Army sword. The hilt consists of a gilt knuckle-bow guard with an olive-shaped pommel to which the bow is secured by a screw, cast in one piece with double quillons and a modified ricasson. The heart-shaped 'boat' shell has a slit at the leading edge through which passes the leading quillon and a hole at the opposite edge above the trailing quillon. Both the quillons extend beyond the lines of the shell. The grip is bound with a steel button reflecting the shape of the top of the pommel itself. The blade is straight, of even taper and of rounded hexagonal section. A deeper fuller runs to the hilt from the dome (165mm) and contains the only engraving. Both sides are inscribed with the cutters-mark. The obverse is inscribed 'DE ?TOMAS DE? AIALL EN TOLEEDO', and the reverse 'DE TOMAS DE AILL EN TOLEEDO'. The scabbard is black leather with two gilt lockets with rings and perhaps at one time a gilt chape. The lockets are engraved with lines.

Although this sword has nearly all the attributes of a small-sword, there is little doubt that it is as described above. It does not exactly fit the description for the Household Cavalry sword of 1822 but this may be due to the variations introduced by different makers. Tomas de Aiala was a noted 17th century Toledo swordsmith and it seems likely that this blade is not one of his adapted for a later sword but a German copy with a spurious attribution to an acknowledged master. It is interesting to note that the midshipmen of the Danish Navy wore swords like this one in 1800. Both the Germans of Solingen and the Italians of Milan were fond of copying the signature of Tomas de Ailala.