Scimitar, which belonged to Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort (1774-1857). The hilt of the scimitar consists of a narrow, angular pistol-butt shape, which is decorated with two walrus ivory plaques placed on either side of a full-width tang. The whole being secured in place by two iron rivets. The ivory plaques are carved with three horizontal ridges. The upper end of the grip is secured in place by plaited gilt wire made in the form reminiscent of a 'Turk's' head knot, which acts as a ferrule. The gold pommel cap is decorated with embossed flower, bird and animal motifs. The edge of the tang is decorated with a strip of applied gold filigree. The line of the filigree continues round the end of the pommel. A small loop is set into the tip of the pommel to accommodate a sword knot, which is now missing. The gold covered cross-guard has straight quillons and double langets. The quillons have flattened button-shaped finials placed at right angles to their line.

The irregularly curved, flat-backed steel blade is single-edged, with a thick section but no false edge. It is 'watered' overall to a pale grey finish in the 'kirk narduban' style. The wooden scabbard is covered with black donkey-skin embossed overall with arabesques and sewn down the back edge with gilt wire. The scabbard is indented at the throat. The twin gold-plated lockets are oval in plan and equipped with a fixed loop at the back edge. They are decorated with embossed interwoven foliage and scrolls. The long chape is pointed at the tip, has no shoe and is decorated with the same embossed flower, bird and animal motifs as the pommel cap but in much more detail. The scabbard is unusually wide for much of its length to admit the very curved blade. The angular hilt with its relatively small pommel indicates that the scimitar is Indo-Persian in origin or influence. The same may be said of the thick, stiff, heavy blade.

There is some suggestion that the scimitar originated in South Arabia - Muscat, Oman. It is possible that the blade was mounted in South Arabia having been brought from further North or East. A piece of paper found within the box in which this scimitar was received states that the scimitar was given to Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort by the Iman (sic) of Muscat in about 1817, who is thought to have been Sa'id Ibn Sultan (1804-1856).

Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort (1774-1857) was born in 1774 and entered the Royal Navy on the 21st June 1787. He became a Midshipman in June 1790 and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on the 10th May 1796. He became a Commander on the 13th November 1800 and a Captain on the 30th May 1810. He was made a FRS in 1814 and came to prominence as a surveyor, when he published the results of his work off the coast of Karamania - modern Turkey, in 1817. He was the Hydrographer of the Navy from 1829-1855 and he became a Rear-Admiral (ret'd) on the 1st October 1846 and a KCB on the 19th April 1848. He died on the 17th December 1857. See Beaufort of the Navy by A. Friendly (Hutchinson 1977) page 262 for reference to the presentation of this scimitar.