Swashbuckling Cinema – Poldark Season 5

Every romantic adventure story should finish with a good sword fight, and Poldark Season 5 takes a valiant stab at such an ending.

Poldark is an historical drama produced by the BBC and airing on PBS Masterpiece Theater, based on the series of books by Winston Graham.

The title character is Captain Ross Poldark, who has returned to his home in Cornwall England after fighting in the American War of Independence. 

The plot of the 5^th and final season involves Poldark defending his friend Ned Despard from accusations of treason, while also turning secret agent to investigate a plot by the French to invade England.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

While the main characters are all fictional, there are some interesting bits of history woven in to the romantic storyline.

One of the main characters in season 5 is Ned Despard, a British soldier who served with Poldark in the American War of Independence and went on to be colonial administrator in British Honduras (now Belize). This character is based on the real Edward Despard (1751-1803), who got in trouble with the British government over his policy in Central America of giving freed slaves the same rights as white settlers. Ned has returned to England to face the protests of the white settlers, and Poldark seeks to help his friend.

And while the character of the French swordsman General Toussaint is fictional, Napoleon really was planning an invasion of England around this time, financed by the sale of Louisiana to the United States. In 1803 Bonaparte amassed his army on the cliffs around Calais with the idea of a flotilla of crafts to transport his army across the channel (this actually included the idea of a fleet of balloons), forcing the British to fortify its coastal defenses.

Poldark Season 5, Episode 2 

“Somebody Must Fight You” 

Episode 2 of Season 5 has Ross and Ned engaged in some fencing practice. There is lots of clashing of blades, high cuts and some slightly unbelievable disarms.

This may be a room meant for fencing, with a rack of swords in the background beneath the window.

LEFT HANDERS

Ned fights left handed, which might be for theatrical purposes to keep both of them facing the camera. A left handed fencer at that time could exist, as demonstrated in the number of period treatise that discuss dealing with left handed fencers.

For instance Angelo’s 1787 book School of Fencing observes “The master should not only use his scholars to take lessons with both hands, but should likewise use them to fence loose, called assaulting: this method would enable them to defend themselves with both hands, and they would never be at a loss against an adversary who might present himself in a different position than their own.”

THE SPADROON

Poldark and Despard take saber guards, their rear hand held behind the waist. They are using similar swords, appearing to be the 1796 infantry officer’s spadroon, with the straight blade, double shell guard and D shaped knucklebow. 

With the 5^th season set around 1803, the sword of choice for British infantry officers would have been the 1796 pattern spadroon (also called a sheering sword). The blade was long and straight, while the double shell guard could be hinged so that it would fold over and lie flat against the side of the body for ease of wearing.

The spadroon was a type of military sword that began it's use around around the late 17th century and ended towards the early part of the 19th century. The spadroon was a fusion of the saber and the smallsword, a weapon delivering both cuts and thrusts.  Critics of the sword say that it did neither very well. The lack of a curve and lightness of the blade made it less efficient for cutting, while the wider blade (compared to the triangular blade of the smallsword, used only for thrusting) could gave a poorly made blade a lack of stiffness for thrusting.

Pattern 1796 Officer's Sword from the Royal Armouries Collection

Not everyone was so critical. There were fencing masters who championed the spadroon. The Scottish Fencing Master Donald McBane (1664-1732) called it an extraordinary weapon.

Charles Roworth, a printer in 18^th and 19^th century London and a member of the Royal Westminster Volunteers, has a section discussing spadroons in his 1798 treatise “The Art of Defence on Foot with the Broad Sword and Sabre”.

An illustration of the spadroon guard, which he notes is the chief defensive position among the French, shows a low hanging guard, with the sword hand in 6^th position, the edge of the blade up and the blade more horizontal.

Although Roworth goes on to suggest this is not the best guard to use.

Roworth adds “The position of the spadroon guard being constrained and weak, should your antagonist make a forcible beat on your blade, he will in all probability disarm you.”

So maybe the disarms weren’t quite so unbelievable, though neither fencer seems to be using the spadroon guard.

