Of all the swords used during the 18th century, the most beautiful and genteel are the silver hilts no matter what the form of blade. Whether it is a cuttoe, saber, spadroon, or a smallsword, the hilt forms all stand out in silver. While brass and iron-hilted swords are much more common and easily obtainable, American silver hilts from the 18th century are fairly scarce today. Occasionally I see them come up for auction and they bring some solid results.
There are fantastic makers from all over New England with the majority around the Boston area. When I think of Smallswords, names like Jacob Hurd, William Swan, and William Cowell Jr. come to mind. These swords are all very similar in form and are stamped with touchmarks (for the most part) that can help us identify the maker. Pictured here is an example made by Boston silversmith William Cowell. It still retains most of its original leather-covered wood scabbard and is a rare survivor from the 1740s-50s. A look on the top of the knuckle bow shows the touch mark of Cowell which is where he placed his makers mark. On swords made by Hurd, the mark is on the counterguard and a wonderful example of his work is on display at the Massachusetts Historical Society. What makes this sword even better is it has a provenance to Colonel William Prescott of Bunker Hill fame. Another Hurd example came to an appraisal day in Newport a few years ago with a provenance to a Massachusetts officer in the militia.
Rhode Island also has its own unique makers including Seril and Nehemiah Dodge who were working in Providence. Recent research by Rhode Island antique arms expert, Stuart Mowbray, has helped us to understand another amazing American form of silver hilt cuttoe with a lion-pommel and a wonderful, silvered copper counterguard. While these swords are unmarked, Mowbray’s research gives us the style of his work, so we are better informed when one appears. Nehemiah Dodge did mark some of his swords. One shown in in Mowbray’s research is a 1790s naval officers eagle pommel sword with “N Dodge” under the counterguard to identify him as the maker. These are fairly rare swords and seem to be scattered around Rhode Island, southern Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
If you have a silver-hilted sword hanging around your house or as a part of your collection, send me an email as I would love to see it!
