Basket-hilted Sword

A Scottish broadsword of the claidheamh cuil or ‘back-sword’ type.

The basket-hilted sword was a heavy, broad, military sword developed the 16th century and remained in widespread use throughout the 18th century.

The Sinclair Hilt was one of the earliest basket-hilt designs. It’s believed that these swords were brought back to Scotland from Germany by George Sinclair’s mercenaries who had served there. They influenced the development of the Scottish basket-hilt sword, the claidheamh cuil—claidheamh meaning ‘sword’ and cuil meaning ‘back,’ so a ‘back-sword’. On average, the blade measured 38inches. It was given the nomenclature ‘back-sword’ because the sword was characterized by having a straight single-edged blade facing away from the open side of the hilt with a flat spine, and not to be interpreted as a sword worn on the back. Being easier and cheaper to make than the double-edged broadswords, back-swords became the favored sidearm of common infantry including the Highland Scots.

 George Sinclair’s forces land in Norway, 1612. The soldier in the center is armed with a Sinclair hilt broadsword.

George Sinclair (c. 1580–1612) was a Scottish mercenary who was the illegitimate son of a Caithness laird, David Sinclair of Stirkoke, and nephew of the Earl of Caithness. Like many of his compatriots, Sinclair sought wealth and fame serving in the armies of Europe. When James VI passed a decree in 1607 allowing his subjects to serve overseas, Sinclair raised a contingent of men from his clan.

After the Jacobite Wars, the basket-hilted sword used by highlanders became a symbol of Scotland.

Historical evidence reveals that fencing practiced in Scotland was done with the Scottish basket-hilted broadsword during the 17th to 18th centuries. Scottish Fencing manuals detailing the use of the basket-hilted Scottish broadsword were published throughout the 18th century.

It has been suggested that certain Scottish Clans and families had specific training systems that were distinct from one another. For example, it is said that some members of Clan Macdonald were ambidextrous, and were thus able to fence with either left or right hand. The Kerr family is known in its family tradition to have predominantly left-handed swordsmen (as apparent in the construction of their castles), which has led to the term Kerr-Fisted.

Example manual

Match

“The Advantage of Shifting the Leg,” plate from Henry Angelo & Son’s Hungarian and Highland Broadsword (1799)

The term claymore is anglicized from the Scottish Gaelic claidheamh mòr (attested in 1772 as Cly-more) or "great sword" refers to the Scottish variant of the late medieval two-handed longsword. Authors argue that the basket-hilted sword (attested in 1773) is "incorrectly" called claymore have been known to suggest that claybeg (from a purported Gaelic claidheamh beag "small sword") should be used instead.