On this day Sep 16 1920 one of our greatest HEMA Pioneers, Egerton Castle died. Together with men like Cpt Alfred Hutton, Baron de Cosson, Archibald Corble and Kpt Emil Fick and some 50 more men around Europe, he struggled to learn and understand the martial arts systems of medieval and Renaissance Europe in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
His most well-known book on the topic is Schools and Masters of Fencing, but he also authored several novels together with his wife, Agnes, which commonly included scenes of fencing based on his understanding of European martial arts.
He was also a member of the Kernoozer’s club, a small British gentlemen’s club focused on the study of medieval arms and armour, and to some degree the use of them. One of the members was Baron de Cosson, who owned the two antique fechtschwerter that was used as a template for the replicas used by Cpt Alfred Hutton, Egerton Castle and others.
Much more can be said about this great man, but time is short so I will just suggest a toast in his memory today.
And as a freaky coincidence there may be more reason for a toast, although again for a rather sad reason.
On this day in Marchdorf, Swabia, a man called Johannes Liechtnouw was murdered although the year is unclear. The only notes of this mention that a requiem were held in 1449-51, but the actual events may have happened much earlier and several requiem held before this even as the notes are for those years only. Or it could just be another Johannes Liechtnouw. We just don’t know.
Regardless, raise your glasses and give Lt Castle his toast.
