A Wonderful 16th Century Renaissance Era Italian 'Fusetto' Gunner's Dagger Used on Land By Venetian Artillery Chief Cannoneers, or At Sea by The Venetian and Papal States Navy Cannoneers

A supremely effective stiletto from the Italian Renaissance, for defending the guns and cannoneers during close combat, and measuring the bore of cannon to ensure the right size cannon ball was used, measuring powder charges, and lastly, for ‘spiking the guns’ during the imminent threat of capture.

Used in artillery combat in Papal armies such as were commanded by Cesare Borgia, who was an Italian cardinal and condottiero, an illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI and member of the Spanish-Aragonese House of Borgia. His fight for power was a major inspiration for The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli see his portrait in the gallery. The Prince, one of Machiavelli's greatest works, as Machiavelli admired Borgia's undimmed ruthlessness, but mainly, because Borgia, for Machiavelli, exhibited a unity and coherence of purpose and intents that was good for the polity. {see Casare’s portrait in the gallery}

Used during the same time as the great and legendary masters, Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo were creating their masterpieces for the great families of Renaissance Italy, such as the Borgias or for Pope Sixtus IVth’s Vatican Palace Sistine Chapel.

While the greatest artists the world has ever seen, we’re creating their glorious works in Rome, Florence or Venice, the cannoneers were mastering their guns in the great battles against enemy Italian States, or foreign invaders, such as the Ottoman army and navy of the Grand Turk.

A superb and most rare museum piece, only normally to be seen today in the world great armoury collections, such as in the Doge’s Palace Armoury in Venice, or the Royal Armoury of Turin,

This stunning beauty of this piece is the elegance and simplicity of its form, and, it is in fantastic condition for its age, which is around, an amazing, 500 years. A wonderful example of an original ‘fusetto’, the chief gunner's dagger, carried by an Italian chief cannoneer during the Renaissance period.

The exact type as used at the Battle of Pavia, by the artillery, and the Battle of Lepanto by the Papal States and the Venetian Navy. The blade is of rare rounded section, as, more commonly, they were square section. For the specific use of the Chief Cannoner of artillery, for several important purposes, including, the clearing the vent touch hole from burnt powder build up, and, as it has an engraved blade with a number scale cuts, in order to measure across the bore of a cannon at the muzzle, in order to gauge the calibre of the cannon, thus to ensure the right size ball was used, and also, for the correct measure of powder, plus, if all hope of defence of the gun is lost, for 'spiking' a cannon's vent touchhole if the cannon are overrun by the enemy. Finally, and often just as importantly, for use in close combat by the chief cannoneer, for, if the guns are over run the chief gunner or cannoneer needs a vitally important weapon for personal defence.

The side notches in the blade were cut showing graduation of muzzle widths and called the Scala di Cattaneo. The rare round form blade, being long and graduated, in addition to enhancing the elegance of the blade, has a function of mechanical compliance, for, as mentioned before, if during a battle the cannon were about to be taken by the enemy, the bombers and of course the other troops beat the retreat. At this point the 'fuse' the bottom tip of the 'fusetto' blade was used to render the cannon ineffective, the blade's tip was stuck with force into a cannon’s vent (the small upper touch hole opening, into which the touch powder flowed into to the breech ) and then with a violent blow the ‘fuse’ or tip of the blade was snapped off into the hole. This rendered the cannon unusable, at least for the time of retreat. Italian early artillery, particularly field artillery, became an indispensable part of any first-rate army during the Italian Wars.

The naval Battle of Lepanto, is shown in the gallery, painted by unknown artist, in the late 16th century. Another painting In the gallery is of the siege of Constantinople painted by The great master Tintoretto.
A new chapter for Venice and the Venetian navy opened in 1453, with the Fall of Constantinople and the beginning in earnest of the Ottoman–Venetian wars, a centuries long confrontation with the Ottoman Empire.

