British 1822 Pattern Inf. Off. Sword w/Family Crests

[RickS]

Hello,

I am trying to research two family crests/mottos, on a sword I recently acquired. It is a British 1822 Pattern Infantry Officer's sword, Victorian Period. It has a folding guard, leather scabbard with gilt brass fittings, and an "1845 Wilkinson Pattern" single fullered blade. Maker is Henry Wilkinson, Pall Mall, London. Probably made around 1845 to 1853, as there is no serial number on the back spine.

The family crests are etched engraved into the sword, one on top of the other, just above the ricasso and proof mark(see photo). The upper one has a mullet(five pointed star) in the center, with the motto "AUDACES-FORTUNA-JUVAT". The lower one has a unicorn head in the center, with the motto "PUGNAM-EXPECTA-PARATUS". In doing some research on the net, of family crests, I have found many family names associated with the Audaces-Fortuna-Juvat motto. I understand though, that the mullet may represent a "third son". I have not been able to find any families with motto of Pugnam-Expecta-Paratus".

Are these indeed family crests, or some other symbols? Any help would be appreciated. I would like to identify the soldier who owned the sword if possible. If you think this post should be in another catagory, please advise me.

Best regards, Rick S.

[RickS]

Close up photo of upper crest.

[RickS]

Close up photo of lower crest.

[leigh kitchen]

I see what you mean about "many family names" - the commercial outfit ?Heraldic Art & Design? show basic info of the motto "AUDACES-FORTUNA-JUVAT" being linked to the surname ?King? & also:

?Pohl? ?

ARMS (SHIELD)

Or(Gold), on a BEND (diagonal band) Azure three MULLETS (stars) of the First; in sinister chief a LION rampant Sable holding in the dexter paw a SWORD erect Argent, and in dexter base, on a MOUNT Vert, a CHAPEL Proper between two CYPRESS TREES Also Vert

CREST

No Crest on record

MOTTO

AUDACES FORTUNA JUVAT

"FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE"

The motto is linked to at least one Irish family, somewhere in this lot:

http://users.winshop.com.au/merv/mottos.htm

It?s the motto of USS Montpelier, in honour of the submarine?s sponsor Mrs Nancy Hayes, of whose family t is the motto.

The motto of the German Hohenzolern royal family, the Barron family of Ireland.

No use to you I'm afraid, I'd suggest that you try "The Rick Research Collectors Help Forum"

http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showforum=4

[Mervyn Mitton]

Rick - I am attaching an except from the book of British latin mottoes. All of the families & Regts. listed here used the motto. The meaning is at the beginning.

I have checked Fairburn's Crests of British Landed Gentry and there is nor trace of either crest. There is no absolute reason that it had to be British - an American citizen may have ordered it and had old family crests added. The alternative is that the families had a title - Barony's and above, will be listed in Burke's Peerage. Unfortunately I don't have a copy - we never made it to that one.

With regard to the sword it sounds very much like the 1845 pattern Inf. officers' sword. Should have a brass hilt and guard and the decoration under the VR on the guard should include the different flower symbols for the UK. Please post a picture. Do you have the scabbard and who is the maker ? Mervyn

[Jonathan Hopkins]

You could use these surnames provided by Mervyn Mitton and look through the Hart's Lists of the period 1845-54 to see if there are any matches for newly commissioned officers. Not a guaranteed way of finding an officer, but it is a possible approach. Please do post more photos if you are able!

Jonathan

[RickS]

Hello Mervyn, Thank you for your reply. I will try to find a copy of Burke's Peerage, unless someone has a copy and can post it. I will post some more photos of the sword and scabbard. It does have a gilted brass guard with folding "S" rear guard. The scabbard has a decorated frog stud, in addition to the two hanging rings. In addition to Wilkinson maker's mark on the ricasso, the upper fitting on the scabbard has a shield with "Wikinson, Gun and Sword Maker, Pall Mall, London". The sword is in excellent condition for it's age, retaining most of it's fire gilting. The guard had a leather inner liner at one time, sewn through two small holes at the top and bottom of the basket. Some old cat gut thread remains. Blade is bright with some small areas of rust, mainly near the tip. Best regards, Rick S.

Rick - I am attaching an except from the book of British latin mottoes. All of the families & Regts. listed here used the motto. The meaning is at the beginning.

I have checked Fairburn's Crests of British Landed Gentry and there is nor trace of either crest. There is no absolute reason that it had to be British - an American citizen may have ordered it and had old family crests added. The alternative is that the families had a title - Barony's and above, will be listed in Burke's Peerage. Unfortunately I don't have a copy - we never made it to that one.

With regard to the sword it sounds very much like the 1845 pattern Inf. officers' sword. Should have a brass hilt and guard and the decoration under the VR on the guard should include the different flower symbols for the UK. Please post a picture. Do you have the scabbard and who is the maker ? Mervyn

http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_05_2009/post-6231-1242145044.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_05_2009/post-6231-1242145060.jpg

[RickS]

Photo of the Royal cipher on the guard.

[RickS]

Shield on scabbard throat fitting.

[RickS]

Thank you to all who have replied so far. Here is the Wilkinson maker's marks on the ricasso.

