River Witham sword

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There are two notable swords known recovered from the River Witham, both kept in the British Museum.

The River Witham "Viking sword" (actually a blade of German/Ottonian manufacture, with hilt fittings added by an Anglo-Saxon craftsman), also known as the "Lincoln sword", [1] British Museum 1848,10-21,1 is dated to the 10th century. It is classified as a Petersen type L variant (Evison's "Wallingford Bridge" type). It was found in the River Witham opposite Monks Abbey, Lincoln. The guard is inlaid with silver and copper alloy, in a series of lozenges, each lozenge of copper surrounded by a bronze border and hammered on to a cross-hatched, prepared field. The sword is remarkable for being one of only two known bearing the blade inscription Leutfrit (+ LEUTLRIT), the other being a find from Tatarstan (at the time Volga Bulgaria, now kept in the Historical Museum of Kazan). On the reverse side, the blade is inlaid with a double scroll pattern. The sword weighs 1.214 kg (2.68 lb), at a total length of 91.5 cm (36.0 in). [2] Peirce (1990) makes special mention of this sword as "breath-taking", "one of the most splendid Viking swords extant". [3]

The River Witham knightly sword, BM PE 1858,1116.5 was found in 1825 in the River Witham near Lincoln. [4] [5] is dated to the later 13th century. It is likely of German origin [6] The blade bears an inlaid inscription reading +NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI+ [7] The weapon's length is [8] 960 or 964 mm (37.8 or 38.0 in) [9] in length. The hilt of the weapon measures 165 mm (6.5 in). [10] The blade itself is 815 mm (32.1 in) in length. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

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This is a list of types of swords.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seax</span> Large knife or small sword wielded by Saxons and their contemporaries

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viking sword</span> Sword

The Viking Age sword or Carolingian sword is the type of sword prevalent in Western and Northern Europe during the Early Middle Ages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakeshott typology</span> Medieval sword classification system

The Oakeshott typology is a way to define and catalogue the medieval sword based on physical form. It categorises the swords of the European Middle Ages into 13 main types, labelled X through XXII. The historian and illustrator Ewart Oakeshott introduced it in his 1960 treatise The Archaeology of Weapons: Arms and Armour from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sword of Victory</span> One of the Royal Regalia of Thailand

Phra Saeng Khan Chai Si or Phra Saeng Khan Chai Sri is part of the royal regalia of the King of Thailand. The sword represents the military might and power of the king. The hilt has a length of 25.4 centimetres with the blade measuring 64.5 centimetres. When placed in the scabbard the sword has a total length of 101 centimetres and weighs 1.9 kilograms. The sword’s neck between the blade and the hilt is decorated with a gold inlaid miniature of Vishnu riding the Garuda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Migration Period sword</span> Sword

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cawood sword</span> Medieval sword discovered in England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seax of Beagnoth</span> 10th century Anglo-Saxon seax

The Seax of Beagnoth is a 10th-century Anglo-Saxon seax. It was found in the inland estuary of the Thames in 1857, and is now at the British Museum in London. It is a prestige weapon, decorated with elaborate patterns of inlaid copper, brass and silver wire. On one side of the blade is the only known complete inscription of the twenty-eight letter Anglo-Saxon runic alphabet, as well as the name "Beagnoth" in runic letters. It is thought that the runic alphabet had a magical function, and that the name Beagnoth is that of either the owner of the weapon or the smith who forged it. Although many Anglo-Saxon and Viking swords and knives have inscriptions in the Latin alphabet on their blades, or have runic inscriptions on the hilt or scabbard, the Seax of Beagnoth is one of only a handful of finds with a runic inscription on its blade.

The Sæbø sword is an early 9th-century Viking sword, found in a barrow at Sæbø, Vikøyri, in Norway's Sogn region in 1825. It is now held at the Bergen Museum in Bergen, Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basket-hilted sword</span> Sword with basket-like hand protection

The basket-hilted sword is a sword type of the early modern era characterised by a basket-shaped guard that protects the hand. The basket hilt is a development of the quillons added to swords' crossguards since the Late Middle Ages. This variety of sword is also sometimes referred to as the broadsword, though this term may also be applied loosely and imprecisely to other swords.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knightly sword</span> Straight, double-edged bladed weapon

In the European High Middle Ages, the typical sword was a straight, double-edged weapon with a single-handed, cruciform hilt and a blade length of about 70 to 80 centimetres. This type is frequently depicted in period artwork, and numerous examples have been preserved archaeologically.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trewhiddle style</span> Style in Anglo-Saxon art

