Page:A record of European armour and arms through seven centuries (Volume 2).djvu/349

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Fig. 691. Four-quilloned claidheamh-mor

Early XVIth century. At Hawthornden, Midlothian. From Drummond's "Ancient Scottish Weapons"

grip socket and the projecting point over the blade are seen approximating in a rudimentary fashion to those found on the larger swords of the later part of the XVth century. The pommel now seen on the sword does not belong to it; but in all probability the original was of the same general formation, that is to say, was of elongated pear-shaped form. Probably, however, it was multilobed, like that on the sword represented on the famous monumental slab at Keil Knapdale, a type of sword which in its turn was evolved from the mid-XIVth century Scottish form, an example of which can be seen in the National Museum of Antiquities, Edinburgh (Fig. 687). This again is a descendant of the true Viking sword. We illustrate portions of an early Scottish sword of the Claidheamh-mor type found in the Isle of Skye (Fig. 688). The true Scottish Claidheamh-mor was in vogue in the last quarter of the XVth century; but very often it appeared late in the XVIth or early in the XVIIth century provided with secondary guards which were introduced on either side of the quillons in the form of upturned convex cups, as