#left hand dagger

[riderart]

Lunar

[victoriansword]

Scottish Lowland Left-Hand Dagger, Late 16th Century to Early 17th Century

32.25 cm sharply tapering hollow ground cruciform blade with pronounced raised medial ridge to either side, the crossguard of characteristic form with down turned lobed quillons angled slightly forwards, the base plate of the crossguard formed to receive the cruciform shoulders of the blade in the Scottish manner, the half basket guard composed of flattened rounded bars with lower oval side guard set with a sprung pierced plate, this guard supports the three upper guard bars secured to the ovoid pommel with a single screw, the two fore bars set with further bars in the form of a stylised saltire, wire bound leather covered wooden grip. This dagger is a scarce example of a small grouping of similar arms described as Lowland Scottish and features in a detailed discussion by Claude Blair in his chapter The Early Basket Hilt in Britain which formed part of David Caldwell's publication Scottish Weapons and Fortifications 1100-1800, see figures 129 and 131 on pages 228 and 230. Please also see figure 279 on page 394 of The Scottish Basket Hilted Sword Volume I 1450-1600 The Baron of Earlshall.