The Wallace Monument Sword

This is a replica of the sword housed in the Wallace Monument in Stirling Scotland. This is a huge sword! The overall length is 66 inches with a blade of 54 inches. The steel guard duplicates the unusual design of the original, as does the onion-shaped pommel cap. Leather grip and, of course, no sheath. Was this the sword of Sir William Wallace, Guardian of Scotland? Buy it and decide for yourself for only...

$250 plus $20 post & packing **A shipping surcharge of $8 - $10 may be required for this sword due to its size
(Custom smiths charge $500 and more)
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, THIS SWORD IS SPECIAL ORDER ONLY. WE WILL NOT BE STOCKING THEM, BUT THEY REMAIN AVAILABLE.

THE HIGHLANDER CLAYMORE

Our new Highlander Claymore is an excellent recreation of the great two-handed swords used by the Scottish Clansmen of the 15th and 16th Centuries. It is a faithful copy of an actual sword of the period. The sword shown here is an "antiqued version" which has been aged by the addition of a dark finish on the pommel and guards, and a lighter color leather grip. It is also available in a bright finish with a black grip. It is equipped with a 41" SHARP blade, and is 55 inches overall, meaning you can tuck it away in our special baldric, shown in the claymore section of our site. A beautiful and authentic sword for just....

$275 plus $18 post and packing

The Lowlander

This two-handed sword is one huge weapon. The model holding it (isn't he handsome? {and is now 25 pounds lighter than when this photo was made}) stands 6'2". The guard cat examines the sword too. It is 60 inches overall with a 48 inch blade. In spite of its great size, it is well-proportioned and balanced, and only weighs 6 pounds. The wound leather grip with studs, steel ring guards with quatrefoils and downward curving main guard are typical of swords of the 15th to 17th Centuries. Comes equipped with a special bracket for hanging vertically.

$295 plus $20 post & packing (This is a big sword) **A shipping surcharge of $8 - $10 may be required for this sword due to its size

Twisted Hilt Claymore

A hardwood hilt with distinctive spirals gives this sword its name. A brass pommel cap and down swept brass guards with quatrefoils accent the steel double-edged blade of this, the newest addition to our line of two-handed swords. The blade is 42" long.

$150 plus $18 post & packing

The Guardian Claymore

All steel blade, cross guard and pommel cap (except for the leatherette-covered grip). This sword is 54” long with a 42” blade. Now comes equipped with a sheath.

$150 plus $18 post & packing

The Claymore Baldric

By popular demand, Bold Blades has arranged for the manufacture of a baldric which will allow you to carry your claymore comfortably on your back. Made of high quality black leather with nickel rivets and buckles, this harness will accommodate blade lengths up to 43 inches and chest sizes to 48 inches (and maybe a bit more). Shown with the Parade Claymore to illustrate how the baldric is used. Sadly the Parade Claymore is no longer available, but this baldric will fit all our other two-handed swords except the Lowlander.

$75 plus $8 post & packing

The word "claymore" has been used for many years to describe the great two-handed sword used by Highlander and Lowlander alike. However, in recent times the use of that term for these swords has been questioned. The word itself is said to have come from the Gaelic "claidheamh-mhor" which translates to "great sword" and does not provide further description. It has been assumed, because of its size and the need to use two hands to wield it, that the term applies to the Scottish two-handed sword. Historical documents seem to contradict this.

The word "claymore" does not appear in contemporary literature until the early 18th century. There is one piece from 1678 that uses the term but it is not certain if this work refers to the two-handed or to the basket-hilt sword. The latter seems more likely. Other early uses date from the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715. Later, the notes and journals of Lord George Murray, Lt. Gen. of Prince Charles' forces of 1745 - 1746, refer to the basket-hilt broadsword as a "claymore". Lord Murray uses the term in several instances, including one incident where he describes an action led by him and Cluny MacPherson. In a skirmish near Clifton England, he and Cluny drew their swords while screaming "claymore" and leapt into a ditch to lead their Jacobite soldiers forward. Because we know that Murray carried a basket-hilt broadsword, and further that the two-handed sword was by that time obsolete, he can only be referring to the basket-hilt. There are numerous other examples of the use of the word during that era, long after the two-handed sword was out of favor. There are no earlier references to the term "claymore" that can be taken for certain to mean the two-handed variety of blade.

Oddly enough, the link between "claymore" and the two-handed sword, may have been forged as a result of the Highland Tour of 1773 by James Boswell and Samuel Johnson. The journal of their travels, published afterward, makes reference to two-handed swords by calling them "claymores"

So, if all this is true, then why do we describe our two-handed swords as "claymores"? The reason is very simple. The use of the term is so ingrained in the Scottish-American community and elsewhere, that to do otherwise would create unnecessary confusion!