Ref: XXX - British Pattern 1859 Type II Naval Cutlass Bayonet.
British Pattern 1859 Type II Naval Cutlass Bayonet 2
British Pattern 1859 Type II Naval Cutlass Bayonet 3

Ref: XXX - British Pattern 1859 Type II Naval Cutlass Bayonet.

£495.00
In Stock
'J.E. BLECKMANN' (Solingen)
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This is a very nice example of the relatively scarce British Pattern 1859 Type II Naval Cutlass Bayonet for use on the Pattern 1858 'Enfield'Naval Rifle. These rifles had thicker barrels than the standard Pattern 1856 rifle and were rifled with 5 grooves instead of the normal 3 grooves. The British military wanted to create a dual-purpose bayonet for the rifle  and settled on a combination naval cutlass and bayonet as the most practical design. The length and weight of the bayonet must have made its use on the end of a rifle very awkward. In fact the bayonet had a massive 27 ““ long blade and an overall length of 33”; the same length as the barrel of the rifle that it was intended to be attached to! The British military contracted for about 80,000 of these cutlass bayonets, and it is interesting to note that aside from a small contract of less than 800 delivered by Reeves of Birmingham, all of the other contractors involved used Solingen made blades in the fabrication of their bayonets. In fact the British trade used so many Solingen blades during the 1850’s and 1860’s that a British Ordnance Department viewing room was established there to inspect the blades prior to shipping them to England. The bayonets with these Solingen inspected blades are marked with a (CROWN) / S / # mark, with the number being the number of the inspector who approved the blade. Once the Solingen blades arrived in England, the contractors who had the contracts to produce the bayonets would assemble, hilt and deliver them to the Ordnance Department. It is also interesting to note that the Ordnance Department reported a significant number of problems with the bayonets, usually associated with the quality of the blade. Large numbers were returned to the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock for repair and refurbishment during their service life.

The blade is marked with the logo of 'J.E. BLECKMANN' of Solingen and a Drawn Bow and Arrow with the letters B & M within the curves of the drawn bow. J. E. Bleckmann went into business as a cutler in Solingen in 1808 and remained in business under that name until 1880. 

This is a really attractive example of one of the scarcer British bayonets to be found. 

UK mainland postage included.