Category Archives: Bartitsu School of Arms

“The Bartitsu Club of London” (L’Éducation physique : revue sportive illustrée, October 1, 1902)

Posted on February 4, 2026 by BartitsuSociety

Here follows a translation of this short 1902 article; notably, the Bartitsu School of Arms had actually closed by the time this piece was first published. Jacketed Wrestling The Bartitsu Club of London is directed by M. Pierre Vigny, who … Continue reading →

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“Titan of the Thames: The Life of Lord Desborough”

Posted on February 12, 2024 by BartitsuSociety

Recommended reading is this brand-new biography of William Grenfell, Lord Desborough, whose many athletic and public service accomplishments included some intriguing associations with Bartitsu. Grenfell was the Master of Ceremonies at Edward Barton-Wright’s famous Bartitsu exhibition at the London Bath … Continue reading →

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The Bartitsu Compendium, Volume III reviewed by the Martial History Team

Posted on October 12, 2023 by BartitsuSociety

After buying and surveying the first two volumes in this series, I had to buy volume III when it arrived in 2022. My copy of The Bartitsu Compendium, Volume 3: What Bartitsu Was and What it Can Be is a massive paperback measuring 8 … Continue reading →

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Announcing The Bartitsu Compendium, Volume III

Posted on December 7, 2022 by BartitsuSociety

Published 120 years after the Bartitsu School of Arms in London closed its doors for the last time and marking the 20th anniversary of the modern Bartitsu revival movement, the Bartitsu Compendium, Volume III is now available from Amazon. Over … Continue reading →

Posted in Antagonistics, Baritsu, Bartitsu School of Arms, Biography, Boxing, Canonical Bartitsu, E. W. Barton-Wright, Editorial, Edwardiana, Fencing, Fiction, Hooliganism, Humour, In Memoriam, Instruction, Interviews, Jiujitsu, Mysteries, Physical Culture, Pop-culture, Reviews, Savate, Seminars, Sherlock Holmes, Sparring, Suffrajitsu, Vigny stick fighting, Wrestling | Comments Off on Announcing The Bartitsu Compendium, Volume III

More on the Bartitsu Club’s 1902 Exhibition at Oxford

Posted on May 31, 2021 by BartitsuSociety

Our 2017 article on the Bartitsu Club’s “grand tour” of exhibitions during early-mid 1902 included several detailed reports on the event staged at the Oxford Town Hall. One of those reports offered the intriguing detail that a Mr. Whittle, who … Continue reading →

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“A Hove Gymnasium: Mr. Percy S. Rolt’s Successful System” (Brighton Gazette, September 21, 1912)

Posted on February 8, 2021 by BartitsuSociety

In December of 2017 we were pleased to publish an article confirming former Bartitsu Club member Percy Rolt as the “missing link” between the Bartitsu Club and Indian Police Superintendant Herbert Gordon Lang’s 1923 book “The ‘Walking Stick’ Method of … Continue reading →

Posted in Antagonistics, Bartitsu School of Arms, Boxing, Canonical Bartitsu, Editorial, Fencing, Jiujitsu, Mysteries, Physical Culture, Savate, Vigny stick fighting | Comments Off on “A Hove Gymnasium: Mr. Percy S. Rolt’s Successful System” (Brighton Gazette, September 21, 1912)

Members of the Original Bartitsu Club

Posted on December 29, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Sunday, 26th April 2009 Although E.W. Barton-Wright’s martial arts school was only open for a few years, it attracted some notable members and students. Sir Cosmo Duff Gordon was a keen fencer who also … Continue reading →

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Today in history – “Jujitsu and Judo: The Japanese Art of Self Defence from the British Athletic Point of View”

Posted on December 29, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Thursday, 10th February 2011 One hundred and ten years ago today, E.W. Barton-Wright presented his seminal lecture, Jujitsu and Judo: The Japanese Art of Self Defence from the British Athletic Point of View for the Japan … Continue reading →

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The Redoubtable Baron Desborough (July 17, 1909)

Posted on December 29, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

William Henry Grenfell, the 1st Baron Desborough, poses with a statuette of himself as a fencer in this Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News photo. The effigy was presented by Captain Alfred Hutton during early July of 1909, on behalf of … Continue reading →

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Suffrajitsu Issue #2: Inside the Bartitsu Club

Posted on December 29, 2020 by BartitsuSociety

Originally published on the Bartitsu.org site on Wednesday, 25th February 2015 On a rainy London evening, Persephone Wright spars with her Uncle Edward in the Bartitsu Club … but later: Shocking events propel the Amazons into a daring rescue mission … Continue reading →

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