An Original British Soldier’s Thimble, From a Soldier's Pouch Called His ‘Housewife’ Recovered From The Field of Battle at Waterloo. With Some Original Gilt Finish

Although one never sees them today, the soldiers thimble was an essential piece of kit in the early 1700’s to the 1800’s. Used to both repair tears in cloth or replace buttons on uniforms, or, to sew damaged flesh from cuts and slashes or bullet wounds..

Recovered with some relic items, thimbles, crucifixes finger rings of combat, plus rare grenades {both now sold }, cannon balls, Howitzer balls, swords etc. Farm glazed tiles {both now sold}, discovered around La Haye Sainte (named either after Jesus Christ's crown of thorns or a bramble hedge round a field nearby).

The photo in the gallery shows our collection when they were first acquired, but most have now been sold. Act quickly, we have only released them for sale sporadically, and they sell fast!

All our relics are exactly as they also appear in the book ‘Waterloo Relics’ by Bernard & Lachaux, {containing similar examples recovered from the battle site } see photos in the gallery.

In the Napoleonic Wars every soldier was required to keep upon his person, a ‘housewife’, a small kit comprising needle, thread on a cotton reel, and a half or full thimble. Apparently they are no longer called a ‘housewife’

La Haye Sainte is a walled farmhouse compound at the foot of an escarpment on the Charleroi-Brussels road in Belgium. It has changed very little since it played a crucial part in the Battle of Waterloo on 18 June 1815.

La Haye Sainte was defended by about 400 King's German Legion troops during the Battle of Waterloo. They were hopelessly outnumbered by attacking French troops but held out until the late afternoon when they retired because their ammunition had run out. If Napoleon Bonaparte's army had captured La Haye Sainte earlier in the day, almost certainly he would have broken through the allied centre and defeated the Duke of Wellington's army.

The capture of La Haye Sainte in the early evening then gave the French the advantage of a defensible position from which to launch a potentially decisive attack on the Allied centre. However, Napoleon was too late—by this time, Blücher and the Prussian army had arrived on the battlefield and the outnumbered French army was defeated.

Strategic importance

A view of the battlefield from the Lion's mound. On the top right are the buildings of La Haye Sainte. This view looks east, with Allied forces behind the road to the left (north) and French forces out of shot to the right(south)
The road leads from La Belle Alliance, where Napoleon had his headquarters on the morning of the battle, through where the centre of the French front line was located, to a crossroads on the ridge which is at the top of the escarpment and then on to Brussels. The Duke of Wellington placed the majority of his forces on either side of the Brussels road behind the ridge on the Brussels side. This kept most of his forces out of sight of the French artillery.

During the night from the 17th to the 18th, the main door to the courtyard of the farm was used as firewood by the occupying troops. Therefore, when the King's German Legion (KGL) was stationed in the farm at the morning of the battle they had to hastily fortify La Haye Sainte.

The troops were the 2nd Light Battalion KGL commanded by Major Georg Baring, and part of the 1st Light Battalion KGL. During the battle, they were supported by the 1/2 Nassau Regiment and the light company of the 5th Line Battalion KGL. The majority of these troops were armed with the Baker rifle with grooved barrels, as opposed to the normal Brown Bess musket of the British Army. The French troops also used muskets which were quicker to load than the Baker rifle but the latter was more accurate and had about twice the range of a musket.

Both Napoleon and Wellington made crucial mistakes about La Haye Sainte as it was fought over and around during most of the day. Napoleon failed to allocate enough forces to take the farm earlier in the day while Wellington only realised the strategic value of the position when it was almost too late.


Every single item from The Lanes Armoury, Britain's 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: 25830

A Superb Original Waterloo Recovered Souvenir '6 Pounder ' Royal Artillery Cannon Ball Fired at La Haye Sainte During The Battle, Recovered Around 200 Yards From The Farm

Napoleonic Wars cannon ball recovered from a Waterloo excavation well over 150 years ago.

At the Battle of Waterloo, the British Royal Artillery deployed 6-pounder cannons, from which this ball was fired, a relatively light artillery piece that fired a 6-pound (approximately 2.7 kg) solid iron ball. These cannons, introduced in 1793, were crucial for supporting cavalry charges and were easier to maneuver than heavier guns.

