Swords

In the 16th Century fighting styles with the sword were changing. Out was going the old style of fighting with sword and buckler as advocated by the likes of George Silver, who advocated such tactics as head-butting, groin-kneeing etc in conjunction with the sword. In was coming the style of fencing, using the new, longer Continental Rapier as advocated by people like the Italian Master Vincentio Saviolo. Elizabeth I so disliked this “un-English” school of fencing that she decreed that anyone found with a sword over three feet in length should have it bent round a blacksmith’s anvil.

Not to be omitted was the style employing the “Bastard” or hand-and-a-half sword (usually mistakenly called the “two-handed” sword) of the 15th Century. There is a myth that these swords were no more than iron bars with which to bludgeon your opponent. Present day Swordmasters, such as the Slovakian master Peter Korda, can easily disprove this and they state that those using the hand-and-a-half sword should be looked on as more akin to the Samurai in technique.

What kind of swords would have been used by the Reivers? Presumably whatever suited an individual best. Rapiers are fine for fencing with an opponent similarly equipped, but are they robust enough to use for cavalry work where a stronger broader bladed sword might be better?