The following is a description of a sword in the Kienbusch Collection, Philadelphia. It has often been described as having been Cromwell's, though without evidence. It was certainly made for some one of importance in 1650. "The spherical Pommel, with a button on top, is chiseled on one side with a mounted man in armour and on the other with a helmeted head, each in a cartouche surrounded by mounted men and musketeers. A knuckle guard and two side guards, screwed and keyed into the pommel, are connected to each other by three S-shaped bars decorated like the pommel. A panel curving up from the basket to meet the knuckle guard is chiseled with two armed horsemen discharging pistols at each other. On the other side the basket is flattened and curled down in a volute. The wooden grip, spirally ribbed, is bound with fine twisted silver wire with a Turk's head at each end. Double-edged, hollow-ground, and unusually broad, the Blade has groups of longitudinal panels from hilt to point. The forte is boldly described on each side FOR THE COMMON WEALTH OF ENGLAND, with the date and the arms of the Commonwealth and Ireland below."

More Notes

Basket Hilted Sword
Cost of Equipping Troops in the New Model Army

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