Presentation sword, Captain Swanson, 1816

This sword was presented to Captain Swanson, in the name of the King of France, Louis XVIII, by Count Dupuy, Governor General of the French Establishments in India.

The sword is similar to that of the Pattern 1796 Light Cavalry sword, with a mameluke style hilt of silvered brass, and bears both a fleur-de-lys pattern and an engraving of the Royal Arms, garter and motto.

The French Establishments in India were five settlements originally acquired by the French East India Company in the 17th century. When the Company was abolished by the French Crown in 1769, the territories spent 50 years changing hands between France and Britain, before being returned to France in 1816, at the end of the Napoleonic Wars.