Sword, belt and scabbard
Maker
Ollivier and Brown
Production date
1854
Description
This sword and scabbard belonged to the man the settlement of Hamilton was named for, Royal Navy Captain John Fane Charles Hamilton (1820-1864). While Captain Hamilton never set foot in Kirikiriroa, Lieutenant Colonel William Moule named the military settlement at Kirikiriroa 'Hamilton' after Hamilton's death at the Battle of Gate Pa on 29 April 1864.
Hamilton, who had joined the Navy at 14 years old, was promoted to Lieutenant at 23 and again to Captain for his courage at the Siege of Sebastapol on the Crimean Peninsula. In 1854, seamen and marines of the HMS Bellerophon gifted Hamilton the sword and scabbard in recognition of these efforts.
The hand guard and blade of the sword have crown and anchor decorations, floral designs and a crest, while a lion's mouth decoration adorns the bottom of the handle. It has a six-pointed star on the hilt – the Star of Damascus – with the word 'Proved' engraved in the centre. The symbol, a requirement for British and American military swords, certified that the Damascus steel method of blade construction had been used. The sword was made by Ollivier and Brown, Sackville Street, London.
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Object detail
steel, leather, brass
scabbard length: 840mm
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