Subject: knight
Culture: Tudor English
Setting: early Tudor dynasty, England 1510s-1550s
Object: dagger
Windlass Steelcrafts *
* Del Tin
* Royal Armouries Museum > Weapons in Society 3
"Dagger, with etched blade Traditionally that of Henry VIII
Probably English, about 1510-20; the wooden grip with steel pommel and ferrule of steel 1960 ...
The hilt of the dagger has a modern grip, replacing an earlier one apparently made from antler. The short, acorn-shaped quillons are made in one with a shell-guard which is slightly inclined towards the blade. The blade is long, hollow ground and single-edged. it is etched near the hilt with roses, pomegranates and foliage. The blade is marked, near the hilt, with two V-shaped stamps inlaid in copper.
"The rose and pomegranate (the heraldic device of Granada in Andalusia, Spain) were respectively the badges of King Henry VIII and his first wife Katherine of Aragon. It has been stated that the presence of Katherine's badge dates it to within the first two decades of Henry's reign, but given the deteriorating relationship between Henry and Katherine during the latter half of this period the dagger probably dates from no later than 1525.
"The original grip of antler and the use of the acorn motif indicate that this piece was probably designed for hunting activities. ...
Overall length: 465 mm (18 1/3 in.) Blade length: 384 mm (15 in.) Weight: 227 g (8 oz.)"
