Special Fencing Fest Edition: Walking Sticks and Their Use

 Greetings,

The following is an additional article primarily for those who attended Fencing Fest XVIII this year. It serves as a follow-up and some documentation for some of the things that were discussed during one of my lessons. For all my other good readers, it's an extra article for the month, lucky you.

There has been some long discussions over the past couple of months on some forums about the use of sword and walking stick as a combination, especially as form which existed in the period pre-1600. For many of my readers this dating won't matter so much as the existence of the practice itself. With some digging done by a good friend Lois Spangler, there has been evidence found that the combination was used and is evident in at least one treatise, actually three.

I will give the reader fair warning, this article is going to be a little long and a little heavy reading.

An Iberian Method

de la Torre

Pedro de la Torre discusses the use of the walking stick as a replacement for the sword when facing an opponent who is fighting with two swords, also known as case of rapier.

“Fighting with two swords isn't an old method, and he invented his method while having a four-palm stick in his left hand with which to defend himself – parry with the left sword and wound the opponent's left arm with the right sword”

So de la Torre states that the stick should be used to parry the opponent’s weapon while the sword is used to strike the opponent’s arm. It is simple enough instruction to follow, and flows simply enough on to the use of case of rapier.

Pacheco

Luis Pacheco de Narváez, (Nueva Ciencia, p. 499) discusses a similar method in which the sword is parried with the stick and the opponent's sword arm is attacked, much like de la Torre.

“he was found with a stick of four palms, more or less, in the left hand, and as he lacked a defensive weapon for it, thought to parry with it, and that in effect he was defended, and thus with this easy and chance experience, with it was established this science, or whatever it is; and the most substantial doctrine that was left written, is that his diestro waits for what the opponent throws, and with the left sword he parries the blow of the right, and with his right he wounds in the left arm”

Both of these writers discuss a stick which is four palms in length which makes it quite a decent length object, well in the vicinity of a decent walking stick. This establishes the foundation of the walking stick sufficiently, if with rudimentary instruction. For mere documentation of the stick itself, Carranza mentions the item as one which is used as a defensive device in his discussions, making three Iberian theorists who mention the use of the stick with the sword. 

The most interesting thing is that this method is one which had already been being taught for a little while previous to the discovery of this information, at least within the SCA. Most other HEMA groups thought that the use of the sword and stick was just something the SCA did, something which they did but was not actually provable and until more recently, the documentation was a little lacking.

Two Methods

Within the SCA there was two methods, one which held the stick by the blunt end as described above, using the stick like another sword; the other method held the stick a little further down and used the curved part of a walking stick to capture an opponent's weapon, and there was arguments against it. Here I present the counter-argument.

Argument:

There is a misconception that only the straight walking stick was used in pre-1600, so the action of using the hook in the form of sword and cane, more accurately bastón, as the Spanish would call it, is a non-period method. Whereas, there is evidence present in period documents demonstrating the existence of walking sticks which have angled heads from at least the 15^th-century, if not before. This would, as a result, indicate that a stick with such an angled head could be used in such a fashion as indicated.

Previous Evidence

Evidence has already presented with the assistance of Lois Spangler from Carranza, Pacheco and de la Torre as evidence for use of sword and cane as a method evident in recognised extant treatises. So there is no doubt that this method of combat is a form which was used pre-1600. There is even a rough description of the bastón in the material; at least its length is given.

 Another method which uses the sword and walking stick, utilising the hook on the cane was taught to me by the Paul Sawtell many years ago, and I have taught the same method to various students over the years as an effective method of utilising this combination. Some would dispute the method as one which is not to their particular liking, but preference is not a matter for historical debate, or scientific enquiry, or George Silver would have had the Italians run out of England at the first chance. So, we must put such preferences aside and examine the evidence which is presented.

Assumed Evidence

The “Classic” Walking  Cane

When the subject of the “walking cane” is brought up as a subject of discussion there is an image which forms in the mind of the individual of a stick which is used to assist an individual to walk. This may be of wood or metal construction, but to save some confusion and to point things toward our discussion we will discard the evidently-modern metal versions and examine the wooden version.

This form of the cane does not belong to the period of swordsmanship that we study. Indeed it does not belong to most periods of swordsmanship, unless you count modern swordsmanship as this form of cane belongs to the 19^th-century.

From a more practical point of view, the turn on the cane the curve which is presented, is actually too pronounced for effective use in the method which is described and presented where this part of the cane is used. It tends to bind on the opponent’s weapon too much, which is ironic of itself. This is not the walking stick that is the focus of this discussion, or the one which is advocated for use in the indicated method.

The “Known” Walking Stick

When it comes to the walking stick of the pre-1600 period it has been argued that this item is straight, and different examples have been presented. For clarity, and honesty, an example of the straight walking stick will be presented.

This image, as noted in the caption is Saint James Major, also known as Saint James the Greater and Saint James of Compostela, it is a German woodcut of 1519, by Hans Baldung Grien.

