Barbed Wire is wire-rope used for fencing or other purposes, having fixed in it short bent pieces of wire with sharp projecting points, which serve to keep animals from pressing against it. Barbed wire may also be used for various protective purposes, and especially in war to form an impediment to the attack of an enemy - some barbed wire is designed to snag clothing and cause minor scratches, other types with longer spikes are designed to cause more serious injuries. Razor-wire, which evolved from barbed wire is fitted with razor-sharp metal blades intended to kill or maime any person trying to pass through it. There was an act of Parliament passed in 1893 to prevent the use of barbed wire fences that form a nuisance on a public road or path; and a person employing barbed wire for fencing could render himself liable for damages caused by it to another person who was legitimately using the adjoining ground. Research Barbed Wire
Factory Acts are acts passed for the regulation of factories and similar establishments. In the 18th and 19th century it was considered that women and children were not qualified fully to protect themselves against the strain of competition, and asa result the British legislature passed a series of acts to regulate the conditions of their employment in factories.
The immediate occasion of the first act passed to regulate factory employment in England was the outbreak of an epidemic disease which committed great havoc among the younger persons employed in factories in the district round Manchester at the beginning of the 19th century.
An act was passed in 1802, The Health and Morals of Apprentices Act, in which provision was made for the regular cleansing and ventilation of mills and factories, and also for limiting the hours of work to twelve daily and forbade night work for children, and made provisions for their proper accommodation.
In 1819 an act followed after Robert Owen, an important factory-owner in Scotland, demonstrated that it was possible to improve factory conditions and make profits at the same time, and later campaigned for State reform. This Act prescribed an hour and a half for meals in the course of a working day, and prohibited children under nine years of age being employed in factorywork at all.
Early Factory Acts were not enforced, and as such were impotent. In 1833 the first truly effective Factory Act was passed. This act applied to all textile factories, and stated that no child under the age of nine was to work in a mill; children under the age of 13 were restricted to working no more than nine hours in a day and children between the ages of 13 and 18 were restricted to working no more than 12 hours in a day. The vital feature of this Act was that it was successfully enforced by full-time inspectors, whose job was to see that it was obeyed in the factories.
Various acts were passed up to 1878, when a general factory and Workshop Act was passed, consolidating the previous series of statutes. Another general act was passed in 1901 and since then numerous regulations and acts have been introduced.
The original acts contained general provisions regarding drainage, sanitary conveniences, overcrowding, ventilation, fencing of dangerous machinery, etc. Addressing what we would now term health and safety.
Factories are distinguished from workshops as making use of, originally, steam or other mechanical power. In the 19th century British textile factories the hours of labour for women and young persons (the latter between 14 and 18 years of age) were restricted to 10, but only 6.5 on Saturday and 56 in the week. In 19th century British non-textile factories and workshops the hours permitted were 10.5 per day and 60 per week at most. Children (of 11 to 14 years) were still employed, but not allowed to be employed more than 6.5 hours on any one day. Provision was made for a certain number of annual holidays. Special provisions for particular kinds of factories were made by separate acts, and under these the employment of females and young persons was regulated in bleaching and dyeing works, lace-factories, manufactories of earthenware, Lucifer matches, percussion caps, cartridges, blast-furnaces, copper-mills, forges, foundries, manufactories of machinery, metal, India-rubber, gutta-percha, paper, glass, tobacco, letterpress printing, bookbinding, etc. The factory act of 1895 included laundries. Certain exceptions in regard to working overtime were provided for; thus women could sometimes work 14 hours a day. Before the start of the 20th century there was no direct interference in any of the factory acts with the labour of adult male persons but it was recognised that indirectly the position of the male-labourer was also affected by legislation of this sort, causing some consternation among the factory owners.
The factory acts were among the first employment laws formalised to protect workers, and while they originally sought to protect primarily women and children, during the 20th century they evolved into more general employment laws offering regulation and some protection to all employees, with the employment of children being stopped all together and later men being treated equally with women, an employee being considered a person irrespective of sex. Research Factory Acts
James Crichton, known as the Admirable Crichton, was a Scottish celebrity. He was born in 1560 and died in 1585. The son of Robert Crichton, lord-advocate, he was educated at the University of St Andrews, and according to the current accounts of him, before his twentieth year, had run through the whole circle of the sciences, could speak and write to perfection ten different languages, and was equally distinguished for his skill in riding, fencing, singing, and playing upon all sorts of instruments. He visited Paris, Genoa, Venice, Padua, etc, challenging all scholars to learned disputations, vanquishing doctors of the universities, and disarming the most famous swordsmen of the time in fencing. He was latterly tutor to a son of the Duke of Mantua, and is said to have been stabbed to the heart in a dastardly manner by his pupil. The story of his achievements seems to be rather highly coloured; but he was extravagantly praised by Aldus Manutius, the printer of Venice, by whom he was well known. He left some Latin poems, which are said to be possessed of no remarkable quality. Research James Crichton
The 3rd Pattern Commando Knife (Fairbairn-Sykes) was a double edged fighting knife designed by Fairbairn and Sykes as a grip-heavy fighting knife that could be held in the fencing position. It was specified by the British MOD in 1943, and issued to Service Men. It had a tapered diagonal-section 7 inch, double edged carbon-steel dagger blade with a two inch oval guard, a ribbed zinc-alloy handle and a brassnut. The blade was finished in black. Research 3rd Pattern Commando Knife
An Epee-de-Combat is a pointed, dull-edged sword with a blade roughly one metre long used in duelling and fencing. It developed from the 18th century small-sword. Research Epee-de-Combat
A sword is an offensive weapon designed for cutting and, or, thrusting. A sword consists essentially of a long straight or curved blade - which may or may not be sharpened on one or both edges - with a handle or hilt and a cross-guard and often a sharp point.
