simply Outstanding Norman Period Medieval Sculpture Circa 11th Century. A Biblical Portrait Bust From The Old Testament. Likely Removed From a Norman Church or Monastery In the Dissolution of the Monasteries

Up to 1000 years old or later, a carved stone ancient British corbel, weighing almost 55 pounds, from such as a Norman church, monastery or even castle. It is a fabulous carved head of a the grimacing first man, Adam, he from the Garden of Eden, as told in the Old Testament Book of Genesis. His face likely revealing his regret of his being cast out by God, with his wife Eve, to face the misery of life after leaving God’s paradise, after succumbing to the serpents temptation via Eve. No doubt an allegory of the warning of the consequence that awaits those that fail in their devotion and duty. Interestingly it is one of the great historic myths that it was an apple tree within which the serpent appeared, with his poisonous apple, but there is no mention of an apple or apple tree at all in the tale. It was simply the fruit of the forbidden tree that bore peri, which just means fruit, of no particular or defined kind. It could just have easily been a peach, or even a kumquat.

The tradition of using carved stone corbels perhaps derives from stone vaults, although their ribs normally rise from capitals on wall shafts and these are usually foliate or moulded. However, Romanesque churches had external corbels below the eaves which have their architectural origins in classical brackets (and before that, the ends of roof timbers). Although most frequently carved as human heads, they could be animals, figures or grotesques. Explaining the relative lack of external decoration of churches in comparison with their interiors, William Durandus {who died in Rome in 1296 wrote: ‘for although its outward appearance be despicable, the soul which is the seat of God is illuminated from within’. It has therefore been taken that the grotesques and gargoyles seen on church exteriors are there to defend the building (heaven) and those within it from ever-present evil by fighting the Devil with his own. While literacy increased in the Middle Ages, the great majority of people entering a church would not have been able to read (and in any case, any script was most likely to be in Latin before the 16th century). Medieval people certainly recognised many more scenes from the Bible than modern churchgoers, but there were plenty of other sources of inspiration for painted and carved decoration. Hagiographical stories were widely used to convey Christian messages of morality and duty, yet the stories that concluded in considerably less than perfection also convey the consequences of failing to abide by such positive devotions. Thus in this case Adam started as the ideal of hagiographical perfection, at least in God’s eyes, but faced the painful reality after falling from God’s grace and his expulsion from paradise.

After the Norman Invasion of 1066.
William was quick to bring in Norman nobles, administrators and clerics to run this new section of his Norman empire, and, in fact, he soon left to return to pressing business in Normandy, leaving instructions as he sailed back across the English Channel, returning only when he needed to lead his armies against rebellion.
Most notably this included the Harrying of the North in 1069-70 with the Domesday Book, written some 16 years later, still recording that many villages across the northern counties were ‘laid waste.’ Such was the shocking power and devastation of the occupying Norman force.

At the heart of these plans was Feudalism that, in essence, demanded the domination of the Anglo-Saxon population, both high born and low. But given that the invading force never numbered more than some 10,000 Normans, help would be needed to achieve the subjugation demanded by the new king.
As a result, Odo ordered, on the new king’s instructions, a massive castle building programme, using the famous Norman motte and bailey plans that were so well copied in other parts of the world soon after.
These Norman castles were quickly built by masons and engineers brought in from Normandy, who worked on individual projects up and down the country under the watchful eye of the Master Mason. In general, there would be 2 types of masons who worked under him, the hewers, who carved the stones, and the layers, who placed the stones in to the building.
All of this, of course, was paid for by draconian taxes extracted from the local population. Taxes and tax collection, after all, lay at the heart of why the Domesday Book of 1086 was commissioned and why the surveyors sent out to every English town and village were ordered to be so thorough.
But alongside this huge Norman castle building programme, a huge mirror programme of cathedral building was also put in place, with 15 new Norman masterpieces put up in the next 90 years or so. Of these, 13 still remain, with only 2 lost to us: Old St Paul’s, burnt down in the Great Fire of London in 1666, and Old Sarum, soon replaced by Salisbury Cathedral, pulled down in the reign of Richard the Lionheart.


Photos in the gallery from the Norman church of Saint Mary and Saint David in Kilpeck, Herefordshire, England. It shows one of the well-preserved carved corbels supporting the roof, depicting a hound and a hare, in a delightful style of cartoon-like simplicity. Carved during the mid 12th century AD (late Norman period) by an unknown sculptor of the "Herefordshire School". (Photo by Simon Garbutt).