Faced with a constant threat to its maritime possessions, Venice had little choice but to maintain a standing fleet of dozens of galleys on a war footing in peacetime, bolstered in times of actual war by over a hundred galleys held in reserve. To oversee the efficient supply and administration of such a force required an extensive organisational effort, leading to the creation of the office of the Magistrato alla milizia da mar "commissioner of naval forces" responsible for the construction and maintenance of ships and cannon, provision of hardtack and other ship's stores, weapons and gunpowder, recruitment of crews and the management of finances.

With the maturation of firearms technology, the previous Greek fire projectors were replaced with cannon positioned in the bow as chasers. This era saw the development of further ship types. During his invasion of Italy, Charles VIII employed the first truly mobile siege train: culverins and bombards mounted on wheeled carriages, which could be deployed against an enemy stronghold immediately after arrival. The French siege arsenal brought with it multiple technological innovations. Charles' army pulled cannons with horses rather than the oxen typically used at the time. Additionally, French cannons, created methods used to cast bronze church bells, and achieved a lightness and mobility previously unheard of. Perhaps the most important improvement the French made to cannons, however, was the creation of the iron cannonball. Before the Italian Wars, artillery fired stone balls that often shattered on impact. The invention of the water mill allowed furnaces to generate enough heat to melt iron to be smelted into cannonballs. With this technology, Charles’ army could level, in a matter of hours, Italian castles that had formerly resisted sieges for months and years.

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

Overall 14 3/4 inches long, blade length 10 inches  read more

Code: 22445

Two Early Post Medieval 1/2 Penny and Penny Trade or Barter Tokens, Anchor and Petals Design, 17th to 18th Century

Lead tokens had a wide variety of uses and were made locally, they are therefore hard to date precisely. They could be used as steelyard weights, gaming counters or sometimes even used as unofficial money as in the English Civil War. Then most local parish money was commandeered by the Royalists in Worcester, and lead for musket balls. They are generally considered to be crude agricultural tokens though this may be too simplistic and a number of them could easily have been tavern pieces or barter money, (an early form of truck money). Nearby on the road from Worcester to Great Witley there was a licensed house at Rock Cottage, run by John Ockey in the late 1700s. It would be common practice for local small holders to exchange these tokens for produce at the Public House and for Ockey to sell it on to passersby.

c.1630 to 1800. Lead Tokens date back to Roman times when they were called tesserae. Later Anglo-Saxons also made Lead Tokens. In medieval times they were called “Pilgrim’s Pieces”. Some were very elaborate and were handed out by monks at monasteries to pilgrims as a memento. During the English Civil War copper coinage was scarce so local people turned to making their own unofficial money. They were usually made of Lead and small to about 20 mm in diameter and about 2-3 mm thick so that soldiers would not seize them to melt down to make musket balls. The monetary value for the small kind, around 16mm, was equivalent to a farthing or 1/960th of a pound. The larger tokens, as these are, was double that to a halfpenny, and double again, to a penny

After 1663 penny tokens start to appear. These often bear their value but range widely in size from 14 to 25 mm in diameter. This denomination was prolifically issued in London for use within the new Coffee Houses. There are only a very few rare issues of two penny tokens produced and these were limited to issuers living in London and Southwark. While the majority of tokens are circular in shape after 1668 a few issues were also struck on octagonal, heart-shaped and square/diamond-shaped flans. Considering the circular shaped tokens, which comprises the bulk of the series, their denominations can be closely correlated to their size but not their weight due to a wide variation in their flan thickness.
Halfpenny 20mm, Penny 26mm. Very rare types have been known to fetch over £1,000 today  read more

Code: 24266

An Original, WW1, German Kaiserliche Marine Vickers-Maxim I Pounder Pom Pom Shell

