[Sca-cooks] quarterstaffs

[David Friedman]

>Bear commented:
>>  > IIRC the Brits, during their foray into Ireland, criminalized the carrying
>>>  of staffs over a certain thickness and length.  Anyone recall the
>>>  particulars?
>>>
>>>  Daniel
>>
>>I don't recall seeing this but I can believe it.  There is a tale about a
>>French general who declared a company of Irishmen with shillelaghs to be
>>against the rules of civilized warfare.  And in the late 13th Century, the
>>Lincolnshire court records showed that the most common implement of unlawful
>>death was the quarterstaff.
>
>Yes. I believe I've got somewhere comments that a good quarterstaff 
>man was the equal of a good swordsman in period. Use of the 
>quarterstaff was banned early on in SCA combat for safety reasons.
>
>I thought a "shillelagh" was a sword. It is a staff?


A cudgel. I think of it as a one handed rather than two handed 
weapon, and much shorter than a quarterstaff.
-- 
David/Cariadoc
www.daviddfriedman.com