The Practical Swordsman’s Pocket Compendium, An Introduction, Part Two©

 

 

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The roots of the Anglo-American military style of fencing grew out of two separate traditions: the broadsword traditions of the Scottish Highlands and the English style of post renaissance fencing.

 

The English backsword method was built around the Medium, Inside, Outside, St. George’s and Hanging guards, as set out in English civilian manuals.

 

The Scottish traditions of sword-play, which were influential in the development of all later Anglo-American sword-play styles, were brought to the literary world with the publication of Anti-Pugilism or the science of defence exemplified in short and easy lessons for the practice of the Broadsword and Single Stick, (1790) by a ‘Highland Officer’, who has been identified as Captain G. Sinclair of the 42^nd Blackwatch.

 

The Scottish broadsword systems departed from the English backsword method in three areas.  The three areas thought to be part of the Scottish Highlander’s broadsword tradition, are as follows:

 

The way in which the Medium guard is held.  Captain Sinclair taught that the Medium guard is to be held with the elbow bent and the point directed upwards at approximately a 45 degree angle.  When held in this fashion, the Medium guard is limited in its ability to defend and has little offensive capacity, it is simply “between the inside and the outside”.

 

This is contrasted with the way the earlier English sword masters had taught the Medium guard, or as they called it the ‘Unicorne guard’.  They taught that the Medium guard was to be held with the arm fully extended and with the point threatening your opponent.  In this manner the guard was used to keep your opponent at bay.

 

The second difference is the in the way that the Hanging Guard is held.  Captain Sinclair taught that the Hanging Guard is to be held on the Inside line, guarding the swordsman’s left side.  This manner of holding the Hanging Guard is similar to how George Silver taught that the ‘True Guardant’ was to be held.

 

English sword masters taught that the Hanging Guard should be held in an extended fashion, on the Outside line (the right side of a right handed fencer).  This manner of holding the Hanging Guard was later described as a ‘hanging guard in seconde’.  This was the guard that George Silver describes as the ‘Imperfect Guardant’.

 

The third difference is in the use of the Spadroon Guard, a guard that was designed to protect against a low cut or thrust, towards your left or inside, or the inside of your wrist.  This guard is similar to the later Half Circle Guard, it differs only in that the Spadroon Guard is held lower, with the blade held more horizontally.  This guard, makes use of the basket hilt, a hilt that is considered to have been developed in the Scottish Highlands, to make a single-time, thrust-with opposition attack.

 

If you enjoyed this introduction to sword fighting, look for the next chapter of The Practical Swordsman’s Pocket Compendium coming soon.

 

I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!

 

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That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

Sources

 

Amberger, J. Christoph; Officers and Gentlemen: On the history of fencing at the U.S. Naval Academy, http://www.swordhistory.com/excerpts/corbesier.html, accessed March 7, 2005

 

Bertrand, J. Mark; Teach Yourself Swordsmanship (In a Lifetime of Easy Steps), Sword Forum, http://SwordForum.com, accessed March 7, 2005

 

Hagist, Don N.; “Donald McCraw of the 42nd Regiment Wields his Broadsword”, March 4, 2019, [Journal of the American Revolution © 2025], https://allthingsliberty.com/2019/03/donald-mccraw-of-the-42nd-regiment-wields-his-broadsword/, accessed April 12, 2025

 

Gross, Noah; The Walking Stick in Mandatory Palestine and Israel, by http//www.savateaustralia.com, accessed March 7, 2005

 

Mitchell, Russell; Reconstructing the Use of Medieval and Renaissance Hungarian Sabres, [SPADA, Vol 1, 2003]

 

O’Rourke, Matthew J.; A New System of Sword Exercise, with a Manual of the Sword for Officers, Mounted and Dismounted, [New York, George R. Lockwood, 1873]

 

Page, Thomas; The Use of the Broad Sword, [M. Chase, Norwich, 1746], https://archive.org/details/page-broad-sword, accessed April 12, 2025

 

Rowlandson, Thomas; “Outside Guard, St. Georges Guard, Inside Guard”, [Henry Angelo, Publisher, September 1, 1798], The Metropolitan Museum, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/739542, accessed April 12, 2025

 

Rowlandson, Thomas; “Half Circle Guard, Medium Guard”, [Henry Angelo, Publisher, September 1, 1798], The Metropolitan Museum, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/739522, accessed April 12, 2025

 

Rowlandson, Thomas; “The Guards of the Highland Broadsword as taught at Mr. H. Angelo's academy”, [Henry Angelo, Publisher, January 20, 1799], https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1856-0913-240, accessed April 12, 2025

 

Wagner, Paul and Rector, Mark, Highland Broadsword: Five manuals of Scottish Regimental Swordsmanship, [Chivalry Bookshelf, 2004], p 50

 

Wroughton, Captain Frederick; The Broad Swordsman's Pocket Companion, Volume 1, [Chigrey, London, 1830], https://books.google.com/books?id=YbFn6-NJV7IC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false, accessed April 12, 2025