First, the issues of class (perhaps bigotry as well?) in Victorian society are readily acknowledged, but rarely felt by the modern reader. The first article slaps you in the face with the reality that things were different back then with its talk of “undesirables”, kind of like the culture shock you experience re-watching Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles now that it’s thirty-some years after its debut.

All three articles show why we’ve had spirited but friendly discussions on the Bartitsu Society Forum trying to figure out just exactly what bartitsu is. Is it just re-badged jujutsu? Some statements point that way, others add Vigny’s system of city la canne and/or savate, others imply that anything taught at the club is fair game to be called bartitsu.

So just within this series we see the first article stating that bartitsu is just “Japanese wrestling,” while the second includes that plus boxing, savate, la canne, and the use of the dagger. The 1902 illustration inset shows that savate is firmly an element of bartitsu, whereas the last article separates bartitsu out from those activities.

A last point, related the the previous, is that the use of the dagger is mentioned again, although the only other mention we’ve seen was a reference to Barton-Wright learning the stiletto from “recognized masters”. This is an as yet unreconstructed element of bartitsu simply because there is so little to go on.

As always, for all your bartitsu needs don’t forget to check Bartitsu.org.

BARTITSU

MR. W.H. GRENFELL A CONVERT TO THE ART
(“Daily Mail” Special)

Very bronzed, and looking, if that were possible, in fitter athletic trim than ever, Mr. W. H. Grenfell, pattern and model of the English sporting gentleman, is back in town from Florida.

Already, under his stimulating influence, a new sport is developing. This is Bartitsu, the Japanese system of scientific wrestling, of which Mr. Barton-Wright has given such interesting demonstrations.

Mr. Grenfell has consented to become the president of the Bartitsu Club.

“The idea,” said Mr. Grenfell, to a “Daily Mail” representative, “is to establish an athletic class for people of good standing, and it seemed to us best to establish it in the form of a club, so as to be able to exclude undesirable persons. So members will be able to come themselves, and to send their children and the ladies of their family for instruction with every assurance that they will be running no risk of objectionable associations.”

“Is Bartitsu, then, a sport for women and children?”–”Oh, we are not going to confine ourselves to Japanese wrestling. Athletic exercises of many kinds and physical culture will be taught, but with this difference, that physical culture will be taught in a new form, which will make it interesting.”

“And this new art of self-defence?”–”Bartitsu; that will be taught as part of the general scheme of physical culture. And you know it is very desirable to teach people how to protect themselves against violence.”

“But does not the noble art of self-defence do that–the art of using the fists?”–”No. In the first place the violent ruffian is likely to be fairly proficient IN THE USE OF THE FISTS, and in the second place the stronger and heavier man has an overwhelming advantage in fist fighting.

“The great thing is to show people every possible form of attack to which they may be subjected, and to teach them how, by the application of scientific principles, every attack may be successfully met. Bartitsu teaches you how to overcome an opponent of superior weight by using his weight against himself, of throwing him by yielding instead of resisting, and of gripping him in various ways so as to put such a strain on his joints that however strong he may be he will be completely at your mercy. Then it teaches you how to fall so that the fact of being thrown will give you an advantage over the man who throws you.”

“It is a sort of physical counterpart, then, of the great financial art of making a fortune out of bankruptcy.”–”Then there are other means of self-defence which are useful. A lady I had the other day was, while riding her bicycle, attacked by a tramp. She was helpless against his superior strength. But there are ways of using a bending cane by which a lady might, if she has been taught the art, keep a molesting tramp at arm’s length. This will be taught as well as several other systems, all of which are not only useful but interesting to learn.”

“And who are with you in the movement?”–”Lord Alwyne Compton, M.P., is chairman of the club company, and with him as directors are a number of gentlemen whose names you will know in connection with sport–Lord Arthur Cecil, Mr. Bertram Astley, Mr. W. Moresby Chinnery, Captain Hutton, Mr. Stobart, Mr. Montagu Sweet, and Mr. Barton-Wright, who will be managing director.”
1899-06-13 London Daily Mail

Ladies Night at the Bath Club: A Varied Entertainment

A curious and amusing entertainment was given last Saturday by the Bath Club at their premises in Dover Street, Piccadilly, the occasion being the ladies night. Swordsmanship, swimming, and bartitsu were the special features. The last-named item is, as was demonstrated by Mr. E. W. Barton Wirght, a branch of the art of self-defence entirely new to England. It comes from Japan. It embodies all the best and most practical points in boxing, la savatte, the use of the dagger and of the walking-sticks, combined with a most scientific and secret style of Japanese wrestling. It also comprises the art of falling so as to reduce all risk of being hurt when thrown, and to land upon one’s feet facing the enemy, and also the art of putting “locks” on one’s opponent-that is subjecting different parts of his body to strains which he cannot possibly resist.

The Bartitsu Club

A new club, the “Bartitsu,” which means the art of self-defense, is being formed in London. “It will be a sports club,” explains its organizer, “where men and women, boys and girls, can be instructed in fencing, sabre play, la savate, boxing, and bartitsu.” One special feature will be the instruction of members, especially lady members in the art of defending themselves with a walking stick. The promoter of the “Bartitsu club” is going to Japan to secure instructors in certain styles of Japanese wrestling, which he says is the most perfect form of self-defense and one that can be acquired by women as equally as men.
1899-08-11 The Daily Iowa Capital

Question: Where else will you see multiple internationally recognized instructors teaching a range of weapon and empty hand techniques in a day long seminar held at a historic mansion, all for free?

