MacDonald, Clanranald, Basket Sword - Need help.

[Orvis]

From what I have read in several books on Scottish weapons, many of the weapons such as muskets (mainly hunting muskets), basket swords, dirks, etc were locally made, often my members of the clan where they resided. So my question is this. I am looking for photos of a Basket Sword used during the 18th Century, specifically Jacobite, that would have been own by a MacDonald in the Highland area of Inverness. I know they have examples in museum in Scotland, but obviously living here in the US has its limitations. I was hoping that somebody from Scotland would assist me on getting photographs of a basket sword that was documented as being own by a MacDonald of Inverness-shire. Can anybody assist me with this?

There are photos of 18th century baskethilt swords marked (on the blades) with Jacobite slogans, but unless one is held in a collection with documentation pinning ownership to a MacDonald from Invernesshire, I think you have set yourself a very hard task. Please also note that 18th century Invernesshire was a big area, going from Inverness (in the east) to the west coast of the Highlands.

As to the swords themselves, in the 18th century there was a specific group of craftsmen that supplied them. While a few may still have been made by local craftsmen, the clan gentry that ordered swords (which were not poor men's weapons) usually went to one of the centers of manufacture (Stirling, Glasgow, Edinburgh, etc) and procured one to suit their tastes. In the 18th century, blades for baskethilt Scottish swords came almost exclusively from certain areas of Germany (the Scots knew they could not match the Germans for quality or price), but the hilts were made and fitted by hammermen in one of the Scottish centers. One can tell a sword from Glasgow from one made in Stirling by the distinctive styles of their baskethilt.

Dirks, on the other hand, were made by local craftsmen - usually wandering "tinkers" - who would take a broken or old sword blade and cut it down, and craft a hilt to it, in exchange for silver or other trading materials, according to the means of the requestor. I've seen examples that ranged from very high quality to pretty crude, with blades that ranged from 12 inches to 18 inches.