four foot rapier blades ???

[fernando]

The grip (tang) and pommel were included in the 5 palms (spans) law; inequivocal. This is circa 43.3".
As are included in the 'off mark' 7 palms rapiers critical length.


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[urbanspaceman]

I understand that estocs (or 'tucks') were usually in excess of four feet.
As a matter of note, two points here:
first, there were estocs produced in this country in the 14th century that featured a three or four edged hollowed blade that was decidedly akin to the trefoil smallswords of the 17th and 18th century.
Secondly, they were made by hammering pre-formed stock into a die cut into the top of the anvil: same as was used much later for Brown Bess bayonets..
The tool that was used to shape the upper hollows was called a 'fuller' which, of course, gave rise to the term being used to describe the hollow.
I will take a guess here and suggest the hollow was originally described as 'fullered'.

Peter! Greetings my friend... and of course to you Jim... I hope all is well with you both.
You realise that you are a rare living legend Peter: having lived in Wood Street.
The BBC history department have me on their radar for a documentary, so I will certainly be pointing them in your direction for first-hand input.

Fernando: letters? I can see the link. Any advance on letters?

[ulfberth]

Thank you for posting this!
Rapier lengths can vary from 110 cm to 150 cm.
I had a rapier of 145 cm that is complete length and you could handle it like a small sword, the blade section was diamond shape and the tip was a spatula tip.

[urbanspaceman]

So: I got some swords down from the wall to experience simulated combat usage (see pics below).

The first was a typical smallsword with an 80cm blade (I am measuring up to the start of the hilt; I am not including the hilt in the measurement) with a trefoil blade.
It handles exactly the way every description I have seen suggests i.e. very fast and delicate.

Then I tried a typical Portuguese slim bladed rapier of 100cms. It has been re-hilted with a court-sword hilt of very large proportions. If I was up against a practised smallsword opponent I would be struggling to match move for move but then I am not a swordsman in any shape or form so this is a layman's attempt to understand length and weight.

Finally, I have a City Guard northern Italian swept hilt rapier that has a relatively narrow blade, probably typical of the late 1500s and a good bit broader and heavier than the Portuguese blade, but of course it has a substantial guard to balance the blade. Even so, I am certain a smallsword could get past it very quickly and easily.

Anyway: I do not understand how you can manipulate such a long blade (145cm: even if that includes the hilt) so effectively, but maybe if I was a seasoned fencer with experience of such a blade it might be obvious.
ps
I may be a layman, but I have been a rock drummer all my life and have very strong wrists and etc. so I am not completely useless.
pps. pics are not to scale