COLONEL BLOOD'S DAGGERS

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3714, 12 October 1926, Page 2

COLONEL BLOOD'S DAGGERS

DEPOSITED IN THE TOWER OF LONDON Tho Royal Literary Fund lias deposited on loan in the Armories of tho Tower of London two daggers slated to nave been used by Colonel Blood and Parrot when they made an attempt to steal the Crown Jewels on May 9, 1671, In one of the descriptions of the attempt it was stated (hat. Blood wounded Edwards, (he Keeper of the Jewels, with his dagger. The weapons were bequeathed in 1807 to the Royal Literary Fund by Thomas Newton, a relative of Sir Isaac Newton. There are no records as to how these daggers came into the possession of Mr Newton (says ‘The Times’), the only link that his family had with the Tower being that Sir Isaac Newton was Minister of the Mint, then established within the Tower precincts; and he might therefore have obtained them from one of the officers of the Tower. They arc interesting souvenirs of the type known as the “Kidney Dagger,'’ which was in favor from (he end of the fourteenth to the beginning of tlie seventeenth century. Both are engraved with crude scroll work, one being stamped with a crowned T and the other with a crowned L, obviously the products of the same workshop. Tho longer weapon is engraved 1620, the latest, recorded date for daggers of this type. The sheaths are tooled with thistles placed horizontally. 'Daggers of this type, are by no means common in museums, and it is extremely rare, if not unique, to liiicl two daggers by the same school of swordsmiths associated. They would be convenient for Blood’# purpose. as there is no hill, and therefore they eonid bo concealed by the person and drawn with case.