Original Item. Only One Available. There are few weapons that carry such cultural significance as that of the Scottish Basket-Hilted Broad sword. "...frequently a family heirloom-often in its second or third hilting-the Highlanders 'sword was far more than just a weapon. The great symbolic value of these arms was not lost upon the Duke of Cumberland. A bounty was paid from the royal purse of one shilling for every broadsword picked up from the battlefield".

Just as intriguing are the sheer number of baskets absent from the field of Culloden after the battle. In other words, despite the massive numbers of fallen Scots, others retrieved their baskets and hid them away. Those that were recovered, perhaps 150 or so, were taken as war trophies or chopped up/destroyed. Of the 190 swords recovered from the field, 150 of them were given to the master of ordnance, John Hay, 4th Marquis of Tweeddale, who then had points broken off and hilts removed, taking these amazing blades made into a travesty of poor taste of a fence at his estate at Twickenham House. The ultimate insult!

This is a tremendously preserved example of a Mid-18th Century Scottish Basket-Hilted Broadsword with a lovely Glasgow-style hilt, which shares some similarities in hilt design with another example we had which had supposedly been found near the 1746 Culloden Battlefield, where the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart were finally defeated in 1746. This example bears several lovely designs in the basket, namely the four-hearted squares with five dots around them. The hilt of this example also retains its original red padded liner which still has remnants of its silk overlay. The grip is wooden with a small bit at the bottom being checkered, and the pommel has a bun pommel cap with a capstan. The red padded liner is in fantastic condition for its age, with heavy wear and tear but no extensive damage to the interior padding. There is some small material loss in the basket in certain spots, along with some old pewter repairs, but it is still overall very strong.

The 34¼” blade features on both sides the markings of + ANDRIA + FERARA ++ followed by what appears to be an Archbishop cross, followed by the “Running Fox” “Running Wolf” symbol often associated with Solingen-exported blades. The blade has a single fuller which only shows for the first 10 inches of the blade. The blade shows wear to the cutting edges as well as some “battle nicks”, spots that show heavy trauma likely from clashing against another sword.

Andrew Ferrara or, more correctly, Andrea Ferrara was a make of sword-blade highly esteemed in Scotland in the 16th and 17th centuries. Sir Walter Scott notes that the name of Andrea de Ferrara was inscribed "on all the Scottish broadswords that are accounted of peculiar excellence". No historical person of that name can be identified, but Scott reports a general belief that Ferrara was a Spanish or Italian artificer who was brought to Scotland in the early 16th century, by either James IV or V, to instruct the Scots in the manufacture of the high-quality steel blades current in Renaissance Europe. According to some sources, the name of the manufacturer was Andrea dei Ferrari of Belluno, according to others, Andrew Ferrars or Ferrier of Arbroath.

His method of manufacture remains much a mystery, but it is suspected that they were made by interlamination, a process of welding the blade in alternate layers of iron and steel. Andrew Ferrara blades were special in their extreme flexibility. For instance, it is said that Andrew Ferrara, the manufacturer of the blades, always carried one wrapped up in his bonnet. They rarely broke, even under immense force and when used to deal horizontal blows.

This is one of the most tremendous basket-hilted broadswords we have offered, ready for further research and display!

Specifications:
Blade Length: 34 1/4"
Overall length: 40 1/4“
Crossguard: 5 1/2”