A sword may be specialised as a thrusting weapon, such as the rapier, specialised as a hacking weapon such as the Indian talwar, or a general purpose weapon suitable both for hacking and thrusting, such as the sabre. Mounted soldiers typically preferred a sword suitable for hacking, while for close combat the duality of a general purpose sword was preferred by foot soldiers until the advent of armour which rendered the thrusting approach ineffective. For duelling the thrusting only rapier sword was preferred and is still used in the sport of fencing.
In mediaeval times swords were extremely expensive and rarely used in battle because of the brittleness of the blade. Rather they were carried as an adornment of status and wealth. Because mediaeval swords were so fragile and so expensive - costing the equivalent of several years salary for many ordinary people - their owners would use a battle axe in times of war rather than the sword. The Hollywood notion of mediaeval knights duelling with broadswords is a romantic myth, the reality would be more likely they were braining each other with maces or short handled axes. A mediaeval sword which did survive its owner would be handed down as a valuable family heirloom. Research Sword
AFA is an abbreviation for Air Force Association
AFA is an abbreviation for Associate of the Faculty of Actuaries
AFA is an abbreviation for Associate in Fine Arts
AFA is an abbreviation for Associate of the Faculty of Auditors
AFA is an abbreviation for Amateur Football Association
AFA is an abbreviation for Amateur Fencing Association Research AFA
Canne is a French individual combat sport which developed over the centuries from a form of quarterstaff into something nearer fencing. It is played with a cane (called a canne) which is held in one hand and may be whirled as well as parried and lunged. Research Canne
Fencing is the art of attack and defence with sword or rapier, no shield being used. It was in Italy in the 16th century that the skilful use of the small sword first became common. The art spread to Spain and then to France, where, on account of the prevalence of duelling, it was brought to a high degree of development.
The small sword or rapier (which was adopted for duelling) has a point, but no edge, and therefore demands the highest degree of adroitness in its use. In the fencing schools the instrument adopted for exercise is called a foil; it has a guard of metal or leather between the handle and blade, which is made of pliant steel and has a button at the end in place of a point. The parries are made with the weapon itself by opposing the forte of the foil (i.e. the strong part from the handle to the centre) to the feeble of the adversary's foil (i.e. to the part from centre to point); the upper part of the body to the right is defended by the parry called tierce, the upper part to tho left by the carte, and the lower part by the seconde. In all parrying care must be taken that in covering the side attacked the other side is not too carelessly exposed to the enemy. After every parry a return should be made with rapidity and decision. The fencer should rely more upon his sword hand for protection than upon his agility of leg; yet he must be active on his legs so as to advance, retreat, or lunge with effect. The knees should therefore be somewhat bent when the fencer is on guard, that he may be light and elastic in his movements. An attack may be made by the mereextension of the arm, or accompanied by a lunge, that is, by advancing the body, stepping forward with the right foot without moving the left.
An engagement means the crossing of the blades; a disengagement, slipping your foil under the opponent's and then pressing in the opposite direction; riposte, the attack without pause by a fencer who has parried.
Fencing with the broadsword differs essentially from that with the foil, as the former has an edge as well as a point, and is therefore meant to cut as well as thrust. According to the instructions of drill-masters there are seven cuts, with corresponding guards, and three thrusts. Out one is a diagonal, downward cut at the left cheek of the adversary; cut three is delivered with an upward slope at the left leg, and cut five horizontally at the right side; cuts two, four, and six attack the right cheek, right side, and right leg respectively; and cut seven is directed vertically at the head. Guards one and two defend the upper portion of the body, the sword sloping upwards in an opposite direction to the opponent's; guards three and four protect the legs, the sword sloping downwards; guards five and six defend the sides, when the sword is held vertically, point downwards; and guard seven protects the head, the blade meeting the enemy's almost at a right angle.
Since the introduction of the bayonet, bayonet exercise has become an important department of fencing in the army. In handling the bayonet defensively the right foot is thrown back and receives most of the weight of the body, the knees are bent, the bayonet brought to a horizontal position level with the waist. This is the 'guard,' and according to the parry to be made the weapon is carried either to the 'high' position, pointing upwards from the breast, or to the 'low' position, pointing downwards from the breast. In taking the offensive the right leg is straightened, and the left bent forward, without moving the feet from their place. The butt of the rifle is pressed firmly to the shoulder and points straight forward. In 'shortening arms' the butt is carried back to the full extent of the right arm, while the barrel (turned downwards) rests upon the left arm. The body rests upon the right leg, which is slightly bent, while the left is somewhat advanced. Research Fencing
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Barbed Wire
