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How War Bows were manufactured for wars

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adb:
I think that theory has since been rejected.

Robby101:
I know they carried a pretty hefty inventory when campaigning and was wondering if anything has ever been uncovered listing the support personnel, bowyer's and fletcher's specifically.
Robby

Hrothgar:
Robby101 there are several sites which offer information about the Mary Rose. According to the ship's log there were 185 soldiers (archers) on board; supposed to be 250 longbows of which 177 have been recovered. Several interesting facts are noted: the bows weren't fitted with horn nocks--although horn nocks were on board--the theory is that the bowstrings were already affixed to the nocks and would be slipped onto the bows when used; the ship had been re-fitted for guns and cannons, including side gun ports, and was carrying a crew of gunners as well. Apparently by this time, on this particular ship, the brunt of her weaponry and offense, for sea battles, were cannon and gun, and not archers.
I haven't been able to find any evidence of bowyer tools or related artifacts. There remained several thousand arrows, while most of the horn nocks and bowstrings decayed over time.

WillS:
Weapons of Warre is by far the most comprehensive list of items found on board.  Nothing is left out.  There are no bowyers tools because the ship wouldn't have had bowyers onboard.  It was going out to fight an immediate battle just off the Portsmouth coast.  Unfinished bows, craftsmen and so on would have been pointless and heavy.

As for the removable horn nocks theory, again that's been more or less disproved.  There was a thread about it recently and HUGE discussion on the EWBS forum with a few people adamant that it was the case but no evidence to support the idea.  It also makes the bows impossible to string.  Imagine trying to get two horn nocks onto the tips of a 150# bow.  You need a stringer as no human could do it without, and yet a stringer requires both horn nocks to be in place in order to work!  Personally I thought it was a sound theory until a couple of very knowledgeable bowyers and warbow archers set me straight!

Interestingly however, the actual mechanics does work though - on a bow light enough to string without a stringer you can have unglued removable nocks because at brace the string tension keeps them in place.

Del the cat:

--- Quote from: Hrothgar on March 13, 2014, 09:39:01 pm ---Robby101 there are several sites which offer information about the Mary Rose. According to the ship's log there were 185 soldiers (archers) on board; supposed to be 250 longbows of which 177 have been recovered. Several interesting facts are noted: the bows weren't fitted with horn nocks--although horn nocks were on board--the theory is that the bowstrings were already affixed to the nocks and would be slipped onto the bows when used; the ship had been re-fitted for guns and cannons, including side gun ports, and was carrying a crew of gunners as well. Apparently by this time, on this particular ship, the brunt of her weaponry and offense, for sea battles, were cannon and gun, and not archers.
I haven't been able to find any evidence of bowyer tools or related artifacts. There remained several thousand arrows, while most of the horn nocks and bowstrings decayed over time.

--- End quote ---
There were almost no horn nocks because the horn gets eaten by microrganisms... yum yum horn protein :).
Same as there are no strings... (well I think there is one fragment). The position of the horn nocks is clearly visible on the bows. There is also evidence that some final tillering or finishing was done after the horn was fitted.
Del

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