Claymore is a term derived from the Gaelic “claidheamohmor,” meaning “great sword.” It was first used to describe the large cross-hilted broadsword used in the Scottish Highlands and by Scottish mercenaries in Ireland from the late 15th century to the early 17th century. In its classic form, the claymore consisted of a straight, broad, double-edged blade, long, diamond-section quillons angling towrd the blade and terminating in quatrefoils, a quillon block extending to form a long spur on each side, and a tubular section leather-covered grip with a wheel-shaped pommel. The blade was generally shorter than blades of Continental two-handed swords of the same period.
The claymore almost certainly developed from a late medieval cross-hilted sword that can be seen on some effigies and tomb slabs in the West Highlands and the Isles. This sword exhibited two of the characteristics found on the claymore, namely, the long, downward-angled quillons and the central part of the quillon block extending in a long spur. The dating of claymores is a complex and imprecise, although there is a claymore of classic form depicted on a grave slab from Oronsay dated 1539. In the latter part of the 16th century, although retaining the characteristic form of quillon and blade, claymores sometimes had large spherical pommels.
A sword related to the claymore is known as the “Lowland” form because of the fact that several examples came from southern Scotland. Lowland swords had angular, round-section quillons, the terminals arranged as turned knobs set at right angles; some have open rings affixed to the center of the quillons on each side. They retained the feature of the quillon block extending to a spur on each side but, unlike the claymore’s, this spur was small and pointed. The pommels of these swords were large and spherical, the long tubular-section grips being of wood covered with leather. One form of the Lowland sword had quillons in the form of an arched cross, and in the center a solid oval plate bent down as an extra guard for the hands. Although Lowland swords have been dated to the second half of the 16th century and those with arched quillons and plate have been dated to the early 17th, little evidence is at present available that would lead to a more precise dating.
Most of the blades of both the Highland and the Lowland claymores appear to be of German origin, whereas the hilts were made by Scottish craftsmen. These craftsmen were very creative in developing a hilt that could be handled effectively with a large blade, as well as protecting the hand.