Mary Rose Basket Hilt
Regular price $0.00
Based on Original: Recovered from the wreck of the Mary Rose, sunk 1545.
Overall length: 41"
Blade length: 34.8"
Blade Width: 1.5"
Guard Width: 7.5"
Basket Width: 4.75"
Basket Length: 5.25"
Grip Length: 4.6"
COG: 4.6"
Weight: 2.7 pounds 1238 gr
This early basket hilt is rare as we have such a defined provenance for it. We know it was in active service on the Mary Rose, Henry the VIII's flagship when it sunk in 1545.This sword exhibits all the fully developed components of what most call a proto-basket hilt being an arming sword with a complex guard for the hand but still retaining a straight cross guard as part of that guard. The broad blade is still of a form one would see on a simple arming sword, though it now has a short ricasso and central fuller. This style of sword seems to be distinctly English is this exact form but is related to a variety of complex hilted single handed swords that begin to appear in the early 16th century across Europe.
The sword has several features such as a ribbed spherical pommel that is hollow and an X shaped set of side bars as for protection for the hand that are termed saltire bars and will remain part of basket hilts for several generations.
This blade is very lively when handled and would have been an exceptional fighting sword of high status in 1545. This is an excellent representative of this important period in sword development.
#964
Custom or Modification Request
A&A does a number of custom items each year and we are able to modify some of our stock items as well. Please send us a quick note about what you maybe interested in and we can discuss possibilities and get the process started.
