What is a Provost?
A Provost is a historical rank in the English Guild of Maisters of Defence. Provosts were junior teachers with Masters being the senior ones. The word Master has taken on many modern connotations, not used in the 16th century, so the highest rank used in TAS is that of Provost.
Stephen Hand
Stephen Hand was born in Hobart, Tasmania in 1964. In 1979 he joined a medieval re-enactment group and soon came to the conclusion that medieval swordsmanship must have been more sophisticated than the made-up style being used by re-enactors. For several years he studied modern fencing and kendo before discovering that there were surviving historical fencing manuals and starting to explore them. Moving to Sydney in 1989 Stephen joined an Early Modern re-enactment society where several members had been following the same path.
Coming to the conclusion that there were no worthwhile secondary sources, Stephen decided to analyse two historical manuals, George Silver’s Bref Instruction Upon my Paradoxes of Defence and Vincentio Saviolo His Practise line by line.
A series of articles by Stephen, analysing the latter manual was published in the magazine Hammerterz Forum between 1997 and 1999. In 1998 Stephen founded a HEMA school in Sydney along with Andrew Brew and Peter Radvan. Since 2000 Stephen has travelled internationally on a regular basis to teach HEMA, where he has been a popular teacher at swordplay symposia and in his own seminars.
Stephen was the editor of two volumes of SPADA, collections of papers on various historical fencing topics and has published Medieval Sword and Shield (with Paul Wagner), an analysis of the combat system of MSS. I.33, the world’s oldest fencing manual, English Swordsmanship, an analysis of George Silver’s works and Swordplay in the Age of Shakespeare which analyses the four texts published in English during Shakespeare’s career. Stephen has also published a number of other articles and book chapters (see the publications page).
In 2004 Stephen returned to his native Tasmania where he set up a branch of his club, before founding the Tasmanian Academy of Swordsmanship in 2025. As well as teaching HEMA, Stephen choreographs swordfights in local stage and film productions.
Coming to the conclusion that there were no worthwhile secondary sources, Stephen decided to analyse two historical manuals, George Silver’s Bref Instruction Upon my Paradoxes of Defence and Vincentio Saviolo His Practise line by line.
A series of articles by Stephen, analysing the latter manual was published in the magazine Hammerterz Forum between 1997 and 1999. In 1998 Stephen founded a HEMA school in Sydney along with Andrew Brew and Peter Radvan. Since 2000 Stephen has travelled internationally on a regular basis to teach HEMA, where he has been a popular teacher at swordplay symposia and in his own seminars.
Stephen was the editor of two volumes of SPADA, collections of papers on various historical fencing topics and has published Medieval Sword and Shield (with Paul Wagner), an analysis of the combat system of MSS. I.33, the world’s oldest fencing manual, English Swordsmanship, an analysis of George Silver’s works and Swordplay in the Age of Shakespeare which analyses the four texts published in English during Shakespeare’s career. Stephen has also published a number of other articles and book chapters (see the publications page).
In 2004 Stephen returned to his native Tasmania where he set up a branch of his club, before founding the Tasmanian Academy of Swordsmanship in 2025. As well as teaching HEMA, Stephen choreographs swordfights in local stage and film productions.
Matthew Boyd
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Matthew is a long-term student and instructor of several martial arts, though the journey has had many twists and turns.
He was a school regional representative in field athletics, particularly shot-put, discus and javelin. He also played Rugby Union in Sydney before studying Physical and Health Education at the University of Wollongong (1998). During his tertiary study he began studying Korean martial arts, particularly judo(1997), Hapkido (2nd Dan 1999) and Chonjo (Head Instructor in Tasmania 2003-2015).
Matthew had always assumed that European martial arts had been lost to time. The re-enactments of European combat that he had seen seemed unrealistic and amateurish. In 2012, while browsing the Launceston library Matthew happened across a copy of Stephen Hand's English Swordsmanship. He eagerly devoured this work and began intense study of George Silver's Paradoxes of Defence (1599) and Brief Instructions upon my Paradoxes of Defence (1605) swiftly followed by Joseph Swetnam's The Schoole of the Noble and Worthy Science of Defence (1617). He decided to throw all his martial arts study into promoting and helping to restore, as much as possible, historical European combat methods.
In 2012 Matthew began studying British backsword method with Stephen Hand in Hobart. Soon after, Matthew joined with Usher Joseph Gora in private study and fencing in Launceston eventually leading to the beginning of an historical fencing class in Launceston (2015).
Matthew has taught seminars and workshops at the Australian Western Martial Arts Conference (AWMAC) and at the Tasmanian Swordplay Symposium (TSS) including English Wrestling, English Quarterstaff, Zachary Wylde's Backsword Method (1711), The Single Dagger Fight according to George Silver and Joseph Swetnam's Broadsword Method.
In 2018 Matthew participated in the World Broadsword Championship, placing in the finals. He placed 2nd in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 Broadsword competitions at the Tasmanian Swordplay Symposiums.
In 2018 Matthew played his Provost prize in backsword, sword and buckler and English wrestling and now runs two classes of the Tasmanian Academy of Swordsmanship in Launceston.
In 2025, alongside Stephen Hand and Shaun Douglas he founded the Tasmanian Academy of Swordsmanship (T.A.S.)
Matthew is also the state champion (2023-24) in the excellent sport of Sheaf-Tossing.
Matthew is a long-term student and instructor of several martial arts, though the journey has had many twists and turns.
He was a school regional representative in field athletics, particularly shot-put, discus and javelin. He also played Rugby Union in Sydney before studying Physical and Health Education at the University of Wollongong (1998). During his tertiary study he began studying Korean martial arts, particularly judo(1997), Hapkido (2nd Dan 1999) and Chonjo (Head Instructor in Tasmania 2003-2015).
Matthew had always assumed that European martial arts had been lost to time. The re-enactments of European combat that he had seen seemed unrealistic and amateurish. In 2012, while browsing the Launceston library Matthew happened across a copy of Stephen Hand's English Swordsmanship. He eagerly devoured this work and began intense study of George Silver's Paradoxes of Defence (1599) and Brief Instructions upon my Paradoxes of Defence (1605) swiftly followed by Joseph Swetnam's The Schoole of the Noble and Worthy Science of Defence (1617). He decided to throw all his martial arts study into promoting and helping to restore, as much as possible, historical European combat methods.
In 2012 Matthew began studying British backsword method with Stephen Hand in Hobart. Soon after, Matthew joined with Usher Joseph Gora in private study and fencing in Launceston eventually leading to the beginning of an historical fencing class in Launceston (2015).
Matthew has taught seminars and workshops at the Australian Western Martial Arts Conference (AWMAC) and at the Tasmanian Swordplay Symposium (TSS) including English Wrestling, English Quarterstaff, Zachary Wylde's Backsword Method (1711), The Single Dagger Fight according to George Silver and Joseph Swetnam's Broadsword Method.
In 2018 Matthew participated in the World Broadsword Championship, placing in the finals. He placed 2nd in the 2017, 2018 and 2019 Broadsword competitions at the Tasmanian Swordplay Symposiums.
In 2018 Matthew played his Provost prize in backsword, sword and buckler and English wrestling and now runs two classes of the Tasmanian Academy of Swordsmanship in Launceston.
In 2025, alongside Stephen Hand and Shaun Douglas he founded the Tasmanian Academy of Swordsmanship (T.A.S.)
Matthew is also the state champion (2023-24) in the excellent sport of Sheaf-Tossing.