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data on the Mary Rose bows/arrows

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stevesjem:

--- Quote from: bow-toxo on November 13, 2008, 07:15:37 pm ---
--- Quote from: adb on November 12, 2008, 12:26:16 pm ---Steve,
I agree... a clothyard was not likely 36", especially considering that if MR arrows were referred to as a clothyard (being that most are 30-31").


--- End quote ---
Why would someone refer to MR arrows as clothyards ? A clothyard was likely 36 of today's inches, three of today's feet and 36 of today's inches. If my postings #12 and #15 have not made that clear and if you won't take the word of the English Board of Trade, i guess it's time to change the subject. Where I got the information that one MR bow waas 5' 11" long is irrelevant. Members with access to the MR site can check whether it is a fact. If it is not, I will be very embarrassed and retract the statement. Let us know.
 Re. whether the strings for heavy bows lasted for more than a few shots but we can never know because we have no strings from that time. We can get a hint from the fact that earlier archers had three linen strings and as John Smythe tells us, Elizabethan combat archers, instructed to discard a string at the least sign of weakness, carried only two extra hemp strings, implying that there was not a lot of breakage.



--- End quote ---
5'11"is only 71", this is quite short and if it exists, then it is one of the shortest MR bows in the collection, being this short I would not want to draw a bow of this length to 30", let alone 36", I have just made a copy of a MR bow for a customer and he asked for a 35" draw length, so this bow was made 82" long, that is 11" longer than the length you have quoted. The original was one of the average length bows and that is 75" long.
Steve

Kviljo:
Yep, there's a bow in the MR-database that is said to be 71" long, plus anotherone at 72" if I remember correctly. There was some talk about the database not beeing totally reliable, so it should be investigated.

Who is up for the task of making a copy of the smallest MR-bow? ;D 

cracker:
Gentlemen
    I have watched this discussion with great interest and on thing comes to mind is could the ultra heave bows have been a shock weapon? One might think that a few vollies from a great distance might send an enemy into a state of disarray and allow one to take advantage of the confusion with a "regular" weight bow or infantry.
Ronnie

stevesjem:
Thats a very good point Ronnie, I do believe that the warbow was there to cause total panick and demoralise the enemy, I mean imagine watching all your mates in front of you dying with arrows in them when all you can do is wait for your turn, I mean they could not exactly fight back when they are 300yds away could they.

Steve

cracker:
Ive watched the specials that have been broadcast on history channel concerning the great battles involving the longbow. Can anyone tell me how close they are to being historically accurate?
Ronnie

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