Sword
Material: Steel
Construction: Forged
Marks: Marked in fullers, AND REA FER ARA
Features: A mortuary sword with double fuller marked "FAR ARA AND RIA." Wire wrapped handle.
Period: c. 1640
Blade Size: 35" L
Overall Size: 40" L x 5" W
Weight: 2.5 pounds
Condition: Grip re-wrapped, sword shows darkening and discoloration.
History: A similar weapon was the cut-and-thrust mortuary sword which was used after 1625 by cavalry during the English Civil War. This (usually) two-edged sword sported a half-basket hilt with a straight blade some 90–105 cm long. These hilts were often of very intricate sculpting and design.After the execution of King Charles I (1649), basket-hilted swords were made which depicted the face or death mask of the "martyred" king on the hilt. These swords came to be known as "mortuary swords", and the term has been extended to refer to the entire type of Civil War–era broadswords by some 20th-century authors.This sword was Oliver Cromwell's weapon of choice; the one he owned is now held by the Royal Armouries, and displayed at the Tower of London. Mortuary swords remained in use until around 1670 when they fell out of favor among civilians and began to be replaced with the small sword.