Main Discussion Area > HowTo's and Build-a-longs
Mary Rose Replica Bow Build-Along--An Entrance into the World of War Bows
duffontap:
Very interesting point Justin. I was wondering that myself as I was thinking my way through that post. Here's what got me thinking:
My wife regularly embarrasses me in our backyard archery range by outshooting me. She does this despite the fact that she has no idea what proper form is and she is shooting crooked arrows. (I would straighten her arrows but how badly do I want to be beaten?). She judges her distance and then adjusts her trajectory by aiming higher and lower and by how far she draws her arrow. On long shots she draws farther--on short shots, she draws less. Don't ask me how she can hit anything--I don't know. But, she does know how to get extra power out of her bow and she has never read 'bow design and performance.'
As far as arrow length being used to control distances shot--you may be right. I think it is at least likely that arrows were different lengths to allow a certain randomness in where the volleys of arrows landed. If you are shooting at a group of 20,000 men, you don't want all your arrows to go 240 yards and land there. You want some to go 180, some to go 220, some to go 235, etc. so the whole group gets peppered. Make sense?
I had another point, but I forgot it. Keep the mental juices flowing. I got my camera tonight so I'll finish this post up over the next week or so. The bow is nearing completion and hasn't blow yet.
J. D. Duff
Dustybaer:
JD, could it be as trivial as using up shafting material? arrows were built (and needed) in the hundreds of thousands in those days. just like the dwindling availability of yew may have been one of the causes for a narrower bow design, using up available shafting material may have resulted in various arrow lengths. i guess it was not worth sorting them by length, since they were shot in volleys and no arrow was going to be shot again, so they were consumables.
Justin Snyder:
Dustybaer, I have heard that they narrowed the bows to save wood also. As for the arrows being sorted, I think it was intentional. A short draw versus a long draw could make a difference of several hundred yards. A good group of archers could change the outcome of a battle before swords were even drawn, but they had to volley into the lines. If you are short on arrow material you don't throw sticks that have no hope of getting to the target or ones that will go far beyond. You might even give the short arrows to guys with shorter draws and the long to guys with longer draws. The fact that all quivers had both lends to the idea that it was very intentional. Justin
Primitive1:
I could be way, way off here, but could the shorter arrows have been used for hunting and the longer ones for war where they needed the weight/distance/penetration? I guess that all points to the same conclusion though...hmmm....
Calendargirl:
When reading more on this you might find the article The Enigma of Side-Horns by Roy King(the official Bowmaker of the Mary Rose Trust) in P.A. back issue volume 8 issue 1 interesting.
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