Imperial Kaiserliche Marine Stamped. A superb fuzed shell head fully stamped and marked. With a 37mm calibre the water-cooled, belt-fed Maxim-Nordenfeldt (among others, with variants produced as Vickers-Maxim and Hotchkiss-Maxim) was the smallest item of artillery used during that war and boasted a firing rate of 60 rounds per minute, utilising a belt of 25 one-pound shells, each shell covering a distance ranging up to 3,000 yards. In World War I, it was used as an early anti-aircraft gun in the home defence of Britain. It was adapted as the Mk I*** and Mk II on high-angle pedestal mountings and deployed along London docks and on rooftops on key buildings in London, others on mobile motor lorries at key towns in the East and Southeast of England. 25 were employed in August 1914, and 50 in February 1916. A Mk II gun (now in the Imperial War Museum, London) on a Naval pedestal mounting was the first to open fire in defence of London during the war. However, the small shell was insufficient to damage the German Zeppelin airships sufficiently to bring them down. The Ministry of Munitions noted in 1922: "The pom-poms were of very little value. There was no shrapnel available for them, and the shell provided for them would not burst on aeroplane fabric but fell back to earth as solid projectiles were of no use except at a much lower elevation than a Zeppelin attacking London was likely to keep"

Nevertheless, Lieutenant O.F.J. Hogg of No. 2 AA Section in III Corps was the first anti-aircraft gunner to shoot down an aircraft, with 75 rounds on 23 September 1914 in France.

The gun was experimentally mounted on aircraft as the lighter 1-pounder Mk III, the cancelled Vickers E.F.B.7 having been specifically designed to carry it in its nose.
Hiram Maxim originally designed the Pom-Pom in the late 1880s as an enlarged version of the Maxim machine gun. Its longer range necessitated exploding projectiles to judge range, which in turn dictated a shell weight of at least 400 grams (0.88 lb), as that was the lightest exploding shell allowed under the St. Petersburg Declaration of 1868 and reaffirmed in the Hague Convention of 1899. Dated 1905. Not suitable for export, empty inert and safe.  read more

Code: 20782

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 tiny pistol, made in bronze, many hundreds of years ago, to fire off, likely for the entertainment of the nobility and their children. Dark blue-black bronze age patination

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.

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.

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: 25074

An 1801 Pattern Baker Rifle Sword {Bayonet}. Brass D Hilt & Single Edged Long Sword Blade

Traditional ribbed grip hilt, flattened section knucklebow, slightly bent quillon with long retaining spring, released by press catch. 23 inch steel flat sided single edged blade with return false edge. No maker markings remaining.

The sword that affixes to the end of a rifle as a bayonet. However, as all British Army riflemen know, the rifleman carries a sword, not a bayonet, despite it looking and acting as one. The rifle was used throughout the entire Peninsular Wars, the War of 1812 in America and Waterloo, by the world's greatest marksmen to fight for King and Country. This is not the denigrate our cousins, the American Riflemen of course, but they were not fighting for King and Country.

The British army had learned the value of rifles from their experience in the American rebellion in the 1770's. However, existing rifle designs were considered to be to cumbersome, slow-firing, fragile or expensive to be put to use on any scale beyond irregular companies. Rifles had been issued on a limited basis and consisted of parts made to no precise pattern, often brought in from Prussia. The war against Revolutionary France resulted in the employment of new tactics, and the British Army responded, albeit with some delay. Prior to the formation of an Experimental Rifle Corps in 1800, a trial was held at Woolwich by the British Board of Ordnance on 22 February 1800 in order to select a standard rifle pattern; the rifle designed by Ezekiel Baker was chosen.

