Item Description
Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a tremendous British Napoleonic Pattern 1803 officer’s saber with a fantastic curve to the blade. The development of the Pattern 1803 Flank Officer’s sword goes back to the late 18th century, when light infantry units were formed in the British Army. The grenadiers and light companies of a battalion were considered the elite of these infantry regiments, and could be detached and deployed separately as skirmishers. Grenadiers were the senior company of any infantry battalion and would typically lead an assault. When the battalion was deployed in line, the grenadier and light companies were deployed on the right and left flanks respectively, and both companies could be called upon to operate in looser formations and semi-independently.
The saber has the iconic brass lion’s head hilt with the GR Cypher on the guard, which retains a great deal of the gilt. The checkered bone grip is well-executed but has two large cracks, although they appear repaired.
The 30½” blade has a tremendous curve to it, and shows heavy service use. The only marking is an S on the ricasso which we haven’t identified. The blade has a mostly dark finish which has developed into a gorgeous patina. There isn’t very much wear to the edge of the blade, without any chips we can see.
This is a fantastic example of a scarce sword, ready for further research and display.
The added element of risk associated with detached skirmishing in looser formations meant that officers of light infantry needed a more robust fighting sword. By 1799, sufficient numbers of officers of these regiments and companies were using sabres rather than the Pattern 1796 Infantry Officers sword, enough for them to be given official leave to wear sabres instead. In addition to being a more practical weapon,these sabres could be more easily hitched up, as they were suspended on slings rather than the shoulder belt and frog of the Pattern 1796 Infantry Officer’s sword. This ensured that the weapon did not inhibit movement when skirmishing over broken ground.
This need for a more robust weapon was formally acknowledged by the King in 1803, when he approved ‘a Pattern Sword for the Officers of Grenadiers and Light Infantry’. Despite this regulation there exists a great deal of variety in 1803 Pattern swords. The most common form has a slotted hilt with the royal cypher (GR) on the knuckle-guard, which joins the head of the backpiece at a lion’s head pommel. The blade is commonly quite broad for an infantry sword, with a single fuller and a hatchet point. In terms of general form,the sword is similar to the curved sabres of the light cavalry, and the blade is comparable to a slighter version of the 1796 Light Cavalry sword.
Specifications:
Blade length: 30½”
Overall length: 35 1/4”
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