The 6-pounder was designed to provide lighter, yet still effective, artillery support to the cavalry and infantry.
Ammunition:
They fired various types of ammunition, including round shot (solid iron balls), canister shot (a type of scatter shot), and spherical case shot (a type of shell).
The effective range of the 6-pounder with round shot was around 800-900 yards (732-823 metres), though it could reach up to 1700 yards (1554 metres).
The cannonballs were devastating, capable of inflicting serious injury and damage to both men and horses.

At Waterloo, the 6-pounders were primarily used by the Royal Horse Artillery and some field artillery units, with variations in the types of 6-pounders used.
Captured at Waterloo:
Some French 6-pounder cannons were also captured by the British as trophies of war.
La Haye Sainte:
The strategic farmhouse of La Haye Sainte was a focal point of fighting, where the 6-pounder was used extensively.

We show in the gallery a photo of a Waterloo cannon ball embedded in a cemetery wall, from Waterloo Relics by Bernard & Lechaux

Another identical cannon ball is now in the National Army Museum, see gallery.
NAM Accession Number
NAM. 1999-05-8-1

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury, Britain's 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: 25836

A Very Good, Original, 1640’s English Civil War Officer's Mortuary Hilted Back Sword. The Most Iconic Sword of 17th Century England & Used During Most Devisive Period of British History.

The traditional sword’s basket hilt bears, within oval panels, the engraved facial portraits, it is said, of King Charles Ist and Queen Henrietta, and several of the Green Man.

In the grey dawn of an England divided, as musket smoke curled over muddy fields and the clash of steel echoed across hedgerows, a particular weapon emerged as both a tool of war and a symbol of allegiance—the mortuary-hilted sword.

It was the year 1643. The kingdom was rent in two: Royalists loyal to King Charles I, and Parliamentarians fighting for, what they believed to be, the soul of England. In a forge just outside of London, nestled between the smoke-blackened rooftops of Southwark, a master bladesmith hammered a length of fine steel into shape. This sword would not be adorned with pomp or gilded with royal insignia. Instead, it bore a hilt that wrapped protectively over the knuckles like a skeletal hand—a mortuary hilt, practical and grim.

The name “mortuary sword” would later come from the erroneous belief that these hilts resembled funerary monuments or death masks, perhaps in reference to effigies of Charles I after his execution. In truth, they were designed for utility and protection, favoured by cavalrymen of both protagonists, for their sturdiness and balance. The complex iron hilt guarded the hand, while the long, straight, double or single edged blade, was ideal for both slashing and thrusting from horseback.

That sword described above was commissioned by Colonel Jonathan Harwood, a stern Parliamentarian officer in the New Model Army. Harwood, a veteran of Edgehill and Marston Moor, had turned from courtier to commander, disillusioned by the decadence of the Royal court. The mortuary sword at his hip was a symbol of this transformation—elegant but restrained, deadly but not ostentatious.

He carried it into battle at Naseby, where Parliament's forces broke the back of the Royalist army. The blade bit into the chaos of war, crossing with Scottish mercenaries, Dutch sabres, and French rapiers alike. And when the war drew to its bloody conclusion and the King’s head fell at Whitehall in 1649, the sword remained—not as a trophy, but as a testament to a nation’s reckoning.

After Harwood’s death in 1657, the sword passed to his son, who kept it sheathed above the hearth, a relic of turbulent times. Just as our sword may well have done. and, over the centuries, they changed hands, passed from soldier to collector, from dusty manor to museum. The once-blackened hilts still bore the ghost of the Parliamentarian's or Royalist's grip, and the steel, though dulled with age, whispered of riders in buff coats, of Cromwell’s charge, of England in convulsion.

