This
blog is a place to muse and comment on the research and activity of the
Victorian Fencing Society. The Society’s purpose is to promote the research,
training and demonstration of the fashion of fencing in the Victorian Age.
We’ll be looking at sources from the period that exhibit the era of English
fencing, both in Victorian England and America, and to review the
demonstrations performed by the Society.
A
Definition of Fencing in the 19th Century
The
term fencing itself offers various meanings, both today and in the 19th
century.
The practice and study of fencing in the 19th
century was primarily the foil and the saber. Most manuals of the period cover
these disciplines, the English occasionally substituting the singlestick for
the saber. Epee developed later in the 19th century as a reaction to
the academic forms of the foil. However, 19th century proponents of
the sword such as Alfred Hutton and Egerton castle wanted to expand that
universe through a revival of “historical” fencing.
Egerton
Castle – A Definition of Fencing
“As it is logically impossible so to
restrict the meaning of the word fencing as
to apply it only to the more handy weapons, rapier, small-sword, or saber,
especially when keeping historical considerations in view, it is here accepted
in its broadest etymological sense – namely, the art of fighting with weapons retained in hand. This meaning is
equally applicable to the German Fechtkunst,
the Italian Scherma, the French Escrime, and the Spanish Destreza as to the English Art of Fence (or defence).” Egerton Castle from his “Bibliotheca Artis
Dimicatoriae (Library of the art of fencing)”
in the Fencing treatise from the badminton library.
Sport Fencing
For
an example of the traditionally accepted forms of sport fencing in the 19th
century, one can look at events offered in the 1896 Olympic Games held in
Athens. Events were scheduled for Foil, Saber and Foil for Masters (according
to Bill Mallon in his book of the 1896 Olympic Games, the Masters event was
approved because Fencing Masters were very popular athletes in France at the
time). Apparently an Epee event was also scheduled, but did not take place.
Epee will make its debut four years later. No Englishmen or Americans took part
in the fencing events at the first Olympics, but both were represented in the
1900 Paris Games.
Military Fencing
Meanwhile,
military minded fencers wrote many texts on the use of the broadsword or saber,
and often added treatise on such things as bayonet fencing. Even though the
sword was diminishing in use as a weapon of warfare in the 19th century,
Great Britain was involved in conflicts across the Middle East, Africa and Asia
during this time. Many of these battles were fought against people who still
carried hand to hand combat weapons, and so the bayonet and sword remained
vital weapons.
The
practice and study of the Victorian Fencing Society will focus on foil, saber
and dueling sword, but will not exclude those other martial arts still in use
in the 19th century.
