1595 club

The 1595 Club is a western martial arts society with chapters (salles) in the UK (Brighton and London), Ireland (Donegal and County Clare) and Italy (Milan). The 1595’s primary source of study is the works of the 16th century soldier and master of fence Vincentio Saviolo and it is from the year of publication of Saviolo’s treatise that the club takes its name.
Rather than being a historical fencing study group per se the 1595 Club takes the techniques, martial philosophy and practise of Saviolo and uses them as the basis for a complete martial art that covers the use of Renaissance military weapons and unarmed combat.
History
The 1595 Club was founded in 2002 in Brighton and has been led from its founding by Chris Chatfield.
In 2011 the London chapter was opened and 2013 saw the opening of salles in Ireland and in Italy.
Curriculum
*Sword
*Sword & Dagger
*Sword & Shield
*Staff Weapons (quarterstaff and partisan)
*Unarmed combat (incorporating classic pugilism and elements of savate)
*Cane
Rankings
Different ranking are used within the club, based on the ranking system used by the Company of Masters.
*Scholar - are those who are working towards a basic understanding of the system in unarmed combat and single sword (built around an interpretation of the first seven exercises in His Practise). For all sword exercises Scholars use wooden training swords called wasters.
*Free-Scholar - those who have reached a level of understanding of technique, principal and safety to be allowed to free-play.
*Provost - have displayed proficiency in the system using the full curriculum of forms.
*Master-at-Arms - is solely a teaching title and is given to someone who has developed other students to the rank of Provost.
Weapons
The sword favoured by the club is best described as a Renaissance arming sword, sometimes also called a war rapier. A training weapon was developed based on the A535 military-rapier in the Wallace Collection (other versions have also been made based on A534 and A531 of the Wallace Collection as well as one inspired by the war sword of the Jean Parisot de Valette the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller during the Great Siege of Malta. Because of the nature of the weapons (being stiff-bladed and having an average weight of three and a half pounds) it became necessary to evolve a method of free-play that emphasised the form, weapon manipulation and body mechanic rather than concentrating on a more sporting/competitive style of exchange. A version of the A535 copy with a more flexible blade was developed along with the sword-maker Marco Danelli so that club members could spar with fencers from more classical and sport orientated schools.
Programmes and Services
Regular workshops in the UK and Europe.
Demonstrations and lectures for museums (including the Wallace Collection, the Royal Armouries, the National Army Museum) - as well as numerous national and international martial arts events.
Working with theatre companies and drama schools, especially those working with Shakespearean and Elizabethan texts, to develop an understanding of contemporary styles of swordplay.
Affiliates
The 1595 Club keeps strong ties with many martial arts schools and organizations including:
Asociacion Espanola de Esgrima Antigua (Spain), El Junco Rojo (Spain), Federazione Italiana Scherma Antica e Storica (Italy), The Maltese Historical Fencing Association (Malta) and Passage de Panoramas (France)

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