Bygone Blades is a treasure house of antique weaponry from around the world with an emphasis on swords, bayonets and other edged weapons.
Bygone Blades is the brain child of Richard Wales who has been a passionate explorer and collector for many years. Richard has spent more than 20 years travelling the world, visiting some of the most remote and inaccessible places and has lead expeditions in Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Tanzania, Central Africa, South Africa and Madagascar. In 1991, at the age of 22, Richard and a small team took 13 months to drive overland from London to Cape Town, South Africa. Most recently Richard was the Director of Field Operations for an organisation in northern Kenya. He returned to the UK in December 2012 to settle with his partner Sue (now wife) and to make a business from his passion for collecting edged weaponry and other interesting and rare items.
During his career Richard has visited more than 100 countries, many of them on multiple occasions. Richard has spent time with several of the worlds’ vanishing indigenous cultures. He has explored the Amazon Rainforest guided by former head-hunters in Brazil and Peru; accompanied M’Baka Pygmies on traditional net hunts in the Ituri Rainforest of Central Africa and danced with the Maasai of Tanzania. In 2011, Richard was honoured to become one of the only white men to be adopted by the pastoral warrior tribe, the Samburu of northern Kenya. As part of the initiation of warriors (Moran), initiates undergo a test of their courage and ability to face and accept pain. This is done by using a razor blade to cut and scar their skin. These scars are then worn as a badge of courage and membership of the warrior class. To show fear or acknowledge the pain brings shame on the initiate and their sponsor. Richard had the honour of being sponsored by Chief Lileshepen of the Raraiti Community. He acquitted himself well and wears his 90 scars with pride.
