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Intriguing
hints at early 16th century English prize playings and
fencing skills can be found in much English literature of the period.
The following is a particular case.
From the little known anonymous work, the Pinder of Wakefield,
published in 1632, but believed to have been compiled from ballads
written over a century earlier, we find a retelling of the folkloric
character, George a Greene, and a grudge contest arranged
between the common men of the villages of Kendall and Halifax (p.
42-45). Although the work
is ostensibly fictional, one section of the narrative is told with
a view that suggests a working knowledge of the nature of the non-lethal
fighting undertaken in such rural fencing contests. This portion of
the tale concerns a quarrel which results in the arranging of a
prize playing fights between the men of three villages and how the
bouts of the contest unfold. The
material reveals some interesting things about such events and also
raises several questions. In doing so it provides students of historical
fencing a rare glimpse into a previously little known aspect of
early English Prises: It
came about that two wealthy Yeomen, Cuthbert of Kendall and Hoskins
of Hallifax, “who dealt much in clothing”, had by chance to come
through the One
of the men “happily bouted with him.” “And so to it they went stiffely;
but Tobit layd
about him so stoutly that he made the “In
the meane time came Miles the Miller,
Tom the Taberer, Smug the Smith with the
rest of the crue, and seeing all upon
Tobit, this is foule play and amongst
them they all rushed, insomuch that such a fray was hardly seene in Wakefield many yeeres before.
The Townsmen they rung the Commonbell, which George a Greene perceiving, he came running
to know the newes, and knowing it came
amongst the hottest of them laying about him manfully, untill
at last he had made the poore Kendall
men and Hallifax men to lay downe their
staves, and yet they were in all a dozen of proper fellowes.”
“‘Nay
you have not done yet’, quoth George, ‘looke
upon the orders, down with your staves, and dril
and draw them after you through the Towne.’”
This the “poore men they willingly did, and so they departed with heavy
hearts and broken Pates and shinnes, vowing
to be revenged withall threatning
them to come againe; and withall
challeng’d George and his companions to
play with them on Midsummer day next comming
at all manner of weapons whatsoever, especially these that follow:
1. The Cudgels. 2. Quarter Staffe. 3. Sword and Buckler. 4. Back Sword. 5. The Halbert. 6. The Fawcheon. 7. Sword
and Dagger. 8. The Pitch-Forke.” “And
the morrow after they would play a match at footeball
with them in the morning, for an angell
[gold coin] a man; and in the afternoone
to wrestle with them for the like tenne
shillings a man, or any other exercise whatsoever. ‘God have mercy
my brave lads’, quoth George, doubt not but you shall be answered
to the full; come saith my bunny bulchins
[dear young bulls], for this your challenge I love you, you shall
[go] along with me to my host Bankes his house; I have a five shilling piece to bestow on
you, with that they agreed, and they said they had their dozen of
ale apiece for him, quoth Tom the Taberer,
and the rest of George his Souldates [soldiers]
we will have our dozens apiece also, and so away they went together,
where they did liquor there insides as well as they had their outsides
basted, and so they departed, each taking leave of one another in
kindly manner with a faithfull promise
on each side not to faile on Midsummer
day. For quoth George, I
know that the Countrey will take notice, and I doe meane
to have printed bils, and because we will
have it done in ample forme and order,
and be sure that you bring of your primest
men, for I doe assure you that you shall heere
finde your match.” “And
so the Kendall and Hallifax men departed, but George and his Souldates
[soldiers] had the other round in good Liquor, quoth George, I am
glad my brave blades you have so bravely behaved your selves this
day, I like it well it is a good beginning to our orders.
Come honest Tom thou shalt keepe
the Register of all our pastimes and merriments.
I Captain, quoth he, it is done already, because those that
come after us in latter ages should heare
of our brave deedes.” Kendall and Hallifax men did contend “How
the
“Stitch
the “Then
out steps Smug, to whom came a Hallifax man, and to Sword and Buckler
they went close, but Smug did cover himselfe
with his Buckler, being a little man, that the Hallifax man swore
hee could see no part on him, but one
of his great toes, the which he gave a wipe at; but Smug in the
meane time gave him such a cut from the
eare to the cheeke, that they were
forced to give over before they had played out their three bouts.”
“Then
steps in Miles the Miller, against whom come a Kendall man, and
to the Halbert they went, and the first
and second bout was played well on both sides, but at the third
bout Miles hoskt the Kendall mans Halbert out of his hands, and with the but end of his owne threw him cleane off the Stage;
that there was a great shout among all the people.” “Then
out comes Cuthbert the Cobler, against
whom came a Hallifax man, and the Fawlchion
were then throwne out for them, whereat
they had a civill bout or two, whereon
both sides had sound knocks, but at the third bout Cuthbert being
somewhat angry received a knocke of his
left hand, but with his Fawlchion on the
right hand he clave the Hallifax mans head that downe
he fell for dead.” “The
last weapon to be plaid was the Sword and Buckler, and then stept
out my Host Bankes, for at that he was
expert, and a Kendall man out to him, at which they both parted
at reasonable termes the first bout, at the second the Kendall man cut my
Host a little cut in the legge, which
made him so mad, that at the third bout he followed on so close,
that he cut the Kendall man all the side of the head and his right
eare off; whereat all the people did shout,
and crying, Wakefield hath got the Prize.” “Then
out steps George a Greene, whereat all the people were hush’d,
and challenged both Kendal and Hallifax men, if they durst to answer
him at any of these weapons that were played before or any other.
