Basket-Hilted Sword (1)

The wristband was added to this sword's hilt at a later date to protect the wrist of the sword arm from a particularly dangerous cutting stroke which might sever the hand.  This was a very popular method of updating old fashioned hilts and shows that it was probably still being carried around the time of the Jacobite rebellion in 1745.  The hilt would originally have had a lining of stout buff leather