Today, such mortuary-hilted swords like ours, can be seen in museums across Britain, including the Royal Armouries and the Imperial War Museum, their austere design speaking of a time when brother fought brother, and swords like this one helped shape the course of a kingdom.
In the Victorian period these swords thus became known as Mortuary hilted swords, due to the executed king's visage being designed within the hilt pattern. It is not known exactly how this came to be, but there is no known use of the term Mortuary hilted before this time. In the Civil War, the opening of the battle usually involved groups of cavalry, with the officers carrying these very form of swords. The main objective was to make the opposing cavalry run away. When that happened, the victorious cavalry turned on the enemy infantry. Well-disciplined pike men, brave enough to hold their ground, could do tremendous damage to a cavalry charging straight at them. There are several examples of cavalry men having three or four horses killed under them in one battle. At the start of the war the king's nephew, Prince Rupert, was put in charge of the cavalry. Although Rupert was only twenty-three he already had a lot of experience fighting in the Dutch army. Prince Rupert introduced a new cavalry tactic that he had learnt fighting in Sweden. This involved charging full speed at the enemy. The horses were kept close together and just before impact the men fired their pistols, then arming themselves with their swords for the all too fearsome hand to hand
One of the Roundhead officers who saw Prince Rupert's cavalry in action was a man called Oliver Cromwell. Although Cromwell had no military training, his experience as a large landowner gave him a good knowledge of horses. Cromwell became convinced that if he could produce a well-disciplined army he could defeat Prince Rupert and his Cavaliers. He knew that pike men, armed with sixteen-foot-long pikes, who stood their ground during a cavalry attack, could do a tremendous amount of damage.

Oliver Cromwell also noticed that Prince Rupert's cavalry were not very well disciplined. After they charged the enemy they went in pursuit of individual targets. At the first major battle of the civil war at Edge hill, most of Prince Rupert's cavalrymen did not return to the battlefield until over an hour after the initial charge. By this time the horses were so tired they were unable to mount another attack against the Roundheads.

Cromwell trained his cavalry to keep together after a charge. In this way his men could repeatedly charge the Cavaliers. Cromwell's new cavalry took part in its first major battle at Marston Moor in Yorkshire in July 1644. The king's soldiers were heavily defeated in the battle. Cromwell's soldiers became known as the Ironsides' because of the way they cut through the Cavaliers on the battlefield. The Mortuary hilted swords actually gained their unusual name some considerable time after the Civil War. For, as they bore representational portraits of King Charles Ist, it was believed in Victorian times that they were to symbolize the death of the King, however, as these swords were actually made from 1640, long before he was executed, it was an obviously erroneous naming, that curiously remains to this day. This example is a beautiful, and singularly handsome piece and would certainly be a fine addition to any collection of rare English swords. There are a few examples near identical to this sword in the Royal Collection and the Tower of London Collection.

Unfortunately, as is often the case, the ‘victory’ for the 'people' by Cromwell and his puritan Parliamentarians eventually brought rewards and lands for those puritans in charge, but for the 'people', only considerable misery and disquiet. The puritans dour religious fervour and overtly anti-celebratory religious edicts {such as banning Christmas festivities, dancing, music and even mince pies} brought great unhappiness and resentment to Britain and so the exiled King, Charles IInd was invited by the people to return from his exile in France to reign once more. The once lauded, but now dead Cromwell, was disinterred, his body tried for treason, found guilty, and his head once cut off was displayed at Westminster Hall for several decades. Yet one more politician that promised much, yet delivered little.

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury, Britain's 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.

In good condition for age with natural age wear and tear, single side bars. 35.25 inch long blade, overall 41 inches overall  read more

Code: 23161

A Fabulous & Huge Antique Chinese Ching Dynasty Dao, a Sword of War. A Sword of Immense Stature. Late 1700's

Large traditional plaited blue cord bound hilt with iron,m circular, disc and rimmed crossguard, and a hammered cushion shaped pommel, long single edged blade, that appears curved but is mostly straight but with a curved and expanded tip end. single fuller, ikely late Qianlong {aka Chien-lung period}, used until the Boxer Rebellion. Most likely brought back to England by a British soldier that either served in the Opium War, or defended the legations at the siege in Peking.

