This 1822 pattern sword by Elizabeth Gill, the widow of John Gill of the famous family of cutlers who operated in Birmingham and London. From memory, Elizabeth was the sole female cutler of this era, in Birmingham at any rate. Her name and profession are engraved at the forte of the blade. The brass scabbard is no longer with the piece.
This is an increasingly hard sword to find, especially one by Elizabeth of the illustrious Gill family. She worked at 20 Masshouse Lane from 1818 to 1824, with trustees running things after her death until 1837.
Most of the fire gilt finish has been polished off, substantial traces remaining on the inside of the guard, which is somewhat distorted with age and neglect. The front hinge of the folding guard is broken. There is some old pitting at the end of the blade, which I have done my best to clean off. The hilt has been tightened with the insertion of two steel wedges on either side of the blade, but all the grip wire is original and the hilt itself has never been dismantled.
If you want to comment on this item—re quality, age, etc—please email me.
[Edged Weapons : Swords : British : 19th Century]
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