Answer: Nowhere else. This is without a doubt the best martial arts value you will see this year.

I gave a review of last year’s event, or at least those parts I attended, and hopefully this year I can get out there for the full day. This year should be similar in format to last year.

The tentative schedule begins at 10 am with a tour of the mansion and a discussion of the manly pursuits of its former occupants. The first half of the martial instruction is dedicated to military weapons (lower, then upper class) and the latter half is civilian self-defense including empty hand, sticks, and knives (bartitsu too!) again divided by class.

Rather than give the full pitch, I’ll direct you to the website so you can get all the details for contacts, directions, etc. Hope to see you there!

It looks like wildcard searches are the way to go, because I found soldiers in the database that share the surname of both sides of my family by searching on the first couple of letters and then an asterisk. For example, searching on CO* as the surname gives two archers:

John Couche, Archer, his captain was Robert Giffard and his commanding officer was Richard Fitz Alan, earl of Arundel. He served in the Naval Expeditionary force that went to France in 1388.

Matthew Couche was also an archer on “Keeping of the Sea” duty in 1372-1373. Captain and commanding officer was Sir Philip de Courtenay.

The other side of the family included archers as well as men-at-arms:

Richard Lilye was an archer with the 1415 Expeditionary force under Henry V. His captain was Roger Chamber.

Two different Williams (Lillye and Lilly) served in the standing forces in Ireland and Acquitaine, respectively, in 1374 and 1439. The first was an archer and the second a man-at-arms.

The database offers an interesting glimpse into the past, so if you have any English ancestry, you might want to give it a whirl.

The instructors as well as a surprising number of participants were also sporting their best period threads. I assume some of the participants must have been from the Mid-Atlantic Society for Historical Swordsmanship (MASHS). The turn out was steady and enough to hold informal classes, but not too heavy that everyone couldn’t participate if they wanted.

I only had a two hour window, but it worked out well- I arrived as what looked like a cudgel/singlestick class was finishing up and had a chance to chat with Park Ranger and organizer Victor Markland about the event and the Hampton House grounds. In a handy tie-in, Charles Ridgely Jr. (aka the Captain) the builder of Hampton House, and his nephew, the Governor of Maryland, were supposedly well-known for prize fighting with fist and cudgel. A bit surprising, really, as prize fighting didn’t gain much popularity in America until the latter half of the 19th century, whereas the Captain was living there a century earlier.

There was an exhibition hall which displayed a number of western swords, canes, sticks, knives, and manuals. It was a large display that covered quite a few tables, helping to give an overview of the periods covered by the exhibition.

Steve Huff and Mark P. Donnelly taught an hour of bata (Irish stick) that looked consistent with what Ken Pfrenger teaches in the Cumann Bhata and that shown in Donald Walker’s Defensive Exercises (see illustrations left and right). Basically attacks high and low, along with blocks high and low with both ends of the bata (stick).

They mentioned in passing a two-handed style, which I assume was a reference to Glen Doyle’s family style. Some of the hardwood sticks given out a little heavy for getting the movement down, but Huff and Donnelly both were able to demonstrate the fluidity of the bata as well as point out places where strikes could be inserted into typical attacks and counters.

Bartitsu followed in the next hour and covered a lot of ground. It was a tough crowd, with lots of small kids present, so much of what was taught may have been decided on the fly based on the participants. Donnelly still managed to get in an interesting discussion on the 19th century garroting fad, along with physical and technological approaches to defending from marauding garroters.

Rather than showing just segments from the Bartitsu canon (techniques as demonstrated by Barton-Wright), the demo was more period techniques which would have been common for the bartitsu practitioner at that time. He was able to give an effective demonstration of using a cane to escape a crowd (see right), and I noticed he taught a quick come along afterwards to one of the spectators (see left).

Donnelly did cover two of the primary bartitsu/Vigny guards with the cane, as well as emphasize the la canne style of swinging with the hips when striking and passing back and forth and changing guards.

Mark Donnelly was obviously a very experienced instructor who was as well-versed in the historical details as he was the physical techniques and the mix of canonical techniques with general period self-defense with ongoing lecture made for an active and informative demo.

I wasn’t able to catch any of the fencing or other pointy sessions, but I’m confident it was just as well presented as the more bludgeonly classes I saw.

Are you interested in an ongoing study group in Maryland? If he can get enough interest, Victor Markland will organize a regular local study group drawing in Mark P. Donnelly (PA) and Steve Huff (southern MD) to meet somewhere in the Baltimore area. Shoot me an email [jasoncouch AT martialhistory.com] or click the Contact page at the top and I’ll pass it along to Victor. All I have is his work email and I don’t want to post it online for the spammers to grab.

It looks like someone (you might recognize the fella from his pics if you’re familiar with Western MA) has begun exploring the real deal. At The Oprishki, you’ll find an exploration of the axe fighting methods of the Carpathian mountains. Even better, you’ll find plenty of folklore, fighting methods, and other cultural artifacts of the central and eastern European folk.