Colonel Coote Manningham, responsible for establishing the Rifle Corps, influenced the initial designs of the Baker. The first model resembled the British Infantry Musket, but was rejected for being too heavy. Baker was provided with a German Jager rifle as an example of what was needed. The second model he made had a .75 calibre bore, the same calibre as the Infantry Musket. It had a 32-inch barrel, with eight rectangular rifling grooves; this model was accepted as the Infantry Rifle, but more changes were made until it was finally placed into production. The third and final model had the barrel shortened from 32 to 30 inches, and the calibre reduced to .653, which allowed the rifle to fire a .625 calibre carbine bullet, with a greased patch to grip the now-seven rectangular grooves in the barrel. The rifle had a simple folding backsight with the standard large lock mechanism (marked 'Tower' and 'G.R.' under a Crown, although later ones had 'Enfield,' but these only saw service after Waterloo), with a swan-neck cock as fitted to the 'Brown Bess.' Like the German Jager rifles, it had a scrolled brass trigger guard to help ensure a firm grip and a raised cheek piece on the left-hand side of the butt. Like many rifles, it had a 'butt-trap' or patchbox where greased linen patches and tools could be stored. The lid of the patchbox was brass, and hinged at the rear so it could be flipped up. The stocks were made of walnut and held the barrel with three flat captive wedges. The rifle also had a metal locking bar to accommodate up to a 23- inch sword bayonet, similar to that of the Jager rifle. The Baker was 45 inches from muzzle to butt, 12 inches shorter than the Infantry Musket, and weighed almost nine pounds. Gunpowder fouling in the grooves made the weapon much slower to load and affected its accuracy, so a cleaning kit was stored in the patch box of the Baker; the Infantry Muskets were not issued with cleaning kits.  read more

Code: 25073

A Superb Group of Four Medals WW1 Trio, and Third Afghan War, 1919 Afghanistan Bar, India General Service Medal

The North Staffordshire Regiment served with heroism and distinction in WW1, and the 2nd battalion served in Afghanistan after WW1 in 1919.
In May 1919, as the world recovered from the First World War, Afghanistan invaded British India. A daring move, the invasion took the British and Indian governments by surprise. To repel the Afghans, they launched a massive land and air campaign, mobilising a third of a million troops. Despite facing this military might, the Afghans - aided by the North-West Frontier tribes - almost won the war.


Frontier Assault tells the story of the Third Anglo-Afghan War through the eyes of the men who fought it. The North Staffordshire Regiment was one of the first units dispatched to halt the Afghan advance. They defeated the enemy vanguard in a tenacious mountain assault in the Khyber Pass. After, they led the British counter-attack into Afghanistan.

In WW1 the regiment were part of the Staffordshire Brigade,

Private Sidney Richards, who came from West Bromwich and had been employed as a clerk before the war, served with the Machine Gun Section of the. He recorded his experiences in his pocket diary:

2nd April Rifle inspection. Marched to trench at Messines. Took trenches over from 3rd Monmouths.

3rd April On look-out. Duty man in my trench had his brains blown out by a sniper. Raining very heavy.

4th April Raining heavy. Had no rations brought to us. Shortage of water. Up to our knees in mud.

5th April Simply awful. Raining all day and night. Shells bursting all over the shop. All I have to eat is 1 biscuit - would give a fortune for a dish of tea.

6th April More shells. Plenty of mud. Weather a little better. Relieved at 10 p.m. Got to camp 2 a.m. Wed.The threat posed by snipers was a constant feature of trench warfare. Initially at least, the units of the Brigade were woefully ill-equipped to conduct sniping from their own lines, as they had neither specialist rifles or telescopic sights. Several men had lucky escapes, such as Sergeant C. F. Rose, a soldier from Stone serving with the 1/5th North Staffords:

"I had a narrow shave of getting blinded in both eyes. I was looking at the German trenches through a periscope, when a German sniper hit the top glass with a bullet, and the glass falling in small pieces filled my eyes. I thought I had been shot, for it was sharp work for the eyes. I am getting on all right now, but have been pretty bad."

Captain William Millner of the 1/5th South Staffords also narrowly avoided being killed while sniping on 5th May. One of the best shots in the country at that time, Millner was an excellent candidate for the role. While observing German movements from the barn of one of the farms close to the front line, he too was wounded by an enemy sniper. The bullet hit the cap badge of his service dress cap and creased his skull. Luckily, his injury was not serious and after a brief period of recovery returned to his battalion.

