A Fine Attributed Early Wilkinson Sword of The Rifle Brigade.
A scarce pre-numbering Wilkinson sword etched to the Rifle Brigade and with owners monogram of an interesting Officer. This is a very good pattern 1827 Rifle Officer’s sword with Henry Wilkinson proof slug and makers details, there is no number to the blade as this sword was manufactured in 1853 before Wilkinson started numbering their swords from 5001 at the beginning of 1854.
The regimental name Rifle Brigade is etched in a decorative cartouche on the blade below the Victorian crown and above the VR cypher. On one side of the blade the owner’s initials RT are etched in highly decorative letters in a cartouche above the ricasso.
The initials are those of Richard Tryon the youngest of four sons of Thomas Tryon of Bulwick Park Northants, and his wife Anne the daughter of Sir John Trollope 6th Baronet. He was born on August 31st 1837 and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the Rifle Brigade on 21st November 1854, the day after his brother Henry a Lieutenant in the same regiment was killed in action at the Siege of Sevastopol, Crimean War, having previously taken part in the battles of Alma, Inkerman and Balaclava. Their oldest brother Thomas, of the Royal Fusiliers, had also fought at Alma and Inkerman and served through the Indian Mutiny.
His third brother was Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon KCB, Commander of the Mediterranean Fleet, who famously and tragically went down with his flagship HMS Victoria on 22nd June 1893 when his misguided orders for a fleet manoeuvre during exercises resulted in HMS Victoria and HMS Camperdown colliding and HMS Victoria sinking with the deaths of Tryon and about half the crew (350).
Richard Tryon became Lieutenant in December 1854 and Captain in July 1858 and retired from the army in 1867. He played in first-class cricket once for Marylebone Cricket Club captained by W. G. Grace against Kent at lord’s in 1871. He lived at The Lodge, Oakham, Rutland and was Sheriff of Rutland in 1881 and a deputy Lieutenant in 1901. Two of his sons, Richard and Henry, both officers in the Rifle Brigade, were killed in action in the First World War, Henry had previously been saved in 1915 by Alfred George Drake who was awarded the VC for that act of bravery.
The sword has a very good Rifles hilt with a Victorian crown and slung bugle cast in detailed relief in a cartouche on the guard, the slung bugle appears more detailed than others seen with additional lines of ribbon support than the standard versions. It comes with its original steel scabbard and unusually, although the sword is unnumbered, the scabbard has number 7486 stamped inside the throat. The Wilkinson sword proof register for this number confirms the sword was for Richard Tryon and that it was proved in late 1853, screwed together and embossed possibly in December 1854 and finished later possibly February 1856 but the latter dates are hard to read in the register. The scabbard would be the original scabbard made in 1853 when swords were not being numbered but was then numbered when the sword was finished to be sold to Tryon in 1855.
Regimentally marked and attributed Rifles swords to the regular Rifles Regiments are hard to find and much less common than Volunteer Rifles Swords that appeared in large numbers from 1859 onwards.
£595.00
1 in stock