Another corbel from the Norman Kilpeck Church by Andy Dolman Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic
Four corbels by Ciaran Byrne

13.5 inches high, approx, 55 pounds weight

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

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury, Britain's most famous, favourite, and oldest original Armoury Antique store, 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, and thus, it is a lifetime guarantee.  read more

Code: 25806

A Very Good Victorian 1881 British Army Garter Star Helmet Plate

A very good example of the helmet plate used on the Home Service and tropical sun helmets used by all the foot regiments of the British Army in the late 19th century. In excellent condition.

In 1881, the British Army standardized its headgear by rolling out the Home Service Helmet across most line infantry and corps. Also known as the Foreign Service Helmet or pith helmet, this headdress was characterized by its cork core, cloth covering, and distinctive brass or silver fittings.Key details surrounding the 1881 Home Service Helmet
The helmet was constructed of stiff cork covered with blue cloth (or sometimes green/grey for specific light infantry and rifle regiments). The fittings varied by branch and rank; officers used gilt or silver-plated insignia, while other ranks used brass.The 1881 Childers Reforms: This specific year is historically significant because the Childers Reforms amalgamated numbered regiments into localized territorial regiments. As a result, the large, star-shaped helmet plates mounted on the front of the headdresses were heavily updated to reflect the new regional and amalgamated titles.
Helmets were topped with either a fluted metal spike (for infantry) or a "ball in a leaf cup" device (for artillery, engineers, and specific service corps).
While originally intended as a universal field and dress headdress, the introduction of khaki during the 1903 uniform updates restricted this helmet to pure Full Dress. It was phased out for field operations and eventually limited to specific ceremonial duties  read more

Code: 26286

A Fabulous, Rare Early 19th Cent. British Explosive 10" Mortar Bomb From the War of 1812 In America. Likely, Fomerly Part of The Armament of HMS Terror, During The Bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore. The Battle Site of “The Star Spangled Banner”

One of four exceptionally rare 10" Royal Naval mortar balls we are delighted to have acquired from our private historical Royal Naval collector in Plymouth, the same city where Admiral Cochrane, fleet commander at the attack on Fort McHenry, became Commander-in-Chief of the naval base in Plymouth, England, after the war of 1812.

They were apparently unloaded from ships of the line from Admiral Cochrane's returning fleet, with Commander John Sheridan of HMS Terror, supposedly in Plymouth, during the war of 1812 and the 90 pound bronze mortars were removed from his fleet. They are all in a very good state of preservation but with differing amounts of surface russetting. It is said the Admiral and his crew loathed and feared these particular huge mortars due to their likely hood of miss-fire. The 90 pounder shell had to be first primed, and then lit, before it entered the muzzle of the bronze cannon, that had previously been loaded with pounds of gunpowder, the cannon mortar was then lit and fired which thus ejected, with a massive force explosion, the explosive ball high into the sky to the centre of the enemy's ranks. However, the shell might have accidentally exploded while it was being manouvered, it might also have ignited the powder within the breech of the cannon, or, the fizzing mortar might have not have been ejected at all due to a cannon miss-fire. Any one of these horrifying events would be catastrophic, and the resulting explosion would be of of such magnitude it would likely have killed most on board, and probably sunk the vessel entirely with all hands. This a series of events that any ships captain or admiral would not consider to be entirely advantageous

The previous two 10” mortar bombs, that we had two years ago, were the very first we had had in 50 years. The first of those two we sold to an esteemed private museum in Florida USA, the other to an American private collector

We are not expecting ever to see any more of their like again. It would make a fabulous and impressive historical display piece of significant and particular Royal Naval and early American history interest

These 10" mortars explosive balls were fired by the 10" mortars used by Admiral Cochrane's fleet {with Commander John Sheridan aboard HMS Terror} against Fort McHenry, Baltimore Harbour, September 12–14, 1814, and the resulting 10" mortar bomb shell's mid air explosions, against the backdrop of the US flag flying at Fort McHenry, Baltimore Harbour, inspired the patriotic anthem, the
"Star Spangled Banner".

It was the sight of these very 10" mortar bombshells, that originally weighed around 90 pounds each, including powder therein, that when they exploded over Fort McHenry in Harbour, it inspired Francis Scott Key to write his poem that became the US anthem.
Naturally, this is a perfectly intact surviving example, and one of the 10" mortar shells that either wasn't fired, or, failed to explode.

