Quarterstaff in the Americas

[Ben Strickling]

Hi everyone,

I ran across this short mention of the use of the quarterstaff and I thought it was interesting so I figured I'd share. It's from an account of a witch trial of Susanna Martin in Amesbury, Massachusetts in 1692. The text is a summary of the testimony of Bernard Peache (referred to as the "deponent"). He claims that Susanna entered his house and "laid on him" for two hours while he was made unable to move or speak. He eventually freed himself and drove her from the house. Days later, Bernard claims that Susanna again attacked him and during this encounter he drives her off with a quarterstaff:

"At another time this Deponent was desired by the Prisoner, to come unto a husking of Corn, at her House; and she said, If he did not come, it were better that he did! He went not; but the night following, Susanna Martin, as he judged, and another came towards him. One of them said, here he is! but he having a Quarterstaff, made a blow at them. The Roof of the Barn, broke his blow; but following them to the Window, he made another blow at them, and struck them down; yet they got up, and got out, and he saw no more of them. About this time, there was a Rumour about the Town, that Martin had a broken head; but the Deponent could say nothing to that."

It doesn't reveal much about how the quarterstaff was used, but I found it interesting that we have an actual account of the quarterstaff being used in the New World. I guess it makes sense and all considering that the staff would still have been around in the 17th century when much of America was being colonized, but you always seem to think of it in the context of England and the Middle Ages/Renaissance not colonial America.

Just thought I'd share

[Matt Bryant]

I'm pretty sure that a prize playing is mentioned in the Scarlet Letter as well.

[Ben Strickling]

I'm pretty sure that a prize playing is mentioned in the Scarlet Letter as well.

Wow, I hadn't noticed that the last time I read the book. I'm guessing this is the passage you remember:

Nor were sports wanting, such as the colonists had witnessed, and shared in, long ago, at the country fairs and on the village-greens of England; and which it was thought well to keep alive on this new soil, for the sake of the courage and manliness that were essential in them. Wrestling matches, in the different fashions of Cornwall and Devonshire, were seen here and there about the market-place; in one corner, there was a friendly bout at quarterstaff; and--what attracted most interest of all--on the platform of the pillory, already so noted in our pages, two masters of defence were commencing an exhibition with the buckler and broadsword.

Probably shouldn't put too much trust in Hawthorne since he was a 19th century writer, but still it's interesting that these feats of "courage and manliness" show up in his work. Hawthorne was obsessed with historical sources of 17th century New England, so I wouldn't be surprised if there's a source out there that describes a prize-playing or wrestling match in colonial America. If anyone happens to know of one, I'd be really interested.

[Shane Smith]

Interestingly, the guy seems to have thrown a Meyer-esque wheeling blow from above. Why would a trained man do so under the confines of a low roof? Why not thrust as Swetnam recommends I wonder?

Perhaps this was no trained man, yet maybe staves were commonly lying about in those days for defense by the minimally trained as some in our day keep a gun for such use,(and justly so by right) but have only rudimentary training in it's use.

[Ben Strickling]

Interestingly, the guy seems to have thrown a Meyer-esque wheeling blow from above. Why would a trained man do so under the confines of a low roof? Why not thrust as Swetnam recommends I wonder?

I thought about that too and I guess I assumed that he was untrained. On the other hand, maybe striking with the staff seemed like a better way to defend against two people at once. I guess he could have assumed that he had the space for such an attack since he was in a barn. Still I think I would have gone with a thrust.

[Benjamin Smith]

Perhaps the were outside and his blow glanced off the roof and missed them, or the blow was cushioned by thatch with the same effect. I doubt he would have been inside a building large enough for him to have attempted to make a blow, but he may have been near a building that provided some protection from his would be attackers.

[Shane Smith]

Perhaps the were outside and his blow glanced off the roof and missed them, or the blow was cushioned by thatch with the same effect. I doubt he would have been inside a building large enough for him to have attempted to make a blow, but he may have been near a building that provided some protection from his would be attackers.

I think the fact that they got up and got "out" implies they were in the barn. Still, they may have just gotten "out" of there! Also, he chased them to the window and that implies that perhaps they intended to escape through it? Still, you're right. It could be interpreted either way. In any case, I'm just glad the seemingly "good guy" won!

[s_taillebois]

Gentry,
It's very possible that Peache may have been flourishing with the purpose of to getting the woman to go away, rather than to actually strike with better effect (although he did seemingly give her a whack on the head).
Given the mores of the time, Peache might have been reluctant to use the staff to full effect (if he was capable) for two reasons. First, would have been the very real (to him) fear that others of her alleged coven, would have retaliated (sp)by blighting his crops, sickening his children etc. During the reformation/counter-reformation witch obsessions, that's why they often let the church/state handle the punishment of 'witches'...they were held to be less vulnerable to spells and revenge. Incidentally, one of the meanings of 'laid on him', would today be considered a nuerological paralysis.
The other reason for not necessarily attacking with better effect, would have been the concern of retaliation by her relatives. Either legally or actually.
Of course Peache might have been a delusional person...and so could have been swatting at the rats in the barn...
(However, he could have stopped her from entering simply by placing a dagger/or knife at the thresholds of his home. If she indeed believed she was a witch, she would have been reluctant to cross that boundary...without precautions of her own...)