What will be noted is the straight form of the walking stick as is known of the “typical” walking stick of this period. In this case the walking stick has some round carvings on it to give it some texture and by the way it’s being held at the top a round top as well. It is quite long, as will be noted. It comes almost up to the individual’s armpit.

The walking stick is quite a bit longer than the “four palmo” stick which is described by de la Torre. The mere length of this stick, let alone the weight of the stick would necessitate a different approach to its use. It would not be as balanced as a sword of the same length as well. One must take these things into consideration when looking at such a strict interpretation.

Evidence from Period Sources

The following pictorial evidence will present images of walking sticks in pre-1600 manuscripts and other media to demonstrate that walking sticks other than the straight form were present. Further it will present that there were forms of walking stick which did indeed have cross-pieces at the top quite present in the period. This is to demonstrate that the straight walking stick, as presented previously, was not the only form used.

1260 Rutland Psalter

The Rutland Psalter which bears the shelf mark in the British Library MS 62925 was written in Latin, and is dated c.1260. The image which is presented shows a beggar with a walking stick. While it is mostly straight, it will be noted that there is evidently a curved element present near the individual’s hand.

This element in the stick is likely because the walking stick that the beggar is using was actually a stick which was broken off a branch and then fashioned to be used as a walking stick, the curved part being the remains of a smaller branch. This is the simplest reason, and the flimsiest evidence of a walking stick which is not simply straight as has been previously presented.

1381 German Missal

The image, which originates from the Morgan Library, with the shelf mark MS M.892.3 fol 001r, and is from a Missal from Hamburg, Germany, presented is of particular interest to me as it presents a fox in one of its many incarnations of “Reynard the Fox” a warning against itinerant monks and other holy men. For our present discussion, while it is not a human being, which is presented in the image, there is evidently a walking stick being used. This walking stick has an evident curve at the top of it.

The argument against this will be that it is a simplified version of a bishop’s rod, or similar religious iconography; however the mode in which it is being used, means that it could be argued in either direction. This will be made further evident as the following images will present not only walking sticks with a similar curve at the top, but also held in a similar fashion.

1432 From Ghent's "Hermits"

The image is a small piece of the piece entitled The Hermits: Adoration of the Mystic Lamb which was painted by Jan and Hubert van Eyck in 1432. The focus of this piece is evident. In the hand of this individual is a walking stick which has a distinct bend in the top of it. It is certainly not straight, and it certainly does not come up to the armpit like the Grien example. This is a piece of wood which has been fashioned into a walking stick.

This is a walking stick which has been measured to the height of the hip as can be seen by the height of the hand and the clear angle of the handle demonstrates that such angled walking sticks were evident in this period is evident in this image.

15^th-century Italian

The image is from Bastia Mondovi, Church of San Fiorenzo, “Episodes from the Life of St Anthony Abbot”. What will be noted from this image is the walking stick which is being used by the abbot to ward off the advances of the female in the image. If a close examination of the hand is made, it will be noted that the hand is holding the cane by the handle. The shaft comes out between the fingers. The bottom of the handle is seen coming out at the bottom of the hand, while the thumb sits on top of the other end of the handle.

This means that not only is the handle of the cane have a piece which comes out one end as in the previous example, but there is also a part which comes out the other, meaning that this has a “T” shaped handle, if short on one end. This is certainly not the simple straight stick which is claimed that all walking sticks of the period are claimed to be. It would be difficult to hold the cane in this manner if the handle were not of this shape and certainly more difficult to hold someone off.

1470 Book of Hours

The image is from the m366.050r a Book of Hours from France dated c.1470. In the image will be seen the older male individual on the right holding a walking stick which is fashioned out of a piece of wood, which is likely a branch or root. It has a clearly angled piece at the top which forms its handle. This is similar in nature to the one found in the Ghents Hermits example presented previously. It should not be surprising that such natural examples of walking sticks with angled handles existed in the medieval and Renaissance period.

These wooden walking sticks which are created from naturally formed pieces of wood are still being created in the same fashion to this day, often using the same methods. These images of such items should be sufficient to demonstrate that such walking sticks with angled handles did exist in the period appropriate, and thus would be of use to the combatant.

1470 Italy

The image presented is from a Book of Hours, having the shelf mark, MS M.454 fol. 217r from Italy, and was probably created in Milan, c.1470. The cane in this image is different from most of the previous examples in that the shaft is not mostly straight, indeed, it is quite bent.

For the current discussion, it will be noted that the handle on the walking stick which is in the image is of a distinct “T” shape. The walking stick comes up to about the height of the hip of the individual. The handle shape alone should demonstrate that the simple straight walking stick which has been proposed as the only period form of the item is definitively not the only form and a broader perspective of the subject should be taken.

1480 France

The image which is presented is entitled “Cas des nobles hommes et femmes malheureux”. It is from France, probably Tours, and is dated c. 1480. It is sourced from the Morgan Library with the shelf marker MS G.35 fol.1r.

Of particular note is the male individual, dressed in red toward the middle foreground, who is bent over and using a walking stick. For convenience this section, with the walking stick in question, has been presented separately so it can be examined more closely (below).