With Washington in ruins, the British next set their sights on Baltimore, then America’s third-largest city. Moving up the Chesapeake Bay to the mouth of the Patapsco River, they plotted a joint attack on Baltimore by land and water. On the morning of September 12, General Ross’s troops landed at North Point, Maryland, and progressed towards the city. They soon encountered the American forward line, part of an extensive network of defences established around Baltimore in anticipation of the British assault. During the skirmish with American troops, General Ross, so successful in the attack on Washington, was killed by a sharpshooter. Surprised by the strength of the American defences, British forces camped on the battlefield and waited for nightfall on September 13, 1814, planning to attempt another attack under cover of darkness.

Meanwhile, Britain’s naval force, buoyed by its earlier successful attack on Alexandria, Virginia, was poised to strike Fort McHenry and enter Baltimore Harbour. At 6:30 AM on September 13, 1814, Admiral Cochrane’s ships began a 25-hour bombardment of the fort. Rockets whistled through the air and burst into flame wherever they struck. Mortars fired 10- and 13-inch bombshells that exploded overhead in showers of fiery shrapnel. It is said many exploded too soon as the fuses were set too short, which created the firework effect. Major Armistead, commander of Fort McHenry and its defending force of one thousand troops, ordered his men to return fire, but their guns couldn’t reach the enemy’s ships. When British ships advanced on the afternoon of the 13th, however, American gunners badly damaged them, forcing them to pull back out of range. All through the night, Armistead’s men continued to hold the fort, refusing to surrender. That night British attempts at a diversionary attack also failed, and by dawn they had given up hope of taking the city. At 7:30 on the morning of September 14, Admiral Cochrane called an end to the bombardment, and the British fleet withdrew. The successful defense of Baltimore marked a turning point in the War of 1812. Three months later, on December 24, 1814, the Treaty of Ghent formally ended the war. "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by British ships of the Royal Navy in Baltimore Harbour during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. Key was inspired by the large U.S. flag, with 15 stars and 15 stripes, known as the Star-Spangled Banner, flying triumphantly above the fort during the U.S. victory. During the bombardment, HMS Terror and HMS Meteor provided some of the "bombs bursting in air".

The 15-star, 15-stripe "Star-Spangled Banner" that inspired the poem
Key was inspired by the U.S. victory and the sight of the large U.S. flag flying triumphantly above the fort. This flag, with fifteen stars and fifteen stripes, had been made by Mary Young Pickersgill together with other workers in her home on Baltimore's Pratt Street. The flag later came to be known as the Star-Spangled Banner, and is today on display in the National Museum of American History, a treasure of the Smithsonian Institution. It was restored in 1914 by Amelia Fowler, and again in 1998 as part of an ongoing conservation program. Pictures in the gallery of the siege from contemporary paintings and engravings, a commemorative stamp issued in 2014, and an original War of 1812 bronze British mortar now kept at Yorktown Visitor Centre, and a photo of the flag in the National Museum of American History, 1989. The original flag that was illuminated by these very 10" mortar shells.

Sir Alexander Cochrane was born into a Scottish aristocratic family as a younger son, and like many in this position made a career out of military service. Cochrane joined the Royal Navy as a boy and fought in the American Revolution. Following this war he rose quickly in the Napoleonic Wars, earning renown in the Battle of San Domingo and the Conquest of Martinique in 1809.

By the beginning of the War of 1812, Cochrane was a well-seasoned and high-ranking officer. As a vice admiral, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the new North American naval station in Bermuda. He devised a clever plan to weaken the American defenses and turn America’s slaves against the country by inviting any American – slave or free – to join the British Navy. Many slaves took this offer, escaping to British lines for military service in exchange for their freedom.

By the summer of 1814, Cochrane had returned to the waters of the United States, overseeing the raids of the Chesapeake. Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost, governor of Upper Canada, suggested launching an invasion somewhere in the United States in retaliation against the sack of York and to weaken the American forces, relieving pressure on Canada. Cochrane landed the ground troops to invade Washington, and presided over the bombardment of Fort McHenry in the Battle of Baltimore.

After only moderate success in the Chesapeake, Cochrane wanted to push toward New Orleans in order to cement the British position in the United States. He orchestrated an amphibious attack on the city via Lake Borgne, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico that could bring troops close to the city.

Although Cochrane was successful in the Battle of Lake Borgne, allowing the British Army to advance toward New Orleans, the disastrous defeat at the Battle of New Orleans damaged his reputation. The influential Napoleonic War hero the Duke of Wellington in particular blamed Cochrane of the death of his brother-in-law, Sir Edward Michael Pakenham, the British general overseeing land troops at the Battle of New Orleans.

