12th-late 13th century AD. A long double-edged cutting sword with broad tapering blade, the cutting edges bearing a lot of evidence of e on the battlefield; the fullers decorated with later inlays of three potent crosses; the guard of type 1, the broad but short tang, tapering towards a plain walnut style pommel, D-shaped with slightly curved lower edge (type A"). Cf. Oakeshott, E., Sword in hand, London, 2001; Peirce, I., Swords of the Viking Age, Suffolk, 2002. 1.47 kg, 93.5cm (37"). From the late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister; from her collection formed early 1960s-1990s. The sword finds good parallels with a sword published by Peirce, from a private collection (Peirce, 2002, pp.124-125"). Most probably our specimen is a battlefield or a river find, or from a grave. Many swords of similar type can be classified as German craftsman, and we know that this kind of pommel was in e until the 13th century. The straight guard with thick straight quillons are typical of the style Xa (and XI) of Oakeshott, that, with its double-edged blade,bined the cutting and the cut-and-thrt styles.