English Rondel Dagger, Circa 1350

Title

English Rondel Dagger, Circa 1350

Subject

Medieval weapons; Rondel daggers; Archaeological finds; Thames River artifacts; 14th century arms

Description

Rondel daggers take their name from the two round disks (rondels) that form their guard (1). This one was found in London`s Thames River, and purchased by Frederick Eugene Williams III (known as Jack Williams) while he was visiting England in 1995.. It dates from the mid-14th century. The overall length of the dagger is 12 1/2 inches. The 8 1/4-inch needle-point blade is diamond-shaped with hollow grounds. The guard and pommel are made of brass. An engraving of what looks like a nine-point star can just be made out on the blade side of the guard. The pommel has four petal-shaped segments engraved with lines. Long narrow daggers like this one are designed for thrusting, piercing, and stabbing. The thin, sharp point can fit through gaps in armor, and penetrate leather or heavy fabric.

Rondel daggers were worn suspended on the right side of the belt or slung from the front of it. There is some evidence to suggest that rondel daggers were popular with the emerging middle class in the mid-15th century. Merchants and tradesmen can be seen wearing them in a painting by Girat de Roussillon circa 1448 (2).

Creator

Unknown craftsperson, English

Source

(1) Daggers and Fighting Knives of the Western World
Medieval Daggers / Rondel Daggers, page 13-17

(2) Merchants wearing rondel daggers
Scene from a miniature by Girat de Roussillon, circa 1448

Publisher

weaponscollector.com

Date

circa 1350

Contributor

Frederick Eugene Williams III (known as Jack Williams), Collector

Rights

© weaponscollector.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). Attribution required: "From the F.E. Williams III Collection at weaponscollector.com

Format

image/jpeg

Language

United States English

Type

Still Images; Artifact Documentation

Identifier

111-0242

Coverage

Temporal: 14th Century
Spatial: London, England

Bladed Weapon Style

Rondel

Blade Style

Hollow ground

Overall Length

12 1/2 inches

Overall Width

1 5/8 inches

Hilt Length

4 1/8 inches

Blade Material

Iron

Blade Length

8 1/4 inches

Weight

8 1/2 ounces

Condition

Excavated Relic