However, despite the criticisms and ultimate failure to get a foothold in the United States, Cochrane was promoted to admiral after the war, and served out the rest of his military career as Commander-in-Chief of the naval base in Plymouth, England.

The fictional nautical adventures of Captain Horatio Hornblower were supposedly based on Cochrane’s notable maritime achievements.

HMS Terror had a most remarkable later history, alongside HMS Erebus
Franklin's lost expedition was a failed British voyage of Arctic exploration led by Captain Sir John Franklin that departed England in 1845 aboard two ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, and was assigned to traverse the last un-navigated sections of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic and to record magnetic data to help determine whether a better understanding could aid navigation.The expedition met with disaster after both ships and their crews, a total of 129 officers and men, became icebound in Victoria Strait near King William Island in what is today the Canadian territory of Nunavut. After being icebound for more than a year, Erebus and Terror were abandoned in April 1848, by which point two dozen men, including Franklin, had died. The survivors, now led by Franklin's second-in-command, Francis Crozier, and Erebus's captain, James Fitzjames, set out for the Canadian mainland and disappeared, presumably having perished

The mortar is empty, inert and completely safe.

The mortar is empty, inert and completely safe. Seated on an old iron ring for the photograph, not included with the mortar  read more

Code: 25058

Original, Antique, Victorian Household Cavalry Armour Breastplate Cuirass of the LifeGuards, The Blues &The Royals. the Mounted Personal Bodyguard Regiments of the British Monarch, Part of The Household Division

With With brass edge trim & rivets. It bears the ordnance inspection stamps. Used by all of H.M.Queen Victoria's Household Cavalry regiments.

We have a pair of these original Victorian Horse Guards cuirass breastplates, but they are for sale separately.

During a visit to the Tower several decades ago, thanks to an invitation by our friend Howard Blackmore {historian and assistant curator at the Tower} we had a discussion, amongst many other subjects, of the conversion of the Life Guards and Horseguards back to armoured heavy cavalry, after around 150 years of un-armoured service as the monarch's mounted guard since the 17th century.

This is one of those early cuirass breast plates created for the newly armoured horse guards regiments.

From 1661 to 1778, the Life Guards Troops saw action in the Jacobite Wars, the Second Dutch War
(when they served as sailors) ant the War of the Austrian Succession. In 1778 the four Horse
Guard Troops and Horse Grenadiers re-formed as the 1st Life Guards. Both Regiments fought
with distinction in the Waterloo campaign.
For the Egyptian War of 1882, Life Guards formed a Composite Household Cavalry
Regiment with the Royal Horse Guards, making Royal Horse Guards, making the famous
moonlight charge at Kassain. In 1894, for the relief of Khartoum, both Regiments contributed
soldiers to the Heavy Camel Regiment and were again formed as a Composite Household
Cavalry Regiment for the 2nd Boer War in 1900

The Royal Dragoons (1st Dragoons), initially known as The Tangier Horse, were raised by
King Charles II to form part of the garrison at Tangier, which had been acquired on his
marriage to Catherine of Braganza as part of her dowry. Known as The Royals, during the
18th century the Regiment saw service in most of the same wars as The Blues, including the
Peninsula campaign and Waterloo, where the Regiment famously captured the Eagle of the
French 105th Infantry Regiment. However, in the 19th century, unlike The Blues, The Royals
saw service in the Crimea and in India.  read more

Code: 25578

A Most Scarce Antique Ching Dynasty Chinese Shuāngjiàn (雙劍). A Twin-Sword Jian, Late 18th Early 19th century. Near Identical to Admiral Sir James Hanway Plumbridge's Sword in the National Maritime Museum Collection. His Sword Was a Single Blade Version

A 19th century Chinese double sword (Shuang Jian) with tortoise shell and brass mounts, engraved with shou characters and bats. A most rare sword arrangement where each sword has a rounded outer and a flat inner side hilt system, of two swords that fit back to back and parallel together, and are simultaneously worn in a single scabbard. The blades were designed to be used in pairs, one in each hand. During the Qing Dynasty, these were not just combat weapons but also popular symbols of high status. Many Jian were brought back to England by the earliest visitors to China, both before and after the Boxer rebellion.

A similar piece was exhibited in the British Museum, Chinese weapons and armour, 15th of December 1994 to the 15th of January 1995.