None a great while durst stirre, at the last, quoth a “Then
all cryed, ‘ Some
Observations and Analysis: There
are many intriguing elements to note within the Pinder of Worth
pointing out is how the main character of George a Green, the local
pinder (so named for his occupation of
controlling stray animals and herding them into a pen or “pinfold”
out upon the “green”) is at first interceding between the quarrelling
parties. But out of the situation
George quickly arranges a contest among them (even participating
in the event himself). Does
he do this out of ritual and tradition as a way of channeling such
violent energy into a more-or-less martial contest?
Or does he seize on it more as a way of making money by commercially
promoting the event? Either
way, at the end the town of Most
interestingly for modern students of historical fencing is how we
are told that when the final bout ends, and the drums and trumpets
sound, we are suddenly told how the “Masters of Defence gave the
Prize to the Wakefield Townesmen.” It’s not unreasonable that these events were
associated with the London fighting guilds, but whether this was
true for all such rural events or was worked into the story by the
anonymous author (as any element of the tale could surely have been)
is unknown. Either way, the reference to the presence of
fencing masters at the end here would seem to provide some level
of officialdom or officiating to the event in a way that is not
expressed earlier in the text. We
might recall Roger Ascham’s comment
in his 1545, Toxophilus,
how that in England, “For of fence, all mooste
in everye towne,
there is not onely Masters to teache
it, wyth his Provostes,
Ushers, Scholers, and other names of arte
and Schole, but there hath not fayld
also whyche hathe
diligently and favouredly written it,
and is set out in Printe that every man
maye rede it.”
That English country yeoman such as these villagers were
armed and skilled with weapons was a commonplace.
In Thomas Deloney’s folkloric novel,
Jack of Newbury (from c.1597), for example, we read of a gathering of rambunctious rural English serving men and how the title character,
a doughty commoner and wealthy clothier, waited with his fellows
to greet the arrival of the King’s retinue: “Jack of Newbery
cloathed 30 tall fellowes,
being his houshold servants, in blew coates, faced with Scarcenet, every
one having a good sword and buckler on his shoulder…[and] who knowing
the King would come over a certaine meadow,
neere adjoining to the Towne, got himselfe
thither with all his men; and repairing to a certaine
Ant-hill, which was in the field, took up his seate
there, causing his men to stand round about the same with their
swords drawne.” (Deloney, Jack, p. 37). The cocky Jack of Newbery
and his men guarded his anthill “kingdom” with pride. The
range of weapons used in the The
Masters of Defense and indigenous English fencing methods were first
brought to attention by Joseph Strutt in his 1801, Sports and
Pastimes of the People of England. Strutt was the first to write
about the London Masters of Defence and the Sloane Manuscript 2530.
Fencing historian Egerton Castle in the 1880s was the next
to write on the subject and it was addressed again by Dr. J. C.
Cox in his 1903 work on old sports and then by Norman Wymer
in his 1949 work. Herbert Berry in the late 1980s did some of the most thorough
work researching the history of the London company of masters as
found in the Sloane manuscript and is one of the few modern scholars
to write on the topic. From the Sloane manuscript we know that the As
with the older tale, The Jolly Pinder of Wakefield, Robin,
Will Scarlet, and Little John, having trespassed into Oddly
enough, George tells everyone that on the morning after the challenge
there will also be a football match between
the two groups for a monetary prize followed by a contest at wrestling
(or “any other exercise whatsoever”) in the afternoon which would
also be for money as well. This raises the question that perhaps
the “Prize” in prize playing evidently does refer to a monetary
prize collected by the victor or victorious side.
Regardless, it is remarkable that after such a violent activity
as non-lethal ritual (or agonistic) armed combat it would be followed
by such clearly sporting events (although, anyone familiar with
early English football knows how rough a game it is).
This would suggest again the common “sporting” nature of
the whole affair and despite its angry origin, its violence, injuries,
and lone death, the contest does indeed end peacefully.
In fact, when the challenged side actually arrives on the
appointed day, we are told George a Green greets them “with a dozen
or two of Ale.” The
use of term “bout” to refer to each separate hit within each match
and the term “bouted” to refer to this
playing of three bouts is significant. For example, Stitch the There
were eight against eight fighters in the contest we are told and
seven fights are actually described, each with a distinct weapon,
with George a Green’s then being the last.
In George’s bout, he makes an open challenge to use any weapon
against any opponent, but ends up using the one weapon not yet played,
the pitchfork. The earlier bouts seem to be pre-set with each combatant
selecting before hand what weapon he’ll be using. A number of specific types of injuries are incurred
during the fighting. At first,
after the initial encounter between the two groups, the Halifax
and So,
during the course of the bouting we read of a range of blows and
cuts to the head, legs, and hands, bruised shins, face slices, and
thrusts to the face, arm, and thigh as well as techniques of disarming,
closing, and sweeping. Curiously,
nowhere are we told anything about the condition of the weapons
and whether their edges are blunt or sharp. There is no question
that certain controls were in effect to prevent undue injury and
ensure the fighting was not intentionally lethal. Yet, the level
of violence and the degree of impact employed with the weapons caused
injuries enough to stop several of the combats and kill one competitor.
Arguably, the apparent lack of reaction to these things could
be interpreted as an indication that such occurrences were not unusual.
We
might compare the The preceding was excerpted from a forthcoming book on the English
Masters of Defence. © Copyright 2003 By
John Clements. All rights reserved. |
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