Fencing in Regency England: Could a Woman Do It? by Christy English



During the Regency Period, fencing became the formalized sport that we know today instead of simply a means to defend oneself in a duel. Standard rules and forms began to be applied and gentlemen fenced, not just to stay in shape for combat but for sport and enjoyment.



The Weapons
(right to left) Medieval Longsword; Rapier; two Smallswords; Classical Epee, Foil, and Radellian Sabre; modern Epee, Foil, and Sabre
From http://www.sallegreen.com/regency.html




According to Salle Greene LLC, Domenico Angelo founded the Angelo School of Arms in 1763. His grandson, Henry Angelo, was the third generation of that family to teach fencing to the haute ton of England’s elite, training gentleman fencers during the Regency.  



In my novel, HOW TO TAME A WILLFUL WIFE, I take the liberty of allowing my leading lady to fence. This is relatively unlikely in the state of the world at the time, but my heroine is the daughter of a military man, a girl raised as much by her father’s veterans as by her mother.



Regency Fencing Kit
http://kerrytaylorauctions.com/detail.php?id=35713 



As far as I can tell, there is no physical reason that a woman could not have fenced secretly during the Regency period. But beyond the realm of fiction, it is highly unlikely that women would have been trained in combat at all. How does one fence in stays and a gown, for example? And more importantly, why would a woman risk her reputation by doing something so masculine and outlandish?



But in the realm of fiction, it was a lot of fun to conceive of a heroine who set aside her fears of social censure and to pick up a rapier. Courage or folly, that is the kind of woman I love to read about.



After years of acting in Shakespeare’s plays, Christy is excited to bring the Bard to Regency England. She can often be found hunched over her computer, immersed in the past. Her latest novel is HOW TO TAME A WILLFUL WIFE, a re-telling of The Taming of the Shrew. She is also the author of the historical novels TO BE QUEEN and THE QUEEN’S PAWN. Please join her on her website http://www.ChristyEnglish.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ShakespeareInLoveSeries

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