A Chinese jian double or twin sword, with two double edged blades retained in a single scabbard. Principle sword with a engraved brass mounts, the bats and longevity symbols on the brass mounts form the pun fúshòu (福壽), meaning a long and happy life, and a lined darkwood grip, the inner sword, is a mirror image of the outer, and both are simultaneously retained in a superb tortoishell covered scabbard, with two interior slots, one for each blade, with typical stylized brass mounts, typically decorated with a traditional, intricate, bat and seal design, fúshòu (福壽). The stylized longevity symbol called shòu (壽) surrounded by bats, fú (蝠)
Each sword has a double edged blade.

Overall with stunning original patination that has been now revealed.It has just returned from ten hours of museum grade hand conservation and polishing.Thanks to such extraordinarily successful efforts, that required no repairs at all due, to its condition, this would be a Chinese antique sword that would likely be impossible to improve upon.

Likely brought back to England as a souvenir of the Opium War period to the Boxer Rebellion. Truly original, antique, Chinese weapons are very scarce indeed, as historically, few swords were ever brought back from China. Porcelain and silk were far more popular and preferable souvenirs and exports for Europeans, and in China, in the mid 20th century, nearly all the surviving antique edged weapons were melted down and destroyed in the era of Mao, under Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolutionary instructions, in order to create new steel.

A fabulous example that has breathtaking natural age patina. Effectively, in wondrous condition for its age.

A near identical sword {but withy a single blade} was once belonging to Admiral Sir James Hanway. His family believed he wore it as a midshipman at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. It is on display in the National Maritime Museum, exhibit number; WPN1157. Described as follows
Chinese sword, which belonged to Admiral Sir James Hanway Plumbridge (1787-1863). The hilt of the sword consists of a gilt pommel and crosspiece with very short down-turned quillons, and a fluted brown grip. The hilt is ornamented with a design of bats, which are a symbol of good luck. The steel blade is straight and double-edged. The point of the blade has evidently been broken off; it is about an inch too short for the scabbard and is rather roughly ground. The wooden scabbard is covered with lacquered paper actually tortoishell, and has four gilt lockets and a chape, which is ornamented with a design of bats. The two middle lockets are fitted with loops. This sword was offered to the National Maritime Museum as the sword which was worn by Admiral Sir James Hanway Plumbridge when he was a Midshipman at Trafalgar. It is inconceivable that he wore a Chinese weapon at Trafalgar. He probably obtained the sword during one of his three commissions in the East Indies. Admiral Sir James Hanway Plumbridge (1787-1863) entered the Royal Navy on the 6th September 1799 and was a Midshipman in HMS 'Leda' in the expedition to Egypt in 1801. At Trafalgar he was acting 6th Lieutenant in HMS 'Defence', and on the 20th August 1806 he was confirmed in rank. See photo 10 in the gallery, it shows the admiral's identical Jian sword on display in the National Maritime Museum, the photo is sadly of poor quality

The two paintings in the gallery are original Chinese gouache of a seated Ching Emperor, and his sword bearer, holding the same type of Jian sword, but with a green tortoiseshell scabbard.

The antique Chinese jian is a straight, double-edged sword used in China for over 2,500 years, with the earliest examples dating to the 7th century BC. We actually have some original, ancient jian museum pieces, from this era, acquired by us from the world renown Dove Collection. See them offered for sale within our website.
It was a multi-purpose weapon, optimized for thrusting but also capable of cutting and slashing, and was a symbol of status. The design was effective and remained relatively consistent over long periods, with minor variations in length, weight, and balance.
The jian's most defining feature is its straight, double-edged blade. While it could be used for both cutting and thrusting, it was often considered more optimized for thrusting than the single-edged dao (sabre).
The jian was a symbol of power and status, wielded by the elite and sometimes carried as a symbol of authority.
Its use dates back to the Spring and Autumn period, with some of the earliest specimens being the Sword of Goujian.
Design variations: The length, balance, and weight of the jian varied significantly across different periods and purposes.
It is a crucial tool in traditional Chinese martial arts training.
Military use: It was a formidable weapon on the battlefield and, due to its length and reach, was sometimes used like a long spear to favour thrusting techniques.
The jian is a significant symbol in Chinese culture and history, frequently appearing in films, historical reenactments, and museum exhibits.
Antique jian are valuable as historical artifacts, collectibles, and striking decorative pieces.

Another picture in the gallery {photo 6} is another near identical Ching dynasty twin sword. Part of the Metropolitan Museum Collection. Their sword/s have a single green scabbard.  read more

Code: 26100