Main Discussion Area > English Warbow
Longbow Tech Question
Ian.:
Sent you a PM Brian
Phil Rees:
Although there is pictorial evidence, (as Craig has mentioned) throughout the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries depicting bows used in batlle with recurve tips I think it's fair to say that it should be viewed with a degree of caution. But, what we have to remember is, Britain was not an isolated society. Before the battles of the hundred years war, there had been over two hundred years of tooing and frowing, back and forth to the Holy land. It would be easy to see how eastern bow characteristics were incorporated into the more traditional longbow designs of western europe.
CraigMBeckett:
--- Quote from: Horace Ford on July 29, 2011, 09:18:02 am ---Although there is pictorial evidence, (as Craig has mentioned) throughout the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries depicting bows used in batlle with recurve tips I think it's fair to say that it should be viewed with a degree of caution. But, what we have to remember is, Britain was not an isolated society. Before the battles of the hundred years war, there had been over two hundred years of tooing and frowing, back and forth to the Holy land. It would be easy to see how eastern bow characteristics were incorporated into the more traditional longbow designs of western europe.
--- End quote ---
What I failed to mention with regard to the pictorial evidence is the the majority of the pictures are not contemporary with the scenes they depict, some being done decades later than the event, painted/drawn by people who were not at the battles and who probably had never been near a battlefield and were possibly influenced by classical depictions of Greek bows etc. Although to be fair to the artists a lot of them were from the continent where they may have been exposed to Burgundian bows, bows that were both long and had recurved tips.
Craig.
Hawkeye1974:
@ craig: thanks for the answer.
infact thank all of your for your answers and insite.
bow-toxo:
--- Quote from: Horace Ford on July 29, 2011, 09:18:02 am ---Although there is pictorial evidence, (as Craig has mentioned) throughout the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries depicting bows used in batlle with recurve tips I think it's fair to say that it should be viewed with a degree of caution. But, what we have to remember is, Britain was not an isolated society. Before the battles of the hundred years war, there had been over two hundred years of tooing and frowing, back and forth to the Holy land. It would be easy to see how eastern bow characteristics were incorporated into the more traditional longbow designs of western europe.
--- End quote ---
Concerning the pictorial evidence, check the lengths of bows pictured used in battle. Many illustrations show not longbows, but smallbows that were normally heat bent to various curvatures. A longbow [ sorry, not every self bow is a longbow] is at least the length of the archer, or much more. The smallbow, of course using shorter arrows, might reach the archer’s nose. One late mediaeval manuscript illustration depicting the 1066 invasion, shows Normans with recurved longbows, Saxons with straight ended ones.
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