In the spadroon guard illustration the rear hand is in the air, much like a smallsword guard. This may also be a French posture, as Roworth describes the left hand should be on the hip.

(A great source for information on the history and use of spadroons is the Academy of Historical Fencing. Their study includes Napoleonic era weapons. You can also check out the facebook group Spadrooners)

There might be good reason for them to primarily use cuts during the fencing. Ross and Ned are practicing, not fighting a deadly duel, and a miss-parried sword thrust would be likelier to injure than a cut from unsharpened blades.

FENCING MASKS

The lack of a fencing mask was not unusual for this time period (though it’s doubtful the fencers would be quite so aggressive). The fencing mask was in existence at this time but was not commonly worn by experienced swordsmen as it demonstrated a lack of skill.

Fencing Master Domenico Angelo’s 1763 treatise “L’ecole des Armes” has an illustration of a mask made of leather or thin metal in the shape of a face with openings for the eyes and mouth.

The development of the wire mask is usually attributed to the French fencing master Texier de la Boëssière (1723-1807), and was displayed in a 1787 painting by Thomas Rowlandson at Angelo’s Academy – note they are being tied on in the back by two ribbons, though the spring clasp had also been designed by this time. Also note that the veteran fencers are without masks, and the waiting fencers are probably inexperienced, necessitating the extra protection.

"Angelo's Fencing Room" 1791 by Thomas Rowlandson

Oddly, Ned places his thumb over the guard while fighting.

POLDARK SEASON 5, EPISODE 8

“A Foolish distraction”

  Here is the final duel between Poldark and General Toussaint. Minor spoilers, but I promise not to tell who wins.

Admittedly, the fight itself is not a hallmark of onscreen sword fights. It takes place at night in a barn, with weird shadowy lighting which might have been an attempt at atmosphere, but mostly just blurs the fight.

 

Much of the fight filmed from the back of one of the combatants with lots of moments of sword pointing at each other.

Poldark fights with the more brutal and direct style of an ex-soldier, while Toussaint is supposed to be the finest swordsman in France. 

Toussaint goads Poldark by constantly switching hands, for which the editing does not pick up too well. 

Poldark momentarily gets the upper hand with grappling and in-fighting, but eventually needs rescuing from an unlikely source. 

Mihai Iliescu is listed as the swordmaster for this episode on IMDB.

POLDARK’S SWORD

The swords used in this scene are more interesting and less recognizable.

Poldark’s sword looks to be a straight bladed spadroon. It has the classic D knucklebow with 2 additional bars. The bars of Poldark’s sword are attached to side rings rather than the solid shell guards. This offers even less hand protection, particularly against thrusts. However, Most swords (besides heavy broadswords and sabers) did not have robust guards during this period.

Poldark’s sword has an ambidextrous hilt rather than the lone side ring or bar to protect the outside of the hand. The lack of the ring or bar on the inside of the hilt would make it more comfortable to wear at the hip when sheathed.

This is an example of an English short saber with a vaguely similar looking design from the George C. Neumann collection at the Valley Forge National Historical Park.

English Short Saber from the George C. Neumann Collection, Valley Forge National Historical Park

TOUSSAINT’S SWORD

This sword is more interesting.

The French used an infantry sword in the 18^th century comparable to the spadroon, referred to as the épee du soldat, where a broadsword blade was fitted to a smallsword hilt.

épee du soldat c. 1750

Toussaint’s sword has an unusual looking side ring.

While this would offer less hand protection, it would make the blade lighter and more nimble for an egotistical swordsman like Toussaint, who would rely on his skill to defend himself. 

Here is an example of an early 18th century French sword with an unusual finger ring on the side of the hilt.

French military sword c. 1750 with finger ring

While it’s difficult to see, there is evidence of Toussaint’s sword being a version of the 5 ball spadroon, so called because the sword design had five spheres on the knucklebow and/or side ring. If you look closely at his sword you can see the balls on the knucklebow, and perhaps on the side ring.

The Poldark series is full of outlandish romantic melodrama, from marriage misunderstandings to star crossed lovers and vengeful villains. But if you like the Masterpiece Theater costume dramas it is well produced and well-acted.