Slotted hilted sword, the hilt of the sword consists of a gilt, knuckle-guard with anchors and shell motif decoration. The sword has a lion's-head pommel. No binding remains on the grip, which has a groove spiralling, round it. The steel blade is curved, with a 11mm wide groove running within 25mm of point and a second groove near the back, 5mm wide, running to within 191mm of the point, after which this point the blade is double-edged.

This sword was originally offered to the National Maritime Museum as having belonged to Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood (1750-1810), but the only evidence brought in support of this claim was that the sword had been purchased in 1870 at a sale at Mitford, Yorkshire and that the Butler of the Mitford Family had served the Collingswood's in his youth. It is more likely that the sword belonged to Admiral Robert Mitford (1781-1870), and that a Mr Ashton, whose daughter passed it to the National Maritime Museum, purchased it at a sale of Admiral Robert Mitford's effects.

Admiral Robert Mitford was born on the 26th January 1781; he entered the Royal Navy on the 8th October 1794 and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on the 13th January 1802. He became a Commander on the 16th February 1807; a Captain on the 31st March 1813 and subsequently invalided. He became a Rear-Admiral (ret'd.) on the 1st October 1846; a Vice-Admiral on the 28th December 1855 and was promoted to an Admiral on the 11th February 1861, he died in 1870.