Paraphrasing from "Schools and Masters of Fencing" (Egerton Castle, 1885, pp.235-239), it seems that at the end of the 16th c. the best fencing masters professed the cut and thrust play, but actually prejudiced to the thrust.
Long slender blades (regarded as 'tucks' or 'estocs') were almost devoid of cutting edges and with a lozenge (diamond) section almost square and became incredibly long (so much so that a footman had to carry these behind the duellist).
These were apparently called 'Verduns' for the French city most commonly producing them (p.235). These long bladed swords favored by 'swaggering' duelists, were regarded disdainfully in England and blades became shorter.
The 'prismatic' blades were retained in dueling swords until middle of the 17th century, when it was abandoned gradually in favor of the deadly and lighter three cornered (trefoil) fluted blade.
However, the most USUAL blade until middle of the 17th c. continued to be the double edged type.
It seems that the trefoil fluted blade which had gained favor in France as noted c.1650-60 came into fashion in England about the time of the Restoration.
The French were of course the first to discard all cutting from rapier fencing, and first to adopt the lightest blade form for thrusting alone, which developed the familiar 'small sword'. The blade of the small sword though much lighter than the double edged rapier, was still 'heavy about the point' (p.239).
Between 1680-1690 first in France, then Germany and England the COLICHEMARDE blade came into fashion. This is what is described as the 'squeezed' blade as the great width of the fort, which abruptly becomes slender at the faible, thus a light and 'fast' point, and broad,stiff fort.
In these notes it is not clear exactly where or when in the time of the advent of the colichemarde type blade, there was any distinct variation between the older double edge type blade in the combination or the trefoil.
Perhaps it might have been a matter of preference as some may still have preferred cut and thrust over the French style of thrust alone.
As these blades were produced in various centers, the degree of which in each remains the question especially as pertains to the entry of Shotley Bridge into this enterprise for these highly desirable blades.
The note in 'Castle' mentioning 'Verdun' as a blade making center in France suggests maybe more research into how long their blade making, which seems to have been focused to 'dueling' swords, might have become a 'player' in the colichemarde.
It is worthy of note that in the private sector, this 'highly perfect' form of blade seems to have been in use 1685-1720, when the civilian small sword gradually returned to the tapered trefoil blade through the rest of the century. However, the military, staid in their tradition, had the colichemarde blade remain in favor with officers contemporary to the civilian forms also through the century. George Washington owned one.
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