Lochaber axe: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Latest revision as of 01:59, 30 November 2024

The Lochaber axe (Gaelic: tuagh-chatha) is a type of poleaxe that was used almost exclusively in Scotland. It was usually mounted on a staff about five feet long.^[1]

Design

The Lochaber axe is first recorded in 1501, as an "old Scottish batale ax of Lochaber fasoun".^[2]

The weapon is very similar to the Jedburgh axe, although the crescent blade of the former is larger and heavier than that of the latter.^[2] The Lochaber axe took many incarnations, all of them having a few elements in common. It was a heavy weapon, used by infantry for a defense against cavalry and as a pike against infantry.

Like most other polearms of the time, it consisted of two parts: shaft and blade. The shaft was usually some five or six feet (1.5 or 1.8 m) long. The blade was about 18 inches (46 cm) in length which usually resembled a bardiche or voulge in form. The blade might be attached in two places and often had a sharp point coming off the top. In addition a hook (or cleek) was attached to the back of the blade. A butt spike was included as a counterweight to the heavy axe head. Langets were incorporated down each side of the shaft to prevent the head from being cut off.^{[citation needed]}

The Lochaber axe had the virtue of being a cheap weapon that could be easily made by a blacksmith. They could be used to arm men who lacked a broadsword or a firearm. Hundreds were hastily made to equip the Earl of Mar's levie troops during the Jacobite rising of 1715.^[3] A few were carried by Jacobite troops during the early part of the Jacobite rising of 1745.^[4] Although by the end of the rising, almost all Jacobites were armed with muskets and bayonets.^[3]

Use

In hand-to-hand combat, the axe, in common with other polearms such as the halberd, has a spike on the end, to be used on close combat in a thrusting motion. The axe on the side, coupled with the long pole, delivered a powerful blow to infantry or dismounted cavalry. The example in the Edinburgh Great Hall Museum shows a substantial rear-facing hook, for catching/pulling.

For Lochaber axes used by the city guards of Edinburgh, the hook is almost level with the top of the staff, making them useless as a means to catch a moving object. These hooks, however, may have been used to hang the weapons in the guard room.^[2]

Notes

^ Logan p. 312
^ ^a ^b ^c Waldman (2005) pp. 195–197.
^ ^a ^b Reid, Stuart (2006). The Scottish Jacobite Army 1745-46. Oxford, UK: Osprey Pub. pp. 48–50. ISBN 978-1-84603-073-4. OCLC 77476784.
^ Pittock, Murray (2016). Culloden: (Cùil Lodair). Oxford University Press. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-19-164068-1. OCLC 953456230.

References

Logan, James (1831). The Scottish Gaël: Or, Celtic Manners, as Preserved Among the Highlanders, Being an Historical and Descriptive Account of the Inhabitants, Antiquities, and National Peculiarities of Scotland; More Particularly of the Northern, Or Gaëlic Parts of the Country, where the Singular Habits of the Aboriginal Celts are Most Tenaciously Retained. Vol. 1. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
Waldman, J (2005). Hafted Weapons in Medieval and Renaissance Europe: The Evolution of European Staff Weapons between 1200 and 1650. History of Warfare (series vol. 31). Leiden: Brill. ISBN 90-04-14409-9.

This article relating to axes is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

This Scottish history-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] Logan p. 312

[W1-195197-2] Waldman (2005) pp. 195–197.

[Reid=2006-3] Reid, Stuart (2006). The Scottish Jacobite Army 1745-46. Oxford, UK: Osprey Pub. pp. 48–50. ISBN 978-1-84603-073-4. OCLC 77476784.

