A fragment of a sword was found, with a bronze sheath-end, looped palstaves, spear-heads, and a ferrule, near Guilsfield,[1070] Montgomeryshire. Fragments of three swords were found, with lance-heads, ferrules, a chape, and other objects, at Glancych,[1071] Cardiganshire. They appear to have had six rivets.
Fig. 348.—Ely. ¼ – Fig. 349.—River Cherwell. ¼
English swords, with the hilts, or pommels, or both, formed of bronze, are not of common occurrence. The first which I have selected for illustration has the side edges so straight that it hardly belongs to the class usually known as leaf-shaped. The hilt-plate is peculiar in having well-developed side flanges which expand at the base so as to form an oval pommel. The hilt has as usual been formed of two plates of bone or wood, which have been secured to the hilt-plate by six rivets. This sword, which was found in the Fens, near Ely, has unfortunately lost its point, but is still 19¼ inches long. It was lent me for engraving (as Fig. 348) by Mr. M. Fisher, of Ely. In some Danish examples the high flanges of the hilt-plates are covered by thin plates of gold, beyond which, of course, the hilt of bone, wood, or horn did not project, and no doubt in this instance also the side flanges were left visible and not in any way covered. They are upwards of 4 inches in length, so that the hilt would fit into a large hand.
A small but very interesting sword with a perfect bronze hilt and pommel is shown in Fig. 349. It was found in the River Cherwell,[1072] and is now in the Museum at Oxford. It was kindly lent me by Professor Rolleston for the purpose of engraving. The total length of the weapon is 21 inches, of which the pommel and hilt, which is adapted for a decidedly large hand, occupy about 5 inches. The hilt has the appearance of having been cast upon the blade, and seems to be formed of bronze of the same character. There are no rivets visible by which the two castings are attached the one to the other.
Fig. 350.
Lincoln.
I am of opinion that the same process of attaching the hilt to the blade by casting the one upon the other was in use in Scandinavia and Germany. Some of the bronze daggers from Italy seem also to have had their hilts cast upon the blades in which the rivets were already fixed.
In the British Museum is a sword blade with slight ribs inside the edges, retaining a portion of the hilt, which is cast in a separate piece and attached to the wings by two rivets. It is said to have been found in the Thames.[1073] The hilt has had ribs round it at intervals of about half an inch apart.