Enlightenment classes run at 8 pm most Fridays. If you would like to join, please email Ian at ian_brackley_esq@hotmail.com
The Hoplologia Enlightenment Stream focuses on the practice of the two most popular ‘armes blanches’ of the 18th century – the small sword (court/walking/town/dress sword) and back sword (broadsword/cutlass/saber/hanger).
The principal texts used are:

For smallsword D. Angelo’s ‘School of Fencing’ (1763) with supplemental techniques from Girard ‘Traite des Armes’ (1740)

For broadsword, H. Angelo (1796) ‘Highland and Hungarian Broadsword’ with supplements from W. Hope ‘New Method of Fencing’ (1707).
Novices are first introduced to broadsword drill with the traditional single-stick, an imperfect but period-accurate training tool before progressing to Rawlings synthetic polymer simulators to better learn edge alignment in both cutting and parrying actions. Smallsword is done exclusively with historically accurate smallsword simulators mounting a variety of practice blades.
The aim of the Enlightenment stream is to rapidly impart martial concepts of timing and distance to the novice and accustom students to defending their persons against attack. Students are taught to perform all actions as if the weapons were sharp.
Lessons in the Enlightenment stream are structured to accommodate the casual student or people who are only able to commit to periodic class attendance.