- Joined
- Dec 2, 2005
- Messages
- 69,770
The Royal Armouries in Leeds (www.royalarmouries.org/visit-us/leeds) is a vast museum, with the largest collection of arms and armour in Europe. After my abortive trip there on Saturday to take some pics of bayonets for Vanguards son, when I forgot to put the memory card in my camera 
( ), I returned today.
In addition to all the swords, pikes, suits of armour, bayonets, rifles, and just about every weapon imaginable, from all over the world (including the only surviving set of elephant armour), there are a few knives included, which I thought you ladies and gentlemen might like a look at.
Apologies for the poor quality of the photographs (as usual
), some galleries are very dark, others less so, theres a lot of spot-lighting, and of course not only is everything behind glass, but some exhibits are a couple of feet behind it, which makes focussing particularly difficult with an auto-focus camera.
The descriptions beneath the photographs are provided by the museum, and in a few cases are somewhat vague.
Hunting knife, German, late 18th century.
Italian, late 18th century.
Cased combined cutlery set, English, about 1850. A combined knife, fork, spoon and corkscrew, all folding into a horn handle with leather case.
Italian, late 18th century.
South American, about 1970. This type of knife was very common among the gauchos of South America. It is still quite common in rural areas.
Bowie knife, English, Sheffield, about 1858, by Woodhead. The cutlers of Sheffield exported large numbers of knives to America. This good-quality example has an etched blade, and was sold to gold prospectors during the California goldrush.
Dagger (khanjar), Persian, 19th century. Weapons from the Middle East often have Koranic inscriptions or excerpts from poems. The carved ivory hilt on this khanjar has a Persian verse:
Shining is the sharp blade,
Its name is Yataghan,
That which splits a thorn,
Is the amazing khanjar.
Dagger (khanjar), Persian, 19th century. This blade is of a rare and unusual type. The point is split and formed into five small blades, the centre one swollen into an armour-piercing type.
Dagger (khanjar), Persian, 19th century.
Hunting knife and scabbard. English, London, about 1900. Retailed by Simpson. Chequered black composition grips. The brown leather scabbard is marked on the back with the letters HJB.
Hunting knife, about 1985, The Puma. (Looks like a Puma Automesser to me!)
Folding skinning knife, London, about 1870. By Wilkinson & Son & Co. The silver mounted hilt bears the makers initials and the grips are of mother of pearl. The brown leather scabbard is tooled on the back P KERR SMILEY.
Hunting knife, American, about 1850. A roughly-made belt knife as used by frontiersmen until the Bowie knife became popular. The hilt is made of deer antler and the blade is stamped English Cliff.
Hunting knife and scabbard, German, about 1850. The blade bears the inscription DAS GOTT DIR UND GEBE ALLE GUTTE WEIL JO HO MEIN MEIN LIEBER WEIDMANN MIT WEIDMANSHIEL! The ivory hilt is carved with the figure of a sportsman carrying a gun.
Folding knife, English, about 1880.
Hunting knife, German, late 19th century.
Shakespear knife by Wilkinson, Pall Mall, London, about 1870. Some hunters deliberately chose to tackle dangerous gamewhile armed only with a knife and assisted by trained dogs. Colonel Henry Shakespear designed and recommended this type of knife following his own hunting experiences.
US V44 Survival Knife, American, about 1944. A combination fighting and survival knife based on a traditional Bowie-style blade. It was issued mainly to troops serving in the Pacific theatre of war.
Trench dagger, German, around 1915.
Rock crystal a jewel hilted dagger (khanjar), Indian, Mughal, 17th century.
Knife (pichangatti), South Indian, 19th century.
Blade of a knife. North European 5th-9th century. Of a type known as a sax, popular in northern Europe in the early Middle Ages.
Navaja, Spanish, 20th century.
( ), I returned today. In addition to all the swords, pikes, suits of armour, bayonets, rifles, and just about every weapon imaginable, from all over the world (including the only surviving set of elephant armour), there are a few knives included, which I thought you ladies and gentlemen might like a look at.
Apologies for the poor quality of the photographs (as usual
), some galleries are very dark, others less so, theres a lot of spot-lighting, and of course not only is everything behind glass, but some exhibits are a couple of feet behind it, which makes focussing particularly difficult with an auto-focus camera.The descriptions beneath the photographs are provided by the museum, and in a few cases are somewhat vague.
Hunting knife, German, late 18th century.
Italian, late 18th century.
Cased combined cutlery set, English, about 1850. A combined knife, fork, spoon and corkscrew, all folding into a horn handle with leather case.
Italian, late 18th century.
South American, about 1970. This type of knife was very common among the gauchos of South America. It is still quite common in rural areas.
Bowie knife, English, Sheffield, about 1858, by Woodhead. The cutlers of Sheffield exported large numbers of knives to America. This good-quality example has an etched blade, and was sold to gold prospectors during the California goldrush.
Dagger (khanjar), Persian, 19th century. Weapons from the Middle East often have Koranic inscriptions or excerpts from poems. The carved ivory hilt on this khanjar has a Persian verse:
Shining is the sharp blade,
Its name is Yataghan,
That which splits a thorn,
Is the amazing khanjar.
Dagger (khanjar), Persian, 19th century. This blade is of a rare and unusual type. The point is split and formed into five small blades, the centre one swollen into an armour-piercing type.
Dagger (khanjar), Persian, 19th century.
Hunting knife and scabbard. English, London, about 1900. Retailed by Simpson. Chequered black composition grips. The brown leather scabbard is marked on the back with the letters HJB.
Hunting knife, about 1985, The Puma. (Looks like a Puma Automesser to me!)
Folding skinning knife, London, about 1870. By Wilkinson & Son & Co. The silver mounted hilt bears the makers initials and the grips are of mother of pearl. The brown leather scabbard is tooled on the back P KERR SMILEY.
Hunting knife, American, about 1850. A roughly-made belt knife as used by frontiersmen until the Bowie knife became popular. The hilt is made of deer antler and the blade is stamped English Cliff.
Hunting knife and scabbard, German, about 1850. The blade bears the inscription DAS GOTT DIR UND GEBE ALLE GUTTE WEIL JO HO MEIN MEIN LIEBER WEIDMANN MIT WEIDMANSHIEL! The ivory hilt is carved with the figure of a sportsman carrying a gun.
Folding knife, English, about 1880.
Hunting knife, German, late 19th century.
Shakespear knife by Wilkinson, Pall Mall, London, about 1870. Some hunters deliberately chose to tackle dangerous gamewhile armed only with a knife and assisted by trained dogs. Colonel Henry Shakespear designed and recommended this type of knife following his own hunting experiences.
US V44 Survival Knife, American, about 1944. A combination fighting and survival knife based on a traditional Bowie-style blade. It was issued mainly to troops serving in the Pacific theatre of war.
Trench dagger, German, around 1915.
Rock crystal a jewel hilted dagger (khanjar), Indian, Mughal, 17th century.
Knife (pichangatti), South Indian, 19th century.
Blade of a knife. North European 5th-9th century. Of a type known as a sax, popular in northern Europe in the early Middle Ages.
Navaja, Spanish, 20th century.
Cultural holidays are as good as a lazy week on the beach... Maybe - maybe not 
