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What is "Warbow"

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sagitarius boemoru:
For the purpose of this forum, warbow should be a single stave english style full bend bow of at least 90# or/and 220 yrds with Standart arrow.
Backed yew is acceptable as there are 16. and 17. examples of backing yew for bows, but not exotics and multilam bows.

Call me snobbish, but either its the thing or it is not.


J.

ratty:
are you just defineing the english warbow of the medieval ages? with a 32" draw / with linen/hemp string?

Kviljo:
It's relative to what you want to define. Hehe ::)

One could define Mary Rose-bows quite narrowly, but the English warbow is as far more than that. The sad thing is that we don't know how much more it is.

sagitarius boemoru:
Its obvious that there is heritage of heavy bows for war in the area far before actuall english assimilation of longbow as main artilery armament.
Hehe.
Also from iconographic source we can tell the bows were bloody heavy already by the half of the 14. century, because the archer postures and drawing style is typical for heavy bows. Also the nocks have been probably present at that time as some sources show it quite clearly.

Of course it should be medieval warbow, nothing else. Calling anything else by that name, is degradation of the real thing.

The military use didnt actually lasted so long. Its safe to frame it by big battle events.

Hallidon Hill and reconquist of Scottland by english was time of forming the tactics, logistic and the technical advancement of the weapon. (First leap.)
This is first third of 14. century. But at Crecy this all was already functional. Its clear the advancement due to arms race was quite rapid.
The other leap occured around the time of Azincourt, or better yet around half of 15. century when plate armour was readily availble even for non-nobile combatants.
Last major battle event is Flodden Field. Mary Rose bows are last of the line. After Mary Rose, the bows have been still of some use in skirmishing even as late as english civil war, but we can safely tell it was a swan´s song only.

English bow does not need 32´´ draw, its obvious not everybody can reach it and even at MR was alotl of arrows shorter than this.

It is defined more by performance than anything else. Also the draw is not defined by obscure "english warbow should have 32´´ draw" but more by limitations of frame of said archer. A sporting style of draw is not acceptable, where a "stand in the bow" style is.

We can probably discard the requirement of linen and hemp string due to fact that neither material is availble in necessary quality anymore, but we should stay purist as much as possible.

I m very much responsible for recent popularisation of shooting heavy bows, but we should not degrade medieval archery by calling everything "warbow".



Jaro

D. Tiller:
Jaro, lets try and keep this board here all inclusive. Any weight bow as long as it bends throughout, limbs no wider than handle, stands at least man height tall and draws to ear or chest. The bows knocks can be horn or self nocks since we have no idea what they made throughout the mideival ages.

Sounds good to me!

David T

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