Main Discussion Area > English Warbow
war arrows of the mary rose?
outcaste:
Hi,
All the info is drawn from the 'Weapons of Warre' . There is a massive amount of info on the arrows and the bows, plus anything else you would wish for in terms of Tudor arms and armoury.
If you take the MR average spec for a bobtailed poplar shaft (which is the most common), I think it would be the devils own work to get a 60g+ arrow out of it without a heavy head and or using the heartwood.
Alistair
adb:
Hmmmm... I have those books and I've read everything in them on the bows, but I guess I must have skimmed the section on the arrows! I'll have to go back and re-read that part. Thanks!
adb:
OK... I re-read the section in "Weapons of Warre" on the arrows from the Mary Rose, and I was surprised at how light in weight the arrow shafts actually were. Most seemed to be from 40 - 70 grams depending on shaft material, with birch some of the heaviest. I didn't see mention of any arrow shafts >80g. Where on earth did the 1/4# (113g) arrow come from? Is there mention of a 1/4# arrow used in the medieval or Tudor era anywhere? Or is this just the figment of someone's imagination?
DarkSoul:
--- Quote ---The EWBS Quarter Pound Arrow is a representation of a heavy military arrow used to penetrate armour. It is similar to those that were shot during the Hundred Years War.
Quarter-pound Arrow Weight: Minimum weight 1/4lb (113.4g)
Nock: A horn reinforced self-nock (reinforcement approximately 2”). A slot depth of around ¼" is suggested. The nock does not need to be further reinforced with bindings but this may be advisable for longevity and safety.
Shaft: Any indigenous hard wood is acceptable but the denser woods like oak, ash or birch may be needed to make the weight. Either a torpedo or bob-tailed shaft profile is acceptable. Minimum shaft diameter at the shoulder 1/2” Minimum shaft diameter at the nock 3/8” Minimum Shaft length (bottom of nock to shoulder) 30 ½”
Fletchings: Fletchings must be cut in a triangular pattern with a trailing rear edge as nature intended. The fletchings may be bound on but this is not required. Minimum length 7 3/8” Minimum height 5/8”
Head: A heavy hand forged plate-cutting bodkin must be used.
--- End quote ---
70 gram shaft, 30 gram arrowhead, 5 gram feathers, 5 gram bindings, 3 gram horn insert. Seems doable.
adb:
Sorry... that was a 70g total arrow weight, assuming a type 7 or type 16 bodkin in place (with an average weight of 15g). My apologies for neglecting to include that! Also, 3 feathers weigh usually 1g or less, binding material weighs basically nothing (5g?... get real!), and the horn insert weighs roughly the same as the wood removed to insert it.
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