Leland & Co The Unknown Sword Maker

[UCVRelics]

One of the pieces in my sword collection that has always intrigued me is my Leland & Co model 1840 light artillery sword. I know just about as much now as I did years ago about this sword maker and you would think that with that interweb thing that someone would know more about this maker. This sword is unique in the fact that the grip is brass and not wood with a leather wrap. I have seen a few cav swords with the By Leland & Co mark but not an artillery sword. The only other stamp on this sword is the mystery mark on the quill. All I can find is "unknown maker and unknown location".

 

[Story]

A quick spin around the web points to Lemuel Leland of Sherbourne, Mass, making rifles from 1848-1860. At least one signed New England rifle attributed to him.

Warning - twitchy website.
www.angelfire.com/wa/swordcollector/marks/page1.html
Lemuel Leland
Leland made a small number of M1840 cavalry sabers for the war. I have encountered four, none in their original hilts. Unfortunately, I lost the picture in a computer crash, but as I recall, the mark is simply the name 'LELAND' in block type.
Picture:
Lost in a crash

Given that Lemuel died before the war, if I were you I'd look at his sons.
Death: Jan. 23, 1851
Sherborn
Middlesex County
Massachusetts, USA
https://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi/http"//</cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=140961486

Pure speculation here, but I would not be surprised if Leland & Co's entire output where purchased for officers in the Artillery companies from Massachusetts & surrounding New England states.

Previous sale https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/11210949_180q-model-1840-leland-and-co-calvary-sword-w-brass-h

 

[Patrick H]

I think the sword in your photos is a beauty.

 

[mofederal]

Thank you for the information. I did not know of them.

 

[Scott Baker]

In 1843, John P. And Samuel J. Leland began making augers at a site on the west branch of the Little River in South Charlton, MA in the village known as Lelandville.
They manufactured bits an augers until 1861 when they began making ramrods for the United States federal government.
They then received an order for 500 Calvery swords which were produced and shipped to the Union.
They received a second order of 500 swords but the order was canceled before completion which forced the company into bankruptcy and a sale to Henry Stevens of the Dudley Linen Works in 1865.
I'm a sixth generation descendant of the brothers. As a boy, I explored the factory ruins at the dam on Little River and actually crawled through the underground granite penstock tunnels.
My family owns many of these swords in various stages of completion as well as augers that all have the same identical stamp, by Leland & Co.

 

[johan_steele]

In 1843, John P. And Samuel J. Leland began making augers at a site on the west branch of the Little River in South Charlton, MA in the village known as Lelandville.
They manufactured bits an augers until 1861 when they began making ramrods for the United States federal government.
They then received an order for 500 Calvery swords which were produced and shipped to the Union.
They received a second order of 500 swords but the order was canceled before completion which forced the company into bankruptcy and a sale to Henry Stevens of the Dudley Linen Works in 1865.
I'm a sixth generation descendant of the brothers. As a boy, I explored the factory ruins at the dam on Little River and actually crawled through the underground granite penstock tunnels.
My family owns many of these swords in various stages of completion as well as augers that all have the same identical stamp, by Leland & Co.

As a tool collector I would love to see pictures of the augers. Any chance you can post some pictures?

 

[R. Porter]

I can't help but notice that the artillery sword in the OP has a large and a small fuller on each side of the blade; like a cavalry saber and not like an artillery saber. I think that it has been speculated that the Leland company made only cavalry blades and not artillery blades. I gather that Scott Baker might be in a position to add greatly to the knowledge and understanding of swords supplied by Leland.