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of The Science of Defence |
| The earliest known references to the Company of Maisters of the Science of Defence come to us from the 16th century. The Company operated along similar lines to the trade guilds with which it was contemporaneous and, like the trade guilds, was responsible for such things as quality control, pricing, discipline/punishment, examinations, etc. In effect, the training of martial arts students was the equivalent of serving a trade apprenticeship. The Company of Maisters was an affiliation of martial arts instructors (maisters of defence) who ran their own academies which were known to the English as Scholes of Fence. In 1540 king Henry VIII issued Letters Patent to the Company the effect of which was to recognise their group as an official and legally constituted company or corporation. Aylward suggests that the Company of Maisters or its forerunner was in existence in very much earlier times than the 16th century. This is entirely feasible given that scholes of fence are mentioned in legislation as early as the 12th century (circa 1180).
In 1997, as part of his ongoing plan to re-introduce traditional English fighting systems to modern martial artists, Ancient Maister Terry Brown legally reformed the Company of Maisters. for the purpose of researching traditional English fighting systems and sharing that knowledge with the public. The Company of Maisters will therefore be operated as a martial arts society not a re-enactment society. However, we offer the hand of friendship to all re-enactment societies, living history groups etc., in the knowledge that we are all travelling the same highways and byeways. Therefore, we will gladly work alongside, and offer any assistance we can, to such groups. |
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