A SCARCE LATE 17TH CENTURY FRENCH CUIRASSIER'S SWORD, 92.5cm broadsword blade, characteristic hilt of walloon type composed of a pierced heart-shaped guard with down turned quillon, the half basket hilt composed of rounded waisted bars linked to one side with a diagonal and to the other with a scrolling support, the latter linking to the broad thumb ring, the whole secured to the spherical pommel with screws, faceted and fluted wire bound grip with Turk's heads. This is probably an example of the so-called 1679 Pattern sword described in the French Ordnance records. It is interesting to note that this sword was discovered with an identical example - struck with a mark at the forte in Western Scotland. It has been hypothesised that these originated from Fitzjames's Horse during the Jacobite rising of 1745.