Today we take a look at some antique swords from the Oakeshott Institute collection that all date from the period of the Golden Age of Piracy. These include a rapier from the early 17th century, a transitional rapier, a smallsword, a hanger, and a naval dirk. All of these swords were collected either by Ewart Oakeshott himself, or by the our sister organization, the Oakeshott Institute, following his death. Below are some examples of custom swords made by Arms and Armor that are based on swords of this period.
A custom hanger with antler grip
Custom hanger with shell guard and scabbard
Nathan Clough, Ph.D. is Vice President of Arms and Armor and a member of the governing board of The Oakeshott Institute. He is a historical martial artist and a former university professor of cultural geography. He has given presentations on historical arms at events including Longpoint and Combatcon, and presented scholarly papers at, among others, The International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Craig Johnson is the Production Manager of Arms and Armor and Secretary of The Oakeshott Institute. He has taught and published on the history of arms, armor and western martial arts for over 30 years. He has lectured at several schools and Universities, WMAW, HEMAC, 4W, and ICMS at Kalamazoo. His experiences include iron smelting, jousting, theatrical combat instruction and choreography, historical research, European martial arts and crafting weapons and armor since 1985.