[Guest Rick Research]

An interesting puzzle. I am clueless about "normal" heraldic practice in the Victorian era-- mine were all over here by the Restoration-- but TWO separate "reduction" forms like this makes me wonder if these might not be REGIMENTAL rather than familial?

Never seen two families displayed this way individually except as indicating a marriage, which would hardly seem to apply here.

The only source I have for complete arms is the 1970 edition of Burke's Peerage. That, unfortunately, only shows arms for families which were still alive. I have a Victorian "Dormant and Extinct" but that is genealogical rather than showing arms. (And BTW not particularly accurate at least in a cadet sense since I am neither dormant nor extinct! )

Of all the names mentioned above, there were only two that I could find in 1970:

Definitely NOT Bowen, whose arms have nothing in common with that motto, and

PERHAPS

a very strong CONNECTION of SOME sort to the Baronets Roberts of Eccleshall-- who (oddly, seems to me?) have arms with stars prominently featured but WITHOUT an official, listed motto! So if there is an indication fo a Roberts family that DID use that motto, the star motif might denote a branch of the family which was not in the Peerage.

I have never seen Burke's "Landed Gentry," so I don't know if arms were shown in that, but I'd suggest checking a Victorian edition for the families above.

[RickS]

Proof marking.

[RickS]

I was thinking that the top crest could denote a "third son" in the family, the lower one would be the family???

Here is a shot of the cipher on the blade.

[RickS]

Last two photos of the hilt.http://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_05_2009/post-6231-1242146413.jpghttp://gmic.co.uk/uploads/monthly_05_2009/post-6231-1242146421.jpg

[Mervyn Mitton]

Yes - 1845 pattern Remarkable condition - usually the gilt wears off the brass from over cleaning. Never rub it hard. The condition of the blade is also very good - the rust you mention at the tip of the blade, comes from putting the blade back in the scabbard when it is wet. Clean it off with gun oil and keep the blade lightly oiled with the same - particularly if you live in a humid climate - I think Florida is the same latitude as Durban - so not a good climate for conservation.

Check on the suggestion for a Regt. - but, I don't recognise any symbols. Also, as Rick said - look at any family arms - when engraving on small areas they often just use the main part - i.e. Star or, Unicorn. Keep us all posted.

[leigh kitchen]

Don't know about a regimental connection - when I first saw the mullet, I thoght of the Cameronians, Scottish Rifles, the mullet was a badge of theirs, from the arms of the Douglas family.

[Mervyn Mitton]

Rick - I checked the latin motto book this morning to find the other ref. - there is no mention of this one, even under different combinations. I don't think that it is meant to rep. a 3rd son - they didn't think like this. Most probably the sword would be given as a gift when he was first commissioned - the two sets of arms , possibly, being from each side of the family. The centre part of a coat of arms are generally all that is used - they are known as Armorials and they sit on a cushion, called a chaplet. The shading represents the diff. colours that were in the silk. The chaplet used to be worn under a helmet to protect the head from metal rubbing. I appreciate that this doesn't give you a provenance - they will charge you , but maybe the Royal College of Arms in Lodon could help ?

[RickS]

Hello Mervyn, Thank you for your help and suggestions. I will post any results that I come up with. Thanks to everyone else who replied. Best regards, Rick S.

Rick - I checked the latin motto book this morning to find the other ref. - there is no mention of this one, even under different combinations. I don't think that it is meant to rep. a 3rd son - they didn't think like this. Most probably the sword would be given as a gift when he was first commissioned - the two sets of arms , possibly, being from each side of the family. The centre part of a coat of arms are generally all that is used - they are known as Armorials and they sit on a cushion, called a chaplet. The shading represents the diff. colours that were in the silk. The chaplet used to be worn under a helmet to protect the head from metal rubbing. I appreciate that this doesn't give you a provenance - they will charge you , but maybe the Royal College of Arms in Lodon could help ?

[peter monahan]

I'd agree with the notion that the Star (mullet, to get technical) is either a "charge" on a coat of arms or a regimental symbol. What the heralds call "differences" or "cadency marks", are meant to go onto (superimposed) a complete coat of arms, so that a group of individuals wearing otherwise identicals arms could be distinguished. In other words, Dad wore the full coat and so did the sons, Number 1 son with a "label", Number 2 a crescent moon, Number 3 a mullet and so on. I believe there are 8 differences recorded, at least in theory. Wearing or bearing simply the label didn't mean anything in particular, as the various symbols appeared, singly or in groups, on various coats of arms

As stand-alones, the star, crescent moon and so on have different meanings related to the people who wore them. Keep in mind too that much of the lore of British heraldry was improved on by those inveterate inventors the Victorians. People who wore arming coats over their armour devised various ways to identify themselves to friends and foes in battle but the complex system with hard and fast rules reached its epogee long after close helms and plate armour had died out - much like the way in which the Victorians tidied up clan tartans during their love affair with all things Scottish!

Like so many other things, coats of arms were raely discussed and diseccted by those who used them, they just 'were' so, sadly, one cannot deduce too much definitively from mullets, martlets, labels or unicorns.

Peter

[Mervyn Mitton]

Sub Forum - Great Britain Wars and Campaigns - Rorkes Drift Shield. You will see 1845 pattern Inf/ off's. swords in use.