About

The Original Smallsword Symposium is back!

1st & 2nd October 2022

The Smallsword Sympoosium is an event dedicated the art of Smallsword. Every year we welcome to Edinburgh guests from across the world to study, teach, learn, fence and do all things smallsword.  Just as important we get to meet new people and promote the take up of this splendid historical fencing art.

After 2 years of covid related inaction we are back.

Back when nobody was on Facebook Phil Crawley had an idea in a pub.

“Why not invite the only other guys in Britain who are interested in Smallsword up to Edinburgh for a couple of days?  We can get Milo to do a workshop and maybe a couple of other folk.”

A smallsword pride event, if you will, was born.  17 people turned up.  This was considered a lot and made it possibly the largest collection of smallsworders collected in Scotland since the 18th Century (small beginnings)   Everybody agreed do to the same next year.   And the one after that.

Something odd started happening.  At some point people began to travel from places as far away as Canada, Germany, Poland and Fife.  Complete strangers turned up and came back the next year as mates.  People kept coming back and bringing friends.

In its own way the Symposium became a lightning rod for the new interest in the study of Smallsword, always the peculiar cousin to the wider Historical Fencing scene.  People who had never shown an interest in smallsword came along and then bought a sword and took it back to their groups.

Well its more than a decade on and the Symposium looks like being bigger than ever.  More classes and workshops, more students and more teacakes.  But committed to the same principal.  Smallsword is a great art to study and two days dedicated to this is worthwhile. Smallsword Pride!

Please join us,  it will be fun.

To book your place at this years symposium hit the buy now link.   The cost is £100 until the end of June when the price will rise to £120.

Buy Now