Masters of Defence Commission (ECA/1/1/3/35, 1555)
A printed Letters Patent bearing the coat of arms of Mary I, renewing the royal commission originally granted by Henry VIII in 1540 to the Corporation of Masters of the Science of Defence. The single-sheet document contains both Latin chancery formulae and English text granting fencing masters authority to arrest, prosecute, and imprison unauthorised martial arts teachers throughout England, Wales, and Ireland.
The document names ten Masters and four Provosts, including Roger Cholmeley, William Hunt, Nicholas Delahay, Philip Williams, Richard Lord, Richard White, William Herne, Robert Edmonds, and William Thomson. The left margin shows four tears, likely from being affixed or posted publicly.
Significance
This document resolves a 70-year historical mystery. In 1956, historian J.D. Aylward noted that “no proof” existed for renewal of the Masters’ commission under Mary I, leaving a 65-year gap in the organisational record between Henry VIII’s 1540 original and James I’s 1605 renewal. The discovery of ECA/1/1/3/35 definitively proves Mary renewed the commission and distributed it to major provincial cities far beyond London.
More significantly, systematic searches of court records from 1540 to 1624 reveal no enforcement actions under this commission despite 84 years of theoretical operation. No arrests, prosecutions, or witness testimony appear in Quarter Sessions, Assize Courts, Chancery, or any other venue across multiple jurisdictions. This absence demonstrates that the commission functioned as symbolic authority rather than practical regulation, elevating fencing masters from vagrants (classified as such under the 1572 Act) to royal commissioners without requiring actual enforcement. The document therefore exemplifies Tudor governance patterns where formal authority served status-claiming and deterrent purposes in administrative systems whilst lacking enforcement infrastructure.
Provenance
The document entered Exeter City Archives at the time of issue in August 1555, distributed as an open letter commanding local justices and officials to assist the Masters in enforcement. Its survival reflects John Hooker’s exceptional archival practices. Hooker became Exeter’s Chamberlain on 17 September 1555, just one month after this commission was dated, and his documented commitment to preserving civic records created one of England’s most complete municipal collections dating from c.1100.
Full Research Paper
“The Corporation of Masters of Defence, and the City of Exeter, Devon: The ECA/1/1/3/35 (Ancient Letter, 1555)” includes complete transcription and modernization of the document, paleographic analysis, comparative study of all three versions, comprehensive archival methodology demonstrating the absence of enforcement, and contextualisation within broader Tudor governance patterns.
Document Access
The original document can be viewed by appointment at the Devon Heritage Centre, referencing its shelf number. High-resolution images are available with permission from Exeter City Council, copyright holder. Copyright: Exeter City Council. Publication Permission: Granted June 2024.
Research and transcription by Jamie Acutt, The Devonshire Wrestling Society (2024)