Gothic Hilted British Infantry Swords (1822, 1827, 1845, 1854 and 1892 Patterns)

The gothic hilted swords were a family of swords carried by officers and some NCOs of the British Army between 1822 and the present day. They were primarily infantry swords, although they were also regulation pattern for some other officers such as surgeons and staff officers. The term “Gothic hilt” is derived from a perceived similarity between the curved bars of the guard and the arches found in Gothic architecture. They were elegant aesthetically pleasing weapons, although they were considered by some to be mediocre fighting swords. The weapon and its variants had a very long service life.

They were replaced ultimately by the 1897 pattern British infantry officer's sword, first having the 1822 pipe-back blade replaced by the 1845 fullered blade, then the 1845 type blade replaced by a new thrusting blade in 1892 and then receiving a new steel hilt in 1895, which was then updated slightly in 1897.

Although infantry sergeants' and cavalry troopers' swords were issued by the Army, officers were expected to purchase their own equipment. In theory they were required to purchase a sword which conformed to an official pattern, however some regiments had their own peculiarities and some allowed their officers some leeway in specification, so there are variations between individual pieces. Also, minor differences between individual manufacturers' examples exist, partly due to their own unique interpretations of the specification for the weapon. Lastly, officers could in fact purchase a blade of their own choosing if they cared to, so long as it looked more or less regulation when worn in the scabbard. Therefore the precise length, curvature and width of blades varies between examples, with a small number of officers choosing entirely different types of non-regulation blade. Companies like Wilkinson of Pall Mall sold officers' swords in a variety of lengths, curves, widths and styles, while all conforming more or less to the basic regulations for each branch of the service.

The 1822 dress regulations mandated the introduction of a new sword, to replace the 1803 flank officer's sabre and the spadroon bladed 1796 line infantry officer's sword.

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