IN THE Royal Armouries collections are many different sporting daggers, one of which is associated with George Villiers (1592-1628), 1st Duke of Buckingham. A favourite of James I and Charles I, the Duke was not only a statesman and a soldier but also a sportsman and a patron of the arts.
This elegant dagger, with its associated bodkin and sheath, combines these last two functions. It is designed in a way that would