The Claymore Sword: Scotland's Two Legendary Blades
Ask three people what a claymore sword is and you may get three answers: a giant two-handed Highland sword, a one-handed broadsword wrapped in a steel basket, or the shoulder-fired anti-personnel mine the U.S. Army named after both. The confusion is understandable — “claymore” comes from the Gaelic claidheamh-mòr, “great sword,” and Scotland applied it to two very different weapons across two very different centuries. Here’s how to tell them apart, and why both earned the name.
The First Claymore: The Two-Handed Highland Greatsword
The sword most people picture — and the one that dominates games and films — is the two-handed claymore of the Scottish Highlands, at its height from the late 15th through the early 17th centuries. Its signature is instantly recognizable: long, forward-sloping quillons ending in four-leaf clover (quatrefoil) terminals, a long two-handed grip, and a broad double-edged blade.
This was the sword of clan warfare and of the gallowglass and redshank mercenaries who carried Highland steel to Ireland’s wars. Historical two-handed claymores typically ran around 55 inches overall and weighed 5 to 6 pounds — a true greatsword, cousin to the German Zweihänder, though generally a touch smaller and without the German sword’s parrying hooks.
The Second Claymore: The Basket-Hilt Broadsword
By the late 17th century, the two-hander had retired and a new sword inherited the name: the basket-hilt broadsword. This was a one-handed sword whose broad, double-edged blade sat beneath a full cage of steel — the basket hilt — that wrapped the entire hand. No gauntlet needed; the sword itself was the armor.
This is the claymore of the Jacobite risings and Culloden, the sword of Highland regiments that carried it into the British Army well into the age of muskets, and the pattern most collectors mean by “Scottish broadsword.” Basket-hilt broadswords typically ran 35 to 40 inches overall and about 2.5 to 3.5 pounds — a fast, well-protected one-hander, nothing like its giant namesake.
Why One Name for Two Swords?
Because to the Gaels, both were simply “the great sword” of their day — great against the smallsword and rapier fashions of the south. The name followed the role, not the shape. Modern usage sorts them by silhouette: say “two-handed claymore” or “Highland claymore” for the giant, “basket-hilt claymore” or “Scottish broadsword” for the caged one-hander, and any collector will know exactly which sword you mean.
Claymore vs. the Other Great Swords
Against the Zweihänder, the two-handed claymore is smaller and simpler — no parrying hooks, cleaner cross — but the same battlefield idea. Against the bastard sword, the claymore is decisively bigger: a bastard sword is a hand-and-a-half compromise, while the claymore commits fully to two hands. And the basket-hilt broadsword’s nearest relatives are the mortuary and schiavona swords of the same era — Europe arrived at the caged hilt from several directions at once, but nobody wore it with more identity than the Scots.
Owning a Claymore Today
A claymore is the sword that says exactly one thing on a wall: Scotland. Ours are hand-forged in 1095 high-carbon and Damascus steel — from full two-handed Highland claymores with the classic sloped quillons to greatsword-class blades up to 50 inches — sharpened, with sheaths included. Browse the claymore collection, see the broadsword collection for the family’s wider tradition, or build your own greatsword with the blade, steel, and fittings you choose.
Claymore Sword FAQ
What is a claymore sword?
A Scottish sword — the name (from Gaelic claidheamh-mòr, “great sword”) covers both the two-handed Highland greatsword of the 15th–17th centuries and the later one-handed basket-hilt broadsword of the Jacobite era.
How big is a claymore sword?
Two-handed claymores ran around 55 inches and 5–6 pounds. Basket-hilt claymores were one-handed: roughly 35–40 inches and 2.5–3.5 pounds.
How heavy is a claymore?
Lighter than the myths: about 5–6 pounds for the two-hander — comparable to a Zweihänder — and around 3 pounds for the basket-hilt broadsword.
What is the difference between a claymore and a bastard sword?
The bastard sword is a hand-and-a-half design usable with one hand or two; the two-handed claymore is a dedicated greatsword, longer and heavier, built purely for both hands.
Is a claymore the same as a broadsword?
The basket-hilt claymore is the classic Scottish broadsword — same sword, two names. The two-handed claymore is a different, much larger weapon that shares only the Gaelic name.
Why do claymore quillons slope forward?
The distinctive down-sloped arms with quatrefoil tips helped catch and control an opponent’s blade — and became Scotland’s most recognizable sword silhouette, so distinctive that no other tradition copied it.