German snipers were also quarry for the Staffords, patrols being sent out into "No-Man's Land" to hunt them down. Sergeant Sydney Norton, a member of "C" Company, 1/6th North Staffords, reported the results of one such patrol in a letter to his wife in Tamworth:

"...me and another Sergt. the day before found a sniper. We watched his antics for two hours and I placed the rifle at him, bowled him over the third shot and then got back to our trench. It's clinking sport like looking for game. They are very smart. We saw a dead cow in front of our trench. We fired a volley into it and the next day the Sergts. went out and found a dead sniper inside it, so you can tell the antics of war craft they get up to."

The last photo in the gallery is of Frontier Assault by James Green not included with group, just a suggestion. This might make a nice North Staffordshire Regt. Afghan War history book accompaniment for the medal  read more

Code: 25071

A J Nowill & Son 'Crossed Keys' Fairbairn Sykes Commando Knife (Crossed Keys & Star over D) with Broad Arrow & Scabbard

Marked with the crossed keys and * over D on the hilt which is J Nowill & Sons mark, plus, a Broad Arrow mark and diamond stamp. The Broad Arrow was a Government ownership mark was phased out in the 1980's.

The cross keys are the makers mark of John Nowill & Sons, Sheffield, established 1700.The British Fairbairn Sykes dagger officially made, issued service dagger, was created for the newly formed 'Special Forces' commandos. The story about the Fairbairn Sykes Fighting knife starts in England 1940.
In 1940 the British formed special commandos to carry out raids. The initiative came from Winston Churchill in 1940. On the 8 June 1940, Section M09 of the War Office was brought into being. The name commando was taken from small effective mobile Boer units during the war in South Africa 1899-1902.

Two of the first instructors were Captain William Ewart Fairbairn (b. 28 February 1885, d. 20 June 1960) and Captain Eric Anthony Sykes (b. 5 February 1883, d. 12 May 1945). These middle aged gentlemen trained the young soldiers in a new and difficult mode of close-combat fighting at the Commando Basic Training Centre, Achnacarry, Scotland. Churchill described the commandos as 'a steel hand from the sea'

The need for a proper fighting knife, for these commandos, was apparent from the first few weeks of training specialized personnel. As Fairbairn later wrote, "...the authorities did not recognize a fighting knife as part of the equipment of the fighting services. In fact, such a thing as a fighting knife could not be purchased anywhere in Great Britain."

Until now, there had never been an official knife for the British armed services, although many types of knife had been authorised for use in the past. Bowie style knives were carried by some of the Imperial Yeomantry during the South African War of 1900-1901, and in World War I cut-down bayonets, privately purchased hunting knives, or captured German issue folding knives were extensively utilised.

In November 1940 there was a meeting between W. E. Fairbairn, E. A. Sykes and Robert Wilkinson Latham at Wilkinson Sword Company.

Fairbairn and Sykes described the type of knife they envisioned and the purpose for which it was intended. As discussion continued, preliminary sketches were drawn up and modified time and time again. As Robert Wilkinson Latham tells it: 'In order to explain exactly their point, the two men rose to their feet and one, it was Fairbairn my grandfather mentioned, grabbed the wood ruler from his desk and the two men danced around the office in mock combat'. W. E. Fairbairn had also brought with him an example of a suitable fighting knife.
The system they devised utilised techniques drawn from Jiu Jitsu, Gatka, Kung Fu and 'Gutter Fighting'. It proved extremely effective. They were natural choices for the job. Both had served in the Shanghai Municipal Police Force, facing death daily in the dark, narrow streets and alleys of the city against armed thugs and organised gangs. In Shanghai they had made some fighting knives out of bayonets. The meeting resulted in the Fairbairn Sykes Fighting knife that was manufactured by Wilkinson Sword Co. They eventually changed the design a number of times to evolve into the current 3rd pattern. The 1st pattern is by far the rarest, and the fewest types of FS ever made, as the second pattern, and the other variant's were produced fairly quickly after the first pattern's original order from the British Government, issued on the 14th November 1940, was fulfilled by January 1941. 6¾” double edged blade in forged carbon steel with blued finish. Cast metal alloy handle with steel guard. Original design, 3rd Pattern. current post war pattern, Falklands to gulf war period, apparently bought by original deceased owner, a one time commando, around 30 years ago, and kept in storage for around 20 years