[4] Pittock, Murray (2016). Culloden: (Cùil Lodair). Oxford University Press. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-19-164068-1. OCLC 953456230.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Scottish polearm}}
-[[Image:Edinburgh Castle Great Hall Pole Weapons.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Polearms and [[basket-hilted sword]]s in the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle. The polearm on the right is a Lochaber axe; the other two are [[halberd]]s.]]
+{{Lead too short|date=March 2023}}
-[[Image:J M Briscoe15 09 2007-19 46 33-01910 1 lochaber axe.jpg|upright|thumb|right|Replica of a Lochaber Axe being demonstrated at a battle re-enactment near Inverlochy Castle]]
+{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
-The '''Lochaber axe''' is a type of [[halberd]] that was used almost exclusively in [[Scotland]].
+[[File:J M Briscoe15 09 2007-19 46 33-01910 1 lochaber axe.jpg|thumb|upright|Replica of a Lochaber axe being demonstrated at a battle re-enactment near Inverlochy Castle]]
+The '''Lochaber axe''' ([[Scottish Gaelic|Gaelic]]: tuagh-chatha) is a type of [[poleaxe]] that was used almost exclusively in [[Scotland]]. It was usually mounted on a staff about five feet long.<ref>Logan p. 312</ref>
-==Specifics of the weapon==
-The Lochaber axe is first recorded in 1501, as an "old Scottish batale ax of Lochaber fasoun".<ref name="W1-195197">[[#W1|Waldman (2005)]] pp. 195&ndash;197.</ref>
+== Design ==
-The weapon is very similar to the [[Jedwart stave|Jedburgh axe]], although the crescent blade of the former is larger and heavier than that of the latter.<ref name="W1-195197"/> The Lochaber axe took many incarnations, all of them having a few elements in common. It was a heavy weapon, used by infantry for a defence against cavalry and as a [[pike (weapon)|pike]] against [[infantry]]. Like most other [[polearm]]s of the time, it consisted of two parts: shaft and  blade. The shaft was usually some five or six feet (1.5 or 1.8 m) long, and mounted with a blade of about 18 inches (45&nbsp;cm) in length which usually resembled a [[bardiche]] or [[voulge]] in design. The blade might be attached in two places and often had a sharp point coming off the top. In addition a hook (or ''cleek'') was attached to the back of the blade.  A butt spike was included as a counterweight to the heavy axe head.  Langets were incorporated down each side of the shaft to prevent the head from being cut off.{{cn|date=May 2015}}
+[[File:Edinburgh Castle Great Hall Pole Weapons.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Polearm]]s and [[basket-hilted sword]]s in the Great Hall of [[Edinburgh Castle]]. The polearm on the right is a Lochaber axe; the other two are [[halberd]]s]]
+The Lochaber axe is first recorded in 1501, as an "old Scottish batale ax of Lochaber fasoun".<ref name="W1-195197">[[#W1|Waldman (2005)]] pp. 195–197.</ref>
-==Use==
-In hand-to-hand combat, the axe, in common with other polearms such as the [[halberd]], has a spike on the end, to be used on close combat in a thrusting motion. The axe on the side, coupled with the long pole, delivered a powerful blow to infantry or dismounted cavalry.{{cn|date=May 2015}}
+The weapon is very similar to the [[Jedwart stave|Jedburgh axe]], although the crescent blade of the former is larger and heavier than that of the latter.<ref name="W1-195197"/> The Lochaber axe took many incarnations, all of them having a few elements in common. It was a heavy weapon, used by infantry for a defense against cavalry and as a [[pike (weapon)|pike]] against [[infantry]].
-The rear-facing hook of a Lochaber axe is too small to have been used to pull a person. In later examples of the weapon, particularly those used by the city guards of [[Edinburgh]], the hook is almost level with the top of the staff, making them useless as a means to catch a moving object. These hooks, however, may have been used to hang the weapons in the guard room.<ref name="W1-195197"/>
+Like most other [[polearm]]s of the time, it consisted of two parts: shaft and blade. The shaft was usually some {{convert|5|or|6|ft|m|spell=in}} long. The blade was about {{convert|18|in|cm}} in length which usually resembled a [[bardiche]] or [[voulge]] in form. The blade might be attached in two places and often had a sharp point coming off the top. In addition a hook (or ''cleek'') was attached to the back of the blade. A butt spike was included as a counterweight to the heavy axe head. Langets were incorporated down each side of the shaft to prevent the head from being cut off.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}
-==Citations==
-{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}
+The Lochaber axe had the virtue of being a cheap weapon that could be easily made by a blacksmith. They could be used to arm men who lacked a broadsword or a firearm. Hundreds were hastily made to equip the [[John Erskine, Earl of Mar (1675–1732)|Earl of Mar's]] levie troops during the [[Jacobite rising of 1715]].<ref name="Reid=2006">{{Cite book |last=Reid |first=Stuart |date=2006 |title=The Scottish Jacobite Army 1745-46 |location=Oxford, UK |publisher=Osprey Pub |pages=48–50 |isbn=978-1-84603-073-4 |oclc=77476784}}</ref> A few were carried by Jacobite troops during the early part of the [[Jacobite rising of 1745]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pittock |first=Murray |date=2016 |title=Culloden: (Cùil Lodair) |publisher=Oxford University Press |page=41 |isbn=978-0-19-164068-1 |oclc=953456230}}</ref> Although by the end of the rising, almost all Jacobites were armed with muskets and bayonets.<ref name="Reid=2006" />
-==References==
-*{{cite book |last=Waldman |first=J |year=2005 |title=Hafted Weapons in Medieval and Renaissance Europe: The Evolution of European Staff Weapons between 1200 and 1650 |series=History of Warfare (series vol. 31) |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |publication-place=Leiden |isbn=90 04 14409 9 |ref=W1 }}
+== Use ==
-{{Pole weapons}}
+In hand-to-hand combat, the axe, in common with other polearms such as the [[halberd]], has a spike on the end, to be used on close combat in a thrusting motion. The axe on the side, coupled with the long pole, delivered a powerful blow to infantry or dismounted cavalry. The example in the Edinburgh Great Hall Museum shows a substantial rear-facing hook, for catching/pulling.
+For Lochaber axes used by the [[city guard]]s of [[Edinburgh]], the hook is almost level with the top of the staff, making them useless as a means to catch a moving object. These hooks, however, may have been used to hang the weapons in the guard room.<ref name="W1-195197"/>
+== See also ==
+* [[Bardiche]]
+== Notes ==
+{{refs}}
+== References ==
+* {{cite book |last=Logan |first=James |year=1831 |title=The Scottish Gaël: Or, Celtic Manners, as Preserved Among the Highlanders, Being an Historical and Descriptive Account of the Inhabitants, Antiquities, and National Peculiarities of Scotland; More Particularly of the Northern, Or Gaëlic Parts of the Country, where the Singular Habits of the Aboriginal Celts are Most Tenaciously Retained |series= |publisher=[[Smith, Elder & Co.]] |isbn= |ref=L1 |location=London|pages=|page=|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n0MDAAAAYAAJ|volume=1}}
+* {{cite book |last=Waldman |first=J |year=2005 |title=Hafted Weapons in Medieval and Renaissance Europe: The Evolution of European Staff Weapons between 1200 and 1650 |series=History of Warfare (series vol. 31) |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |publication-place=Leiden |isbn=90-04-14409-9 |ref=W1 }}
+{{Polearms}}
-[[Category:Pole weapons]]
-[[Category:Blade weapons]]
 [[Category:Axes]]
+[[Category:Edged and bladed weapons]]
+[[Category:Medieval polearms]]
+[[Category:Polearms]]
 [[Category:Weapons of Scotland]]
-[[Category:Medieval pole weapons]]
-{{Weapon-stub}}
+{{Axe-stub}}
+{{Scotland-hist-stub}}