The Qing dynasty (English pronunciation; Ching), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China (1636–1912) and the last imperial dynasty in Chinese history.
It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaking ethnic group who unified other Jurchen tribes to form a new "Manchu" ethnic identity. The dynasty was officially proclaimed in 1636 in Manchuria (modern-day Northeast China and Russian Manchuria). It seized control of Beijing in 1644, then later expanded its rule over the whole of China proper and Taiwan, and finally expanded into Inner Asia. The dynasty lasted until 1912 when it was overthrown in the Xinhai Revolution. In Chinese historiography, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the Ming dynasty and succeeded by the Republic of China. The multiethnic Qing dynasty lasted for almost three centuries and assembled the territorial base for modern China. It was the largest imperial dynasty in the history of China and in 1790 the fourth-largest empire in world history in terms of territorial size. With 419,264,000 citizens in 1907, it was the most populous country in the world at the time.

The height of Qing glory and power was reached in the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735–1796). He led Ten Great Campaigns that extended Qing control into Inner Asia and personally supervised Confucian cultural projects. After his death, the dynasty faced foreign intrusion, internal revolts, population growth, economic disruption, official corruption, and the reluctance of Confucian elites to change their mindsets. With peace and prosperity, the population rose to some 400 million, but taxes and government revenues were fixed at a low rate, soon leading to fiscal crisis. Following China's defeat in the Opium Wars, Western colonial powers forced the Qing government to sign "unequal treaties", granting them trading privileges, extraterritoriality and treaty ports under their control. The Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864) and the Dungan Revolt (1862–1877) in Central Asia led to the deaths of over 20 million people, from famine, disease, and war. The Tongzhi Restoration in the 1860s brought vigorous reforms and the introduction of foreign military technology in the Self-Strengthening Movement. Defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War in 1895 led to loss of suzerainty over Korea and cession of Taiwan to Japan. The ambitious Hundred Days' Reform of 1898 proposed fundamental change, but the Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908), who had been the dominant voice in the national government for more than three decades, turned it back in a coup. Pictured in the gallery from the Metropolitan Museum, a Chinese noble or princes suit of armour and silk, with, at his waist, a most similar form of sword of war, but highly decorated as befitting a prince.
Every single item from The Lanes Armoury, Britain's 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.

No scabbard 42.15 inches long overall, blade 34 inches.  read more

Code: 24869

A Superb, Deluxe Engraved, English, 1850's ‘Adams’ Transitional Revolver With Most of its Original Barrel Blue & Fine Engraving.

6 shot .36 cal. Probably by Robert Adams, though un-named. Some of the most ground breaking work in the early design and manufacture of revolvers was undertaken in England long before the world famous American revolver makers, such as Colt and Remington, became famous for their fine pistols. This most attractive piece is fully, and most finely engraved, on the frame and grip, with a highly detailed micro chequered walnut butt. Circa 1850. A classic example of one of the earliest English cylinder revolvers that was favoured by gentleman wishing to arm themselves with the latest technology and improvement ever designed by English master gunsmiths. They were most popular with officers that could afford them in the Crimean War and Indian Mutiny, as this one was used.

A picture in the gallery is of Robert Adams himself, loading his patent revolver for HRH Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's Consort. He was also manager for the London Armoury and he made many of the 19,000 pistols that were bought by the Confederate States for the Civil War. The US government also bought Adams revolvers from the London Armoury, at $18 each, which was $4.00 more than it was paying Colt for his, and $6.00 more than Remington.The action on this beautiful gun is perfect, very nice, and tight, but the trigger return spring is weak. In good blue finish with some original 'mirror' blue finish remaining. Revolving cylinder operates sporadically.

As with all our antique guns no license required and they are all unrestricted antique collectables

Every single item from The Lanes Armoury, Britain's 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: 22431

A Beautiful And Rare American Revolutionary War Period Large Boxlock Action Double Cannon Barrelled Flintlock Volley Gun Pistol, Silver Scroll Inlaid Butt