Trewhiddle style is a distinctive style in Anglo-Saxon art that takes its name from the Trewhiddle Hoard, discovered in Trewhiddle, Cornwall in 1770. Trewhiddle ornamentation includes the use of silver, niello inlay, and zoomorphic, plant and geometric designs, often interlaced and intricately carved into small panels. It was primarily used to decorate metalwork. During the late Anglo-Saxon era, silver was the precious metal most commonly used to create Trewhiddle style jewellery and to decorate weapons. Famous examples include the Pentney Hoard, the Abingdon sword, the Fuller brooch, and the Strickland brooch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ingelrii</span> Type of medieval european swords

The Ingelrii group consists of about 20 known medieval swords from the 10th to 12th century with a damascening blade inscription INGELRII, appearing with several slight spelling variations such as INGELRD and INGELRILT. It is comparable to the older, much better-documented Ulfberht group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weapons and armour in Anglo-Saxon England</span> Types and usage of weaponry in Anglo-Saxon England

Many different weapons were created and used in Anglo-Saxon England between the fifth and eleventh centuries. Spears, used for piercing and throwing, were the most common weapon. Other commonplace weapons included the sword, axe, and knife—however, bows and arrows, as well as slings, were not frequently used by the Anglo-Saxons. For defensive purposes, the shield was the most common item used by warriors, although sometimes mail and helmets were used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilling sword</span> Anglo-Saxon sword, dating from the late 9th to early 10th centuries AD

The Gilling sword is an Anglo-Saxon sword, dating from the late 9th to early 10th centuries AD, found by a schoolboy in a river in 1976 and subsequently acquired by the Yorkshire Museum.

References

  1. White, Andrew (1979). "Antiquities from the River Witham: Part 2 Anglo-Saxon and Viking" (PDF). Lincolnshire Museums Information Sheet. Archaeology Series. Vol. 13. Lincolnshire Museums.
  2. Britisn Museum 1848,1021.1. Kendrick, T. D. (1934): 'Some types of ornamentation on Late Saxon and Viking Period Weapons in England', Eurasia Septentrionalis Antiqua, ix, 396 and fig. 2; Maryon, Herbert. (1950): 'A Sword of the Viking Period from the River Witham', The Antiquaries Journal, xxx, 175-79; '
  3. Peirce, Ian (1990), "The Development of the Medieval Sword c.850–1300", in Christopher Harper-Bill, Ruth Harvey (eds.), The Ideals and Practice of Medieval Knighthood III: Papers from the Fourth Strawberry Hill Conference, 1988, Boydell & Brewer Ltd, pp. 139–158 (p. 144).
  4. Palmero, Elizabeth (12 August 2015). "Medieval Sword Carries Mysterious Inscription". news.yahoo.com. Yahoo News. Retrieved 13 August 2015. The 13th-century weapon was found in the River Witham in Lincolnshire, in the United Kingdom, in 1825.
  5. "Double-edged sword". www.bl.uk. The British Library. Retrieved 13 August 2015. This example was found in the river Witham, Lincolnshire, in July 1825, and was presented to the Royal Archaeological Institute by the registrar to the Bishop of Lincoln.
  6. "Double-edged sword". britishmuseum.org/. The British Museum. Retrieved 13 August 2015. It is likely that the blade was manufactured in Germany, which was the centre of blade manufacture in Europe at this time.
  7. Starr, Michelle (9 August 2015). "British Library asks for help deciphering a medieval sword". www.cnet.com. CNet. Retrieved 13 August 2015. On one side, it also bears an inscription:+NDXOXCHWDRGHDXORVI+
  8. "Double-edged sword". www.britishmuseum.org. The British Museum. Retrieved 13 August 2015. Overall length: 960 mm
  9. "Double-edged sword". www.bl.uk. The British Library. Retrieved 13 August 2015. 165 mm (6½ in.) across the hilt, it has a double-edged blade and
  10. "Double-edged sword". www.bl.uk. The British Library. Retrieved 13 August 2015. Weighing 1.2 kg (2 lb 10 oz), and measuring 964 mm (38 in.) in length and 165 mm (6.5 in.) across the hilt, it has a double-edged blade and, if struck with sufficient force, could have sliced a man's head in two...
  11. "Double-edged sword". www.britishmuseum.org. The British Museum. Retrieved 13 August 2015. Blade length: 815 mm