British Mameluke Sword for a Royal Equerry to Queen Victoria
Curved, single fullered, hatchet-pointed blade with false edge and stepped spine. Mameluke hilt cast with decorative leaves and inset with the crown and cypher of Queen Victoria. Ivory scale grips, brown leather washer. Iron scabbard with simple throat piece held by screws, two brass bands of rosette form with hanging rings. Blade 32¼ inches in length, the sword 37½ inches overall.
The blade is etched on both sides with foliate motifs, and the crown & imperial cypher of Victoria ‘VR’. A space for a proof slug is found at the ricasso on one side (under the langet) surrounded by an etched six-pointed star, but the slug has been lost.
These uncommon swords were part of the dress uniform of royal equerries – military officers selected to serve as personal attendants and assistants to the monarch, similar to an aide-de-camp. It was considered a tiring, difficult but highly prestigious duty. The term originated from their equestrian role controlling the royal stables, but over time this became a separate job and from 1825 this was done by the ‘Crown Equerry’ alone.
Equerry’s swords are of the ‘mameluke’ style, similar to those of staff officers or Lord Lieutenants but with the monarch’s cypher inset in the hilt to signify direct service to the sovereign. See Bonhams sale of 13 June 2016, lot 1078, for another Queen Victoria example, Olympia Auctions sale of 29 June 2022, Lot 322, for an example for King Edward VII, and Bonhams sale of 5 Dec 2012, lots 197 & 198, for two George V examples.
Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901 and would have had three equerries at any one time, with a number of ‘extra equerries’ in reserve, usually retirees from the position. Senior royals including the Prince Consort and Victoria’s sons (once they were old enough to assume royal duties) also had one equerry each.
I am unsure how many equerries Victoria ultimately had in total throughout her long reign, but it should be noted that some men were long-serving in the role: Lord Alfred Paget, for instance, served as Chief Equerry with only brief interruptions from 1846 until his death in 1888. Today equerries serve on a fixed three-year term, but at that time terms were flexible, essentially at the monarch’s pleasure.
Some spots of light patination to the blade. One of the ivory grip slabs has a break at the sword knot hole – the broken piece remains attached but can move slightly. Some patination to the scabbard. There should be a brass chape piece on the scabbard held by two screws – this is missing and so the end of the scabbard is open. The two screw holes are visible at the chape end.
Due to the ivory used in the grip this sword cannot be exported from the UK. It has been declared and registered as antique ivory under the provisions of the UK Ivory Act and therefore can be sold within the UK. Please note that this is a one-time registration: if you purchase this sword and wish to resell it you must register it again.
