Longbow
A longbow is a type of bow that is tall (roughly equal to the height of the person who uses it); this will allow its user a fairly long draw, at least to the jaw. A longbow is not significantly recurved. Its limbs are relatively narrow so that they are circular or D-shaped in cross section. Flatbows can be just as long; the difference is that, in cross-section, a flatbow has limbs that are approximately rectangular.
Longbows have been made from many different woods by many cultures; in Europe they date from the Paleolithic, and since the Bronze Age were made mainly from yew. The historical longbow was a self bow made of wood, but modern longbows may also be made from modern materials or by gluing different timbers together.
Organizations which run archery competitions have set out formal definitions for the various classes; many definitions of the longbow would exclude some medieval examples, materials, and techniques of use.[1][2] According to the British Longbow Society, the English longbow is made so that its thickness is at least ⅝ (62.5%) of its width, as in Victorian longbows, and is widest at the handle. This differs from the Medieval longbow, which had a thickness between 33% and 75% of the width. Also, the Victorian longbow does not bend throughout the entire length, as does the medieval longbow. Longbows have been used for hunting and warfare, by many cultures around the world, a famous example being the English longbow, during the Middle Ages.
History
The earliest known archaeological evidence of the bow and arrow dates to about 10,000 years ago, found in Ahrensburg valley north of Hamburg. The term "longbow" is coined ca. 1500 in reference to the English longbow, to distinguish the simple self bow from the shorter composite bow. In medieval times in Britain the weapon was usually known as a "hand" or a "lug" bow, distinguishing it from the crossbow.
In the Middle Ages the English and Welsh were famous for their very powerful Welsh longbows, used to great effect in the civil wars of the period and against the French in the Hundred Years' War (with notable success at the battles of Crécy (1346), Poitiers (1356) and Agincourt (1415).[3]
The first book in English about longbow archery was Toxophilus by Roger Ascham, first published in London in 1545 and dedicated to King Henry VIII.
The average length of arrowshafts recovered from the 1545 sinking of the Mary Rose is 75 cm (30 in)*).
Although firearms supplanted bows in warfare, wooden or fibreglass laminated longbows continue to be used by traditional archers and some tribal societies for recreation and hunting. A longbow has practical advantages compared to a modern recurve or compound bow; it is usually lighter, quicker to prepare for shooting, and shoots more quietly. However, other things being equal, the modern bow will shoot a faster arrow more accurately than the longbow.
A claymore and a longbow were the weapons carried by Lt. Col. Jack Churchill DSO, MC & BAR during World War II.
Legacy
The longbow and its historical significance, arising from its effective use by the English and Welsh during the Hundred Years' War, have created a lasting legacy for the longbow, which has given its name to modern military equipment, including:
- The AH-64D Apache Longbow, an attack helicopter;
- The AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire, an air-to-ground missile; and
- The Dakota Longbow T-76, a sniper rifle.
See also
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References
- Notes
- ^ The (UK) National Field Archery Association's definition of a longbow
- ^ The International Field Archery's definition
- ^ “The Efficacy of the Medieval Longbow: A Reply to Kelly DeVries,” War in History 5, no. 2 (1998): 233-42; idem, “The Battle of Agincourt,” The Hundred Years War (Part II): Different Vistas, ed. L. J. Andrew Villalon and Donald J. Kagay (Leiden: Brill, 2008): 37-132.
- Further reading
- The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 1. 1992 The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-085-3
- The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 2. 1992 The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-086-1
- The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 3. 1994 The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-087-X
- The Traditional Bowyers Bible Volume 4. 2008 The Lyons Press. ISBN 978-0-9645741-6-8
- Bryant, Arthur (1963) The Age of Chivalry.
- Gray, David (2002) Bows of the World. The Lyons Press. ISBN 1-58574-478-6
- "The Great Warbow: From Hastings to the Mary Rose", by Dr. Matthew Strickland [1] and Robert Hardy, Pub Sutton, 2005, ISBN 0-7509-3167-1 .
- "Longbow: A Social and Military History", by Robert Hardy, CBE, FSA. Pub Sutton, rev 2006, ISBN 0-7509-4391-2 .
