Main Discussion Area > English Warbow
Bow Lenght
CraigMBeckett:
--- Quote from: Yeomanbowman on January 11, 2013, 10:18:09 am ---
--- Quote from: CraigMBeckett on January 09, 2013, 07:51:38 pm ---In fact the shortest complete bow recovered from the Mary Rose is artifact 80A763 which is 1839mm or 72 7/16 inches long measured along the convex side and 1833 mm or 72 3/16 inches long nock to nock.
Craig.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: CraigMBeckett on January 09, 2013, 07:51:38 pm ---In fact the shortest complete bow recovered from the Mary Rose is artifact 80A763 which is 1839mm or 72 7/16 inches long measured along the convex side and 1833 mm or 72 3/16 inches long nock to nock.
Craig.
--- End quote ---
Hi Craig,
Are you stating that artefact 80A763 is 72 7/16” long from the tip of the upper limb cone to the tip of the lower, along the convex side, or the nock to nock length, please?
My understanding is all bow length dimensions given on the CD or otherwise from the MR Trust are from tip to tip and not nock to nock. This is assuming it complete, of course. Also I understand that the wooden cone length under the horn was around 2" (and sometimes longer) with the string grove filed in about 1/2 way down. The one remaining horn nock, so far, would conform to this. If this is the case, and I take your point about reflex (but as the length is along the convex side this would not distort the matter). That is if the stated length of 72 7/16”is indeed tip to tip then the bow would be a little over 70 nock to nock.
For those following this tread, a great introduction can be found here...
http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&tbo=d&sclient=psy-ab&q=alanesque+side+nocks&oq=alanesque+side+nocks&gs_l=hp.3...1295.10858.0.11217.20.20.0.0.0.0.188.2027.14j6.20.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.NCdZzAjBAbY&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.1357700187,d.d2k&fp=c409455af118ddbd&biw=1280&bih=822
You can see a great image of the colour difference where the horn has protected the wood from the water until it was eventually eaten away by microbes being made of a protein called keratin.
--- End quote ---
Hi Yeomanbowman,
You are correct my use of nock to nock was a typo or brain tilt and not intended, I should have written tip to tip. The MR people measured both along the convex side tip to tip and in a straight line tip to tip, so artifact 80A763 was measured at 1839mm or 72 7/16 inches along the convex side and 1833 mm or 72 3/16 inches long tip to tip. WRT the length nock to nock, it would indeed be something like the length tip to tip along the convex side minus 2 inches so as you say 80A763 is approximately 72 inches or possibly up to 1/2 inch more nock to nock. Its a pity that the location of any remaining nock marks was not also recorded.
And appologies to Alistair, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa, I thought you were denying that the MR bows were measured along the convex side rather that correcting my typo of nock to nock. I did not properly re-read what I had written even when you provided the quotation.
I still disagree about the use of the two bows you mention.
Craig
Ian.:
--- Quote from: stu1961 on January 27, 2013, 02:40:59 am ---Just remember, Warbows and longbows are the same thing. Don't get confused with the definitions and requirements of various societies. I'm sure many thousands of bows made for warfare in medieval times were less than 72 inches long.
I regard a 'longbow' used for 'war' in the medieval period to be the height of a man and we all know how much that varies!
The 'Mary Rose' bows are a great source of knowledge but they don't come close to representing all that came before them.
--- End quote ---
Sorry, you've missed the boat on this one by about 30 years, they are very different things as different as any other type of bow.
AH:
just my opinion, but I think maybe some of the bows on the MR were overbuilt for the safety of war? at least the ones over 78",
adb:
--- Quote from: Livefortheoutdoors on January 27, 2013, 03:56:49 pm ---just my opinion, but I think maybe some of the bows on the MR were overbuilt for the safety of war? at least the ones over 78",
--- End quote ---
I don't think they were 'overbuilt' per say. I do think they were made to cast a very heavy (up to 1/4#) armour piercing arrow a long distance (200+ yards). To accomplish this with yew, the bows needed to big and long.
adb:
--- Quote from: Ian. on January 27, 2013, 08:45:30 am ---
--- Quote from: stu1961 on January 27, 2013, 02:40:59 am ---Just remember, Warbows and longbows are the same thing. Don't get confused with the definitions and requirements of various societies. I'm sure many thousands of bows made for warfare in medieval times were less than 72 inches long.
I regard a 'longbow' used for 'war' in the medieval period to be the height of a man and we all know how much that varies!
The 'Mary Rose' bows are a great source of knowledge but they don't come close to representing all that came before them.
--- End quote ---
Sorry, you've missed the boat on this one by about 30 years, they are very different things as different as any other type of bow.
--- End quote ---
+1
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