What Gives You the Right?!

[Allen Johnson]

Another question to throw out there. With the blades on the baskethilts getting smaller and lighter as time went on, dont you think that would change the method of use a bit? I can see how some of the guards would work much more effectivley with like a 1796 pattern broadsword (weighing about 1lb 10 oz) as opposed to some of the earlier clan broadswords that averaged in at around 3 lbs. Your thoughts?

[Chris Thompson]

Paul Wagner has suggested that some of the "Regimental" broadsword techniques would work more easily with the later broadswords, but I'm not so sure. While the pre-1750 broadswords I've handled were in the 2.5-3 lb range, they were so perfectly balanced that they often felt lighter than my 2 lb training weapon. By contrast, as soon as you get into the Regimental period the broadswords are mass-produced, and while they are still nice weapons they are clearly inferior to the older blades. They feel much heavier in the hand regardless of their actual weight. So I would almost suggest that the older basket-hilts are lighter in practical terms even if they weigh more. However, I'm speaking strictly of basket-hilts and not of sabers such as the 1796 pattern, which I haven't handled.
I can't point out often enough that the guards of the broadsword were in use from *at least* the early 17th century, as they are clearly described in British manuals of that time period. While Highland warriors probably used more medieval-style guards on the battlefield, they probably did use the standard British broadsword guards in single combat with the sword alone. The basics of the British cut and thrust system- an emphasis on defense rather than offense, opposition parries with the edge, and the use of the shift and parry riposte- can all be found in Silver and traced through every English and Scottish manual from that time onward. Paul Wagner has even suggested that they can be seen in the really early British longsword texts. The main change after Silver is the introduction of modern footwork such as the lunge in place of the old passing footwork, and the abandonment of the open guard, resulting in a reliance on the cut-over and moulinet rather than the downright blow. This is a significant change, but the underlying theory is still much the same. So I would suggest that the older broadswords would work equally well with either the earlier or the later method, and that the later broadswords would be inferior for either method, although still acceptable.

-Chris Thompson