Overall in superb condition with fully mirror blued blade, blacked ribbed 3rd pattern FS knife grip, {with service wear marks} blackend crossguard with all the markings as previously described. Brown leather scabbard with stitching tabs and blackened brass chape. Elastic hilt retainer. One tab partially removed  read more

Code: 25070

A Beautiful Ancient Bronze and Enamel Book Clasp Around 1100 Years Old. From the Era of Anglo Saxon England & The Viking Incursions into Britain Through to The Early Crusades Period

Circa 10th-12th century AD. A stunning and most beautiful antiquity perfect for an antiquarian bibliophile as an example of the rarest of artefacts used to protect valuable volumes illuminated manuscripts and testaments.

A small and most intricate gem from the days of the Anglo Saxon’s and Vikings.

Originally from the Christian Eastern Roman Empire. A bronze tongue-shaped clasp with pelleted border and reserved peacock on an enamelled field. Anglo Saxon to early Norman period. Very fine condition. Two examples in the gallery show a 1000 year old book and a 1000 year old old testament that both had clasps such as this. The Bible is an ancient text. Like every other ancient text, the originals have not survived the ravages of time. What we have are ancient copies of the original which date to hundreds of years after their composition, for example from around 700 AD This is normal for ancient texts. For example, Julius Caesar chronicled his conquest of Gaul in his work On The Gallic War in the first century B.C. The earliest manuscript in existence dates to the 8th century AD, some 900 years later. The oldest biblical text is on the Hinnom Scrolls ? two silver amulets that date to the seventh century B.C. These rolled-up pieces of silver were discovered in 1979-80, during excavations led by Gabriel Barklay in a series of burial caves at Ketef Hinnom. When the silver scrolls were unrolled and translated, they revealed the priestly Benediction from Num 6:24-26 reading, ?May Yahweh bless you and keep you; May Yahweh cause his face to Shine upon you and grant you Peace.?6 The Ketef Hinnom scrolls contain the oldest portion of Scripture ever found outside of the Bible and significantly predate even the earliest Dead Sea Scrolls. They also contain the oldest extra-biblical reference to YHWH. Given their early date, they provide evidence that the books of Moses were not written in the exilic or postexilic period as some critics have suggested.


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. The book clasp is 10.4 grams, 38mm (1 1/2" inches long)  read more

Code: 22940

A Superb Original Imperial Roman Legionary's "Whistling" Sling Bullet Circa 1st to 2nd century AD.

Identical to the few found at an archaeological dig at a Roman Fort site in southwestern Scotland a few years ago, and one of a very small collection of fine original sling bullets of antiquity we acquired.
Over 1,800 years ago, Roman troops used "whistling" sling bullets as a "terror weapon" against their barbarian foes, such as were in Scotland and the Celts in England, according to archaeologists who found the cast lead bullets at a site in Scotland.

Weighing about 1 ounce (30 grams), each of the bullets had been drilled with a 0.2-inch (5 millimeters) hole that the researchers think was designed to give the soaring bullets a sharp buzzing or whistling noise in flight.

The bullets were found recently at Burnswark Hill in southwestern Scotland, where a massive Roman attack against native defenders in a hilltop fort took place in the second century A.D. These holes converted the bullets into a "terror weapon," said archaeologist John Reid of the Trimontium Trust, a Scottish historical society directing the first major archaeological investigation in 50 years of the Burnswark Hill site.