What will be noted is that the handle of the stick has a distinct angle to it. It could even be accused as being square to the shaft of the stick which is below. Indeed, slightly in the background is another individual using another walking stick, and again there is a distinct angle in the stick which is being used. Here are two representations of walking sticks in this image, both of which are presented with angled handles, both of which have the sticks as closer to hip height rather than longer.

1538 Dance of Death

The image presented is “Dance of Death” and was published in 1538. This section’s name is “Death and the Old Man”. It is a French woodcut, from 1547 by Hans Holbein the Younger.

Like the previous instance of the walking stick, the handle his square to the shaft. It is not a straight shaft, and it is also about the same height as the hip or waist of the individual. What will be further noted is that the walking stick has been forms from a naturally occurring piece of wood as is indicated by the knots in the wood.

Here is another example of a walking stick with a handle which is at an angle to the shaft rather than it being a simple straight shaft as is assumed of the walking stick by some. It is evident by this example, and the previous examples that the straight walking stick was not the only kind of walking stick which was in existence pre-1600.

Conclusions from Sources

The walking stick which was presented for the straight and thus “known” walking stick was dated as 1519, the date for the last source used was 1538, this should prevent any argument stating that there was a sudden change at the end of the 15^th-century toward the straight walking stick, because all of the evidence that was presented was before the “known” example.

The Rutland Psalter example of the walking stick was presented to demonstrate that the walking stick, especially for the lower classes was most often any stick that a person could get their hands on. This was most likely fashioned from some branch which was broken to the most suitable height and maybe had some sort of wrap around it to make it more comfortable. Some of the examples embraced this idea of using the natural examples and simply used such wood and modified it to suit. Such investigations are more suited to individuals who have experience in this field.

The focus of this investigation was the handle and shape of the walking stick to demonstrate that the straight walking stick was not the only form of walking stick that was present pre-1600. For such investigation primary sources were used, and multiple examples were sourced to ensure that conclusions could be supported by sufficient evidence. To this point, images from pre-1600 of walking sticks were sourced and presented.

The sources that were presented in the “Evidence from Period Sources,” certainly from the Ghent's Hermits onward, presented clear examples of walking sticks with angled heads on them to some greater or lesser degree. Mostly these angled heads were a deliberate result of construction to enable a hand hold for the individual using the walking stick, which was usually measured to hip or waist height. This is quite a contrast to the straight walking stick indicated earlier. Such examples of walking sticks present clear evidence for the presence pre-1600, of wooden walking sticks with angled heads.

Drawn Conclusions

Evidence has been presented and accepted for the existence and use of the combination of sword and walking stick as a weapon form pre-1600. This is now beyond doubt, as it has been present as evident in the treatises of de la Torre, Carranza, and Pacheco. This describes, while rudimentary, a method which employs the stick in the predominantly left hand of the combatant as a defensive item to be used, especially when defending against an opponent who has case of rapiers, the stick standing for a sword that the combatant does not possess.

From the presented evidence, it is clear that the walking stick, both of a length which came up to the hip or waist, and which had an angled head on it was present pre-1600. This walking stick existed contemporaneously with other forms of walking stick, crutch and other walking aid, as will be found in other extant manuscripts of the period. The same item existed over a long period of time, from at least the 1430’s, considering how long it took to commission and paint a piece of art, further that the same style of walking stick, a bent piece of natural wood, is found some hundred years later, means that such a style was well-founded and present in at least Western Europe, from where the manuscripts, originate. This should give sufficient evidence that the notion that walking sticks with angled heads were an invention of the post-1600 period is simply false.

A method has been in practice, with some effect, for multiple decades using the walking stick, utilising the angled handle of the walking stick against the opponent’s blade to sometimes gain extra control, which has proven to be effective in those trained in this method. The most important thing with any method of any weapon combination is that an individual must be trained in the method and have practise using the method. A person who uses “tips and tricks” of various methods will never be as effective as one who has trained in a method.

One of the greatest arguments against the above method was that the walking stick with the hook in the end was not a pre-1600 item, so it could not be used in such fashion. It will be noted that a walking stick with an angled head, is quite sufficient to achieve the actions which are described in the method, should a person have sufficient practise. Indeed a walking stick with too much hook is actually detrimental to the use of this method. The evidence has already been presented that the angled-head walking stick is pre-1600, putting such arguments in the realm of disagreements of technique. The method by which, is arguably, while not documented in an extant treatise of the period pre-1600, quite period in nature and not to be discarded due to the walking stick used or indeed its method.

I would encourage the reader to source these images from their original sources, or at least look them up on Pintrest or some other media search engine as I did when looking for images of walking sticks. Indeed, you can click on the previous link to go straight to my Pintrest board where I have collected other images of walking sticks and other devices for assisting walking, most of which are of a pre-1600 nature. 

I was supposed to present all of this as a formal class at Fencing Fest in August this year, however COVID-19 reared its ugly head and Brisbane went into lockdown and quashed that chance. I hope that by the time this has gone out that I have had a chance to present the evidence and taught some more people the other way of using the walking stick, if not, hopefully there will be other opportunities.

Cheers,

Henry.