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Polearms and mortuary swords in the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle. The polearm on the right is a Lochaber axe; the other two are halberds.

Replica of a Lochaber Axe being demonstrated at a battle re-enactment near Inverlochy Castle

The Lochaber axe was a Scottish war axe that came into use around 1600. The name of the weapon derives from Lochaber, an area in the western Scottish Highlands, as the weapon was employed principally by the Scottish highlanders, who (generally without any cavalry of their own) required armament against cavalry. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (691x922, 155 KB) Summary Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (691x922, 155 KB) Summary Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... A mortuary sword is a kind of backsword which was used after 1625 by the dragoons during the English civil wars. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... This article is about the country. ... Axe For other uses, see Axe (disambiguation). ... Lochaber (Scottish Gaelic, Loch Abar) refers to a large area of the central and western Scottish Highlands. ... Lowland-Highland divide Highland Sign with welcome in English and Gaelic The Scottish Highlands (A Ghàidhealtachd in Gaelic) include the rugged and mountainous regions of Scotland north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault. ... Not to be confused with Golgotha, which was called Calvary. ...

The axe itself is similar to tools used with crops, such as the scythe, which is designed for reaping. The hook on the back bears a passing resemblance to a shepherd's crook, although within agriculture a smaller hook such as this may have been used in order to lift and carry tied bundles of a harvested crop. It is possible, then, that earlier Lochaber axes, like the billhook, served a dual purpose as both weapons and farming tools. A traditional wooden scythe A scythe (IPA: , most likely from Old English siðe, sigði) is an agricultural hand tool for mowing and reaping grass or crops. ... Hay bales after harvest in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany In agriculture, harvesting is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. ... Look up crook in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... An example of a Newtown pattern billhook. ...

Specifics of the weapon

The Lochaber axe took many incarnations, although all of them had a few elements in common. It was a heavy weapon, used by foot soldiers 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, and mounted with a blade of about 18 inches (45 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 modern recreation of a mid-17th century company of pikemen. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I Infantry or footmen are very highly disciplined and trained soldiers who fight primarily with small arms(rifles), but are trained to use everything from their bare hands to missle systems in order to neutralize... A pole weapon or polearm is a close combat weapon with the main fighting part of the weapon placed on the end of a long shaft, typically of wood. ... Classic Example This is a page about the long poleaxe. ... A voulge (rarely called a pole cleaver) is a type of polearm that existed along side the similar glaive in medieval Europe. ...

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. This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ...

Finally, the hook on the back allowed infantry to hook the cavalry off their horses. To accomplish this, as the cavalry charged, the highlanders would suddenly change formation from a large body, into smaller bodies of men with clear channels between them. The horses would naturally go into these channels, and the foot soldiers would hook the cavalry off their horses, then using their axes on them with devastating effect. The hook supposedly could also be used for scaling walls.

In history

Circa 1570, during the Battle of Bun Garbhain between Clan Cameron and Clan MacKintosh, the Lochaber axe was used by the fierce Cameron men. Donald 'Taillear Dubh na Tuaighe' Cameron, son of the XIV Chief of Clan Cameron, became notable for the his fighting prowess with the axe and became a hero for felling MacKintosh of MacKintosh, the Chief of Clan MacKintosh, with it.^[1] Clan Cameron is a West Highland Scottish clan, with one main branch Lochiel, and numerous cadet branches such as Erracht, Clunes, Glen Nevis, and Fassifern. ... Clan MacKintosh Crest Clan MacKintosh is a Scottish clan from Inverness with strong Jacobite ties. ...

By around 1767, the Lochaber axe was used mainly as a ceremonial weapon by the town guard of Edinburgh, Scotland.^{[citation needed]} Edinburgh viewed from Arthurs Seat. ...

In Popular Culture

In David Eddings' books of the series, The Elenium and The Tamuli, the Cyrinic knight Bevier uses a Lochaber Axe but "sawed a couple of feet off the handle." ^[2]

References

1. ^ The Battle of BUN GARBHAIN. clan-cameron.org. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
2. ^ David Eddings. The Hidden City p. 99