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Preserving Old West history for future generations.

Scottish Chieftain Knife Scabbard Remains

Scottish Chieftain Knife Scabbard Remains

This is all that remains of a beautiful knife and scabbard. Family records state that "the knife is heavy. The blade has a carved ebony hilt, studded with brass and bound at the bottom with heavy silver bands. In the top of the hilt is a large empty socket, possibly the setting for ball of some metal, or a jewel of some sort. The scabbard is made of wood, leather and silver, the latter elaborately engraved" (see the remains on the bottom right). Along the scabbard were deep narrow sockets with holders (2 upper pieces on right) for storage of two smaller knives (never found). These holders are inscribed in Latin "Sans Peur" and "Ne Obliviscaris" which translate to "Without Fear" and "Forget Not" respectively. Research has shown that these Latin phrases and the attendant carvings form heraldic family crests. The first on the upper left with the "Sans Peur" inscription also features a sejant cat which forms the crest of the Sutherland family of Scotland who inhabited the land south of Caithness, the "south land". The crest on the upper right piece features a Boar's Head with the Latin phrase "Ne Obliviscaris" form the heraldic elements of the Campbell clan, also of Scotland. It can only be surmised that at some point in history, these two families joined together either through marriage or formal alliance and this dagger represents that union. It is believed that this dagger dates to the 1600's.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 1st, 2024 at 3:21 PM and is filed under Collection Items. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.





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