[Eric Chisler]

I ran across this while searching the forums for something entirely unrelated. After reading it, I may have had an epiphany of sorts:

"At another time this Deponent was desired by the Prisoner, to come unto a husking of Corn, at her House; and she said, If he did not come, it were better that he did! He went not; but the night following, Susanna Martin, as he judged, and another came towards him. One of them said, here he is! but he having a Quarterstaff, made a blow at them. The Roof of the Barn, broke his blow; but following them to the Window, he made another blow at them, and struck them down; yet they got up, and got out, and he saw no more of them. About this time, there was a Rumour about the Town, that Martin had a broken head; but the Deponent could say nothing to that."

"The Roof of the Barn" and "Window" are both capitalized... could they be guards?

Sounds a lot like "From the Roof" (aka Vom Tag) and "Window" (aka Ochs for Fiore). Could these be more related to RMA than had been noticed?

Just thought I'd chime in!

-E.

[Sal Bertucci]

It wouldn't be all that surprising that the colonist of America practiced RMA (Obviously they wouldn't have call it that). I mean America was "discovered" in 1492...How many years was that before Meyer was even born? It is only natural to assume that principles of defense came with them from their country of origin.

[Stacy Clifford]

"The Roof of the Barn" and "Window" are both capitalized... could they be guards?

Sounds a lot like "From the Roof" (aka Vom Tag) and "Window" (aka Ochs for Fiore). Could these be more related to RMA than had been noticed?

I wouldn't read too much into the capitalization, several other seemingly random words in that same paragraph are also capitalized. Other old English manuscripts I've seen also have similarly inconsistent capitalization, so I think it was just a feature of the lack of uniformity in language rules at the time. Of course it's true though that you can only hit the roof by swinging through "the Roof;" makes you wonder if the writer caught the irony of his words.

As for why Peache hit the roof of the barn on the first try, if he was really afraid of a witch he thought had already paralyzed him once before, then it's fairly likely that as soon as he got his hands on a weapon he took a panic swing indoors without paying attention to his surroundings. The startled reaction could have been enough for him to regain his courage and his wits and make the second blow count.

[Corey Roberts]

In this period it was quite common in English to capitilize nouns as in German. If any of you have looked at the Decleration of Independence you will notice that most or all nouns are capitlized.

[Jason Taylor]

Best not to read too much into technique here, IMO.

I just looked up the case documents themselves--you can find them at http://etext.virginia.edu/salem/witchcr ... ripts.html, along with tons of other interesting historical documents of the time.

Anyway, this is a witch trial, and the term "witch hunt" has a negative connotation for a reason. There's a very strong likelihood that none of this ever happened and that Peache was lying through his teeth. He also says that

"about six or seven year sinc this deponent Living at the house of Jacob morall in Salsbury being in bed on alords day night he heard a [scratching] at the window he this deponent saw susana martin wif of George martin of Amsbury com in at the window & Jumpt downe upon the flower shee was in her whud & scarf and the same dress that shee was in before at metting the same day being com in shee was coming up toward this deponents face but turned back to his feet and took hold of them & drew up his body into a heape & Lay upon him about an hour & half or 2: hours in all w'ch taim this deponent coold not stir nor speake but feelling himself begining to be loosined or Lightned: he begining to strive he put out his hand a mong the clothes and took hold of her hand and brought it up to his mouth and bitt three of the fingers (as he Judg) to the breaking of the bones which don the s'd martin. went out of the Chamber downe the stayrs and out of the dore

And as soon as shee went away this deponent caled to the peopl of the house and told them w't was don and that shee s'd martin was now gon out of the dore this deponent did also follow her, but the peopl did not see her (as they sayd) but without the dore there was abuket on the Left hand side: and there was a drop of blod in the bucket & too more upon the snow: for there was alitle flight of snow: and ther wear the print of her 2: feett about afoot without the threshall but no more footting did appear"

Unless we want to believe the testimony that she was somehow able to come in his upstairs window, grab him by the feet and throw him around seemingly like a rag doll, then magically prevent him from moving or speaking while she beat him up for a couple of hours, after which she ran out into the snow and her footsteps disappeared after two steps as she vanished into thin air, then his credibility is in question.

This is a great source, by the way. It establishes not only the presence of the quarterstaff but the fact that it's a common enough weapon that it's used to drive off intruders. but the actual account may be a fiction, since the first one clearly was. Of course, he may have gone after them with a quarterstaff over some other dispute, so it's possible that something like this did happen, but we have to take its entirety with a grain of salt.

I guess it's even possible that he assaulted them over some other dispute, then made up the first story in order to cover himself for the assault by pinning witchcraft on her, or opportunistically jumped on the witch-hunt bandwagon to do so. It's an intriguing idea, anyway.

Jason