"You don't just have these silent but deadly bullets flying over; you've got a sound effect coming off them that would keep the defenders' heads down," Reid told Live Science. "Every army likes an edge over its opponents, so this was an ingenious edge on the permutation of sling bullets."

The whistling bullets were also smaller than typical sling bullets, and the researchers think the soldiers may have used several of them in their slings — made from two long cords held in the throwing hand, attached to a pouch that holds the ammunition — so they could hurl multiple bullets at a target with one throw.

"You can easily shoot them in groups of three of four, so you get a scattergun effect," Reid said. "We think they're for close-quarter skirmishing, for getting quite close to the enemy." Onasandrius wrote the 1st C. BC, in his book "Strategy". "The Sling is the deadly weapon used by light infantry because lead is of the same colour as the air and therefore not visible, thus the impact is unexpected and not only smites hard, but the bullet penetrates deeply into the victims flesh". Used by Roman auxiliary troops like Greeks, Sicilians, North Africans, but after the Roman conquest of the Balearic Islands elite slingers were always the Balearic that fought in the legions of Julius Caesar.

Together with arrows and catapults, sling-shots formed a key part of the long-range fire of the Roman army.
Lead bullets were cast in the shape of lemons or 'acorns', which would weigh around 1.7 ounces (50g).
Weighing around 0.7 ounces (20g), the holes were around a fifth of an inch (5mm) wide and the same deep.
While the size of these bullets would have made them not terribly dangerous, experiments using replicas of these small bullets showed that they produced a whistling noise while in flight.
It is thought the sound is produced by the air moving over the small opening, much like when blowing over the top of a milk bottle.
This has led some theories that these smaller bullets were used to invoke terror in the enemy.
It is a tactic that has been used by military forces around the world.About 20 per cent of the lead sling bullets found at Burnswark Hill had been drilled with holes.
This was a significant amount of effort to prepare enough ammunition for an assault, Dr Reid said. 'It's a tremendous amount of work to do, to just chuck them away.'

'Even more intriguingly, the mysterious holes proved to confer an aerophonic quality,' Dr Reid said in Current Archaeology.

'In flight, these lead shot whistled, or more accurately gave off a mechanical buzzing sound eerily reminiscent of an agitated wasp.' In Livy’s History of Rome, which was completed in 9 A.D., he states,

A hundred slingers were recruited from Aegium and Patrae and Dymae. These peoples were trained from boyhood … Having been trained to shoot through rings of moderate circumference from long distances, they would wound not merely the heads of their enemies but any part of the face at which they might have aimed.  read more

Code: 24505

A Very Fine and Beautiful, Original 16th Century ‘Conquistadors.’ Type Morion Helmet, Captured From the Spanish Armada Attempted Invasion of Britain. Used by All Ranks, Commanders and Warriors Alike

The traditional 'pear stalk crown' with wide upslanting brim. All the lining rivets intact. Small hole in the rear brim to attach feather plumes or to hang the helmet behind the soldiers backplate armour when not worn. The form of helmet worn by the Spanish during the attempted invasion of England, and by the Spanish explorer warriors [conquistadors] that colonised much of South America. Taken as war booty, often using early diving bell technology, from the sunken Spanish fleet's attempt to destroy the British using its seemingly unstoppable Armada of 130 ships against Queen Elizabeth Ist.
Met by the British fleet, under Sir Francis Drake's commanded, he engaged the superior gunned Spanish during a storm, that ultimately led to his fleet to victory against the Spanish fleet, and effectively crushed the planned invasion. The Spanish fleet fled in fear and mostly met its doom on the coast of Ireland, and North Britain, caught in persistant storms and foul weather. The Spanish Armada campaign of 1588 changed the course of European history. If Medina Sidonia, the Spanish commander, had managed to escort Philip II’s 26,000-strong invasion army from Flanders, the future of Elizabeth I and her Protestant England would have looked very black indeed.