A renown ‘Queen Anne’ style volley gun. A fascinating and most rare breech loading piece, with twin over and under turn-off cannon barrels, that is able to fire as a volley gun, with both barrels simultaneously, or, one after the other, using a unique sliding trigger guard that opens or covers one of the ignition pans as is required. 50 bore, double barrelled large over and under flintlock boxlock pistol, c1770,” the muzzles starred for a barrel key, with two separate pans beneath a single frizzen, the sliding cover of one pan operated by the sliding trigger guard, the frame retaining traces of etching, the rounded flat sided walnut butt inlaid with silver scrolls and wavy lines. World famous English gunsmith from London Durs Egg was renown for making incredibly similar rare twin cannon barrelled pistols, also with unusual covered pan actions. No proofs. Discussing with Howard Blackmore of the Tower Armouries some decades ago, the non-proved 18th century guns were often for the American export market where proofing was not required. Queen Anne pistols are characterized by the fact that the breech and the trigger plate are forged in one piece with the lock plate, foreshadowing by over 100 years the so-called "action" of a modern weapon. With the typical 'Queen Anne' pistol the barrel unscrews with a barrel key or wrench just ahead of the chamber where the powder and ball are placed when the pistol is loaded. The chamber is long and narrow with a cup at the top shaped to fit the bullet (a round lead ball). The user can quickly fill the chamber with black powder and put a bullet on top; the barrel is then replaced, sealing the bullet between its cup and the breech end of the barrel.

The bullet is larger than the barrel, so the breech is tapered to compress the ball as it moves forward at the moment of firing to tightly fit the bore. High gas pressure is developed behind the bullet before it is forced into the barrel, thus achieving considerably higher muzzle velocity and power than with a muzzle loader. The barrel was often rifled, which improves accuracy. The system also avoids the need for wadding or a ramrod during loading. It was not hugely successful as a military weapon at the time because in the heat of battle the separate barrel could be dropped during loading. The greatest popularity of the Queen Anne was as an effective self-defense weapon. They could be highly decorated with silver to suit the tastes of the very wealthy. But in the case of a double barrel they were especially popular, but most expensive, in fact considerably more than a pair of single barrelled versions.
The firing action functions on a single cock, wear overall to stock and steel as usual due to age. Pistol 10.5" long overall,  read more

Code: 23317

A Cased Very Fine English Transitional Percussion Rifled Revolver. This Fine Cased Revolver Set is An Absolute Beauty To Behold.

Decorative engraving to the side plate, bar hammer and butt-cap. Finely chequered grips. Complete in it's original wooden carrying case containing a copper powder flask, steel bullet mold. Cap box and brass tipped wooden clearing rod. Overall length of the pistol inches. The blue baize lined case measures inches with a brass plaque to the lid. The action in very good working order and in excellent condition retaining some of it's original blued finish. A development from the pepper-box was the transitional revolver. This weapon uses the same action but with one barrel attached to the front of a pepper-box cylinder. James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart (1833-1864) was a U.S. Army officer and later a Major General and cavalry commander for the Confederate States of America during the Civil War (1861-65). In 1857 he was shot in the chest at point blank range with a pepper-box by a Cheyenne warrior, Stuart survived probably due rumour has it, to a very weak powder charge. Guns of this type also saw use in the Mexican War as an alternative to the Colt revolver, most notably by General Winfield Scott. During the Mexican-American War (April 25, 1846 – February 3, 1848) U.S. forces under General Winfield Scott entered Mexico City and raise the American flag over the Hall of Montezuma, concluding a devastating advance that began with an amphibious landing at Vera Cruz six months earlier.

A most fine example of an English percussion transitional revolver in its original case retaining much of its original finish.

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: 25205

A Very Good 5 Shot Revolver of The United States Civil War, By E.Whitney of New Haven Connecticut

A scarce American Civil War era 5 shot Percussion revolver made by E. Whitney. Circa 1860. The 6 inch barrel marked on top E. WHITNEY N. HAVEN. Two piece walnut grips and brass trigger guard. With nice overall aged patination, serial numbered under the grip 26941. Good tight spring action and rotation of the cylinder.

