Please Note: The sword now has pommel inserts of dark blue in color and we will update photos when able.
The Castillon Arming Sword has a blade which is forged from C60 high carbon steel; its notable profile taper begins with a wide and durable base for the blade which tapers to acute and deadly thrusting tip ideal for penetrating into the weaker points and exploitable gaps of of 15th century armor, especially when coupled with half-swording techniques. Like many swords of this type, the main cutting portion of the blade retains enough width to ensure that it will cut and slash with decisive ability. This profile taper also serves to give the sword a balance that makes it quite responsive and easy to wield.
The hilt has a crossguard and pommel of steel and a grip of durable wood which is bound over with tightly-fitted leather. Pommel inserts of bronze embellish the pommel and the sword is assembled into the hilt with a robust peen over a peen block on the pommel – a method which creates a robustly assembled sword. Included is tough scabbard of wood which is wrapped in high quality vegetable-tanned leather and capped with a protective steel chape. A sword belt of thick black leather with a metal buckle and belt chape.
The Castillon horde of swords is a particularly famous cache of swords which were found in the River Dordogne near Castillon. Dated to about 1450, this notable find included some eighty swords with many of them sharing similar hilt stylings, which is suggestive of them having come from no more than a handful of English swordmakers who were supplying swords in large numbers for the English military expeditions in France.
How did so many swords end up dumped in the Dordogne river? These probable English swords were likely being sent upriver in a barge from the then English stronghold of Bordeaux as part of a resupply for fortified garrisons at Castillon or Bergerac before being capsized or wrecked, dumping its military cargo into the river bed. It is unknown if it was mishap, sabotage or ambush which caused the foundering of the resupply barge and its loss may well have been a disaster for the Castellan of an English-held castle – but it preserved a great time capsule of mid 15th century swords for arms and armor archaeologists.
Rick M. (verified owner) –
There is a lot that can be said about this little sword… some quite good and some that really is not at all good.
As far as performance this is a neat weapon. The blade is stiff and KoA did a good job (as usual) sharpening it. The sword is very well balanced and handles extremely well, with a comfortable grip and much better fit and finish that one might expect from such a low priced product.
There are no issues with construction of this sword at all. The peen is solid, if a bit on the sloppy side. The peen block is not very well centered, but that is totally cosmetic. The pommel is quite handsome, with bronze inserts in the center of the inside ring of the Type J1 pommel (very common for English swords of the mid 15th Century) that to me just beg to be engraved. The entire hilt is very nice, in fact, with a cool grip that has a pair of risers near the center of the well wrapped and sewn wood handle. The entire hilt is very well done, indeed.
The blade at the guard is centered, with a very small and even gap between blade and guard. This is the point where Depeeka took a LOT of liberties in designing the blade, which really blows the historical profile on this sword.
If they were trying to keep in line historically with the swords of the Castilon hoard, they blew it. Totally!
Not one of the Castillon swords has a profile like this one. In fact, I couldn’t even tell you that the blade fits ANY Oakeshott Type. That silly half length single, wide fuller and acute taper just doesn’t fit historically. Anywhere.
But I say: “So what?”
At this price point, you get a fun, totally functional slashy/stabby ( if it was remotely historical, Cut and Thrust) sword that handles really well, comes with a GREAT scabbard (also historically wrong) and belt! For back yard fun, this is a real winner!
It was pointed out to me that the scabbard and suspension that comes with a supposedly 15th Century sword, was actually only used in the 12th and 13th centuries. Having said that, let me point out that the scabbard, incorrect though it is, is AWESOME!
The fact that an inexpensive sword like this even comes with a very nice, wood core scabbard is rare, but a quality belt suspension as well is unheard of.
All in all, this sword is an orphan in search of a place. Unless you plan on using this sword for historical reenactment or as a teaching aid or for a period film, this sword is fun, well built stabby-sticky coffee can and water-bottle killer with a sharp looking, well made scabbard that will go with any number of Halloween get ups for very little money.
I will deduct one star for historical incorrectness, but it really is a coo; little sword!