Private Purchase
Although sergeant’s swords were issued by the Army, officers were expected to purchase their own. In theory they were required to purchase a sword which conformed to an official pattern, however some regiments had their own peculiarities and some allowed their officers some leeway in specification, so there are variations between individual pieces. Also, minor differences between individual manufacturers' examples exist, partly due to their own unique interpretations of the specification for the weapon.
Read more about this topic: Gothic Hilted British Infantry Swords (1822, 1827, 1845, 1854 And 1892 Patterns)
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