After landing near Margate in Kent, it is probable the battle-hardened Spanish troops would have been in the streets of London within a week. England would have reverted to the Catholic faith, and there may not have been a British empire to come. We might indeed still be speaking Spanish today.

But Medina Sidonia suffered one of the most signal catastrophes in naval history.

The Spanish were not only defeated by the queen’s plucky sea dogs fighting against overwhelming odds: it was utterly destroyed by appalling weather, poor planning and flawed strategy and tactics. Interestingly at least four of Medina's so-called gentlemen adventurers were English, and there were 18 among the salaried officers.

Inevitably, some of the traitorous swine paid the heavy price of disloyalty to the British crown: five Catholics slipped away by boat from the stricken Rosario before Drake’s arrival, but two Englishmen were captured on board and taken to the Tower of London as rebels and traitors to their country.

One, identified as the Cornishman Tristram Winslade, was handed to officers employed by Elizabeth’s spymaster, Sir Francis Walsingham, who were ordered to interrogate him using torture at their pleasure. Miraculously, Winslade survived the rack and Elizabeth’s justice, and died in the Catholic seminary at Douai in France in November 1605).

On board the battle-damaged San Mateo, beached between Ostend and Sluis after the battle of Gravelines, two Englishmen were killed by Dutch sailors one named as William Browne, a brother of Viscount Montague. The local commissioner for the Protestant States of Zeeland reported that the second man killed was very rich, who left William as his heir.

Other Englishmen were reported to having been aboard this ship, eating with her captain, Don Diego Pimentel. One was called Robert, another Raphael, once servant to the mayor of London. We do not know their surnames. They may have been among those forcibly drowned or hanged by the Dutch who were rebelling against Spanish rule. Medina, however, was no fool and although a great commander, and considering his appointment as admiral of the Armada for two days, Medina Sidonia made clear his absolute conviction that the Armada expedition was a grave mistake and had little chance of success. Only a miracle, he added in a frank and outspoken letter, could save it.

King Philip of Spain’s counsellors, horror-struck at its electrifying contents, dared not show it to the king. ‘Do not depress us with fears for the fate of the Armada because in such a cause, God will make sure it succeeds” they begged the new admiral.
As for his suitability for command, “nobody knows more about naval affairs than you “ they stated.
Then their tone became menacing: “Remember that the reputation and esteem you currently enjoy for courage and wisdom would entirely be forfeited if what you wrote to us became generally known (although we shall keep it secret)”. The Spanish Armada was not the last Armada sent against England. Two more were despatched in 1596 and 1597, but these fleets were also dispersed by storms.

Cannon and armour such as this were in fact recovered from the Spanish wrecks using diving bell technology in the 1590’s. Effectively huge bronze church bells.

Staying submerged began as a simple trick, a novelty meant mostly for spectacle. But like most human exploration, the underwater landscape became appealing for its latent revenue opportunities. At first, diving bells appear to have been most heavily used in the pearl and sponge industries. Then, in 1531, the Italian inventor Guglielmo de Lorena came up with a new application. Using slings to attach a bell to his body, he could collect treasure from capsized Roman ships. After the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, according to Francis Bacon, Spanish prisoners spread the word that their captors’ riches had sunk off the coast of Scotland; industrious divers used bells to recover cannon armour and booty.
The first account of diving bells comes from Aristotle in the 4th century B.C. Legend has it Aristotle’s pupil Alexander the Great went on to build “a very fine barrel made entirely of white glass” and used it in the Siege of Tyre in 332 B.C. However, the facts of Alexander the Great’s adventures come mostly from depictions in fragments of ancient art and literature, which render him as a demigod who conquered the darkness and returned to the dry realm of historians and poets.
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