Officer's spontoon with the coat of arms of William III of Orange

A spontoon is a polearm that was used in the 17th and 18th century. This example is not quite 1.95 metres long and looks like a kind of spear with a leaf-like tip. The tip of the weapon is engraved with the coat of arms of William III of Nassau-Orange with a crown as well as the motto of the Order of the Garter: ‘Honni soit qui mal y pense’ (English: Shame on the one who thinks evil of it). William III was the first Oranier to attain the title of king. This was not in the Netherlands, however, but in England, where he forced his father-in-law into exile during the Glorious Revolution and assumed the throne. The spontoon was mainly carried by officers and non-commissioned officers as a sign of their rank. It was used both for defence purposes, and for signalling and issuing commands on the battlefield.