Life saving with a 'Life Preserver'

[Mervyn Mitton]

Known as a 'life preserver' many people carried these for protection in the 19thC. In the 18th.C swords were worn but, these had gone out of fashion - certainly by Victorian times - however, crime had not and the streets were very dangerous places.Men carried a variety of weaponry in case of attack - from pocket pistols ; sword canes ; bludgeons ; flails and these life preservers. They were usually made by sailors for extra income and the centre could be made from a variety of things - the main requirement being that it had flexibility to strike with extra force. This one has three pieces of whalebone - and is very 'springy' - both ends are a lead ball covered with intricate knotting - which is why the sailors were able to make them.

They are fairly common and come in different sizes - I will show pictures of the other personal protection pieces at another time - however, it is interesting that two of them gave rise to common English expressions.

[Mervyn Mitton]

This gives a clearer view of the head and the interwoven whalebone. I should have said the length overall is approx. 10 inches.

mervyn

[Guest Rick Research]

:speechless1: That is medieval looking!

Ten inches is rather large-- how would it have been carried? Maybe THAT is why they wore those knee length frock coats... very deep pockets? :rolleyes:

[Mervyn Mitton]

Absolutely right - before frock coats men wore a swallow tailed coat - until about the 1850's - in each of the tails was a deep pocket where they carried things like this. The first police in 1829 carried a rattle - whistles were from 1884 - and this was in the tail pocket.

Mervyn

[leigh kitchen]

And similar things under the same name were used as trench clubs during WWI.