Eli Whitney Sr. established his Whitneyville Armory in 1798 and produced firearms (among other things) by contract for the United states government. Just prior to this in 1793, Whitney invented the mechanical cotton gin, which dramatically changed the economic landscape in the United States, namely in the South. His labour saving device made the processing of harvested cotton extremely efficient and requiring fewer labourer's. This machine caused the market for cotton to explode and more labourer's were needed to plant, grow and harvest the crop. This resulted in a corresponding boom in the Southern slave trade. Great fortunes were created, and the population of the South became such that one in three Southerners were slaves. All this provided the fuel that would become the American Civil War. Eli Whitney died in 1825, and his son, Eli Whitney Jr began running the family business in 1841. In 1847 Whitney Jr. began to manufacture 1,000 of Samuel Colt’s latest revolver the Colt Walker revolver. Production of this revolver helped both parties immensely as it kept Colt in business and it allowed Whitney Jr. to gain experience making revolvers. With the expiration of Colt’s patents in 1857, Whitney began production of percussion revolvers based on Colt’s patents, some of them very closely copied. The Whitney Revolver were produced at the Whitneyville Armory manufacturing centre in the Whitneyville section of New Haven, Connecticut from the late 1850's through to the early 1860's. Many of these were purchased by individual soldiers for use when they were going off to the American Civil War.

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.

Overall length 11 inches. In good overall condition, showing commensurate signs of use and wear. A super Civil War era percussion revolver.  read more

Code: 25256

5 1/2 inch Howitzer Explosive Cannon Ball. Likely Fired From Bull's Troop {at Hougemont} Royal Horse Artillery. Fired Into A Nearby Wood to Clear The French Tirailleurs {Napoleon's Light Infantry Skirmishers}. This Example Obviously Failed to Detonate

Napoleonic Wars howitzer ball recovered from a Waterloo excavation over 150 years ago.
The battery was formed on 1 February 1805 as I Troop, Royal Horse Artillery at Colchester, Essex as a horse artillery battery of the British Army. Captain Robert Bull was appointed to command and he took it to the Iberian Peninsula in August 1809 where it served until 1814. It arrived too late for the Battle of Talavera, but thereafter took part in most of Wellington's major actions of the Peninsular War including Bussaco (1810), Fuentes de Oñoro (1811), Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, and Burgos (1812), Vitoria, San Sebastián, the Bidassoa and the Nive (1813) and Bayonne (1814).

Captain Norman Ramsay, Royal Horse Artillery, Galloping his Troop Through the French Army to Safety at the Battle of Fuentes d'Onoro, 1811
Its most famous action during the Peninsular War occurred at the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro on 5 May 1811 when it was temporarily under the command of Lieutenant Norman Ramsay.a The troop was surrounded by French cavalry and cut off from the main force. With the guns limbered up and swords drawn, they charged through the surprised enemy horsemen thereby saving themselves from being captured.5

Armed with six 5+1⁄2-inch howitzers,b it took part in the Hundred Days Campaign in 1815. Early in the Battle of Waterloo it was ordered to support the garrison at Hougoumont. Firing shrapnel over the heads of friendly troops, in 10 minutes it cleared a nearby wood of French tirailleurs, much to the satisfaction of Wellington and Frazer (commander of the horse artillery). It then took part in the advance to Paris and joined the Army of Occupation. Napoleonic period

A tirailleur (right) and a voltigeur of the Young Guard.
In the wars of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods, the designation "tirailleur" was a French military term used at first to refer generically to light infantry skirmishers.1 The first regiments of Tirailleurs so called were part of the Imperial Guard of Napoleon I. By the fall of the Empire, some 16 regiments had been created. The Guard Tirailleurs were usually grouped as part of the Young Guard, along with their sister Voltigeur regiments.

The Guard Tirailleur regiments were disbanded during the reorganization of the French Army in 1814 by the new royal government. On 28 March 1815, during Napoleon I's short-lived return to power (the Hundred Days), Regiments 1-8 of the Guard Tirailleurs were officially re-raised. Only the 1st and 3rd Regiments actually took the field for the Waterloo campaign. All regiments of Imperial Guard Tirailleurs (along with the rest of the Guard) were disbanded following the Emperor's second abdication.

In commemoration of its performance in the Peninsular War and at the Battle of Waterloo, the Honour Title "Bull's Troop" was officially granted to the battery on 13 October 1926


These 5.5-inch howitzers are typical of Napoleonic field artillery. A British battery would have five cannon and one howitzer. Howitzers tossed exploding shells on high trajectories but came into their own when the British invented shrapnel shell.


