This detail shows the steel blade of a broadsword said to have been carried by a Highland officer at the storming of Quebec in 1759.
The repeated stamps on the double-edged blade are the manufacturer's marks, indicating that the sword's blade come from the Solingen area of north-eastern Germany, from which area sword blades were imported in quantity throughout the 18th century.
Before 1798, when a regulation pattern of hilt and blade was introduced, officers of Highland regiments generally carried broadswords of their own choosing. Many had elaborate swords made for them or used treasured family weapons.
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