Picture in the gallery of two original 5.5 inch Howitzers at Woolwich. The barrel in front is a heavier version of the same weapon, but intended to fire the same shell over greater ranges with bigger charges.

The weapon on the carriage was actually made at Woolwich in 1814 and is back at Woolwich today, displayed in Firepower, which is on the former Woolwich Arsenal site.  read more

Code: 25835

A Fine French Consular Period Sabre of A Cavalry Officer, With 'Marengo' Hilt. A Sabre D'Officier De Cavalrie Legere, By Repute, Said To Be The Privilege of Officer's To Wear That Served At the Battle Of Marengo, Personally, With Napoleon

A very fine and rare example, in very fine condition for age, with a few usual scabbard combat bruises.

Modelled after Napoleon’s sabre, re-named by him the Marengo sabre, that he used from the battle of the Nile and at Marengo during his defeat of the Austrians. He presented it to his brother Jerome who was crowned King of Westphalia.
Napoleon ordered a sword to be commissioned based on his own sabre and presented it as a Sword of Honour to Captain Blou for his important and vital service at Marengo, and that sword is near identical to this sword that we offer. See photo 10 in the gallery. Napoleon’s Marengo sword was sold at auction in 2007 for $6.5 million dollars.

Sabre D'Officier De Cavalrie Legere, 1800 circa, with the 'Marengo' pattern hilt, and double fullered Montmorency pattern blade. A fabulous French Sabre from the French consular period.

An original Consular period, 'Marengo' style light cavalry officer's sabre, with very fine and bright Montmorency-style blade one-third beautifully engraved with an incised decoration of weapon trophies and foliage, gilt bronze hilt, mellon pattern pommel, single guard branch with a side engraved with a farandole of foliage, the front side has a V-shaped groove, the rear side has a concave gutter, basal half ear, quillon arched towards the front with button ending, cross hatched carved wooden grip, in its origina sheet brass scabbard, two large brass bands each carrying a supension ring,

These styles are said to have gained popularity following Consular Napoleon's victory over the Austrians in Jun 1800 at the Battle of Marengo. French sword cutlers purportedly drew their inspiration from the sabre carried by Napoleon during the campaign.

It has been claimed that only officers who had participated in the battle with Napoleon were permitted to carry this style of hilt, although there is no official recognition of this claim.

The Battle of Marengo was fought on 14 June 1800 between French forces under the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont, Italy. Near the end of the day, the French overcame General Michael von Melas' surprise attack, drove the Austrians out of Italy and consolidated Bonaparte's political position in Paris as First Consul of France in the wake of his coup d'état the previous November.

Bonaparte needed to depart for Paris urgently and the next morning sent Berthier on a surprise visit to Austrian headquarters. Within 24 hours of the battle, Melas entered into negotiations (the Convention of Alessandria) which led to the Austrians evacuating northwestern Italy west of the Ticino, and suspending military operations in Italy.

Bonaparte's position as First Consul was strengthened by the successful outcome of the battle and the preceding campaign. After this victory, Napoleon could breathe a sigh of relief. The generals who had been hostile to him could see that his luck had not abandoned him. Thus, he had surpassed Schérer, Joubert, Championnet, and even Moreau, none of whom having been able to inflict a decisive blow on the Coalition. Moreau's victory at Hohenlinden, which was the one that in reality had put an end to the war, was minimised by Bonaparte who, from then on, would pose as a saviour of the fatherland, and even of the Republic. He rejected offers from Louis XVIII, who had considered the Consulate to be a mere transition toward the restoration of the king. Thanks to the victory at Marengo, Napoleon could finally set about reforming France according to his own vision.

Napoleon ordered that several ships of the French Navy be named Marengo, including Sceptre (1780), Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1795), Ville de Paris (1851) and Marengo (1810). In 1802, the Marengo department was named in the honour of the battle. Furthermore, Napoleon's mount throughout the battle was named Marengo and further carried the Emperor in the Battle of Austerlitz, Battle of Jena-Auerstedt, Battle of Wagram, and Battle of Waterloo.  read more

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