#longbowmen

The French Heavy Knight is unstop....

EDIT: I also forgot to mention the anti-cavalry stakes. Now self-named longbowman will take to the field without these.

Longbowman.

On 21 July 1403 English archers fought each other on English soil for the first time at the Battle of Shrewsbury, demonstrating the prowess of the longbow. Rebel forces led by Henry 'Harry Hotspur' Percy clashed with Henry IV's Royalist army. As leaders were frequently obliged to raise the visors of their helmets to command their troops they were particularly at risk from enemy archers, a risk highlighted at the battle. Henry Percy was slain by an arrow in the eye while Prince Henry, later King Henry V, was wounded by an arrow to the face. The illustration and extract below come from Weapon 30: The Longbow by Mike Loades. The artwork is by Peter Dennis - http://bit.ly/2agezhc Training with the Bow: Archers setting up and shooting at butts (c. 1360). Butts were earth mounds that were set up in every town, village and hamlet and, by law, had to be maintained in good order. Erosion from rain and wind was minimized by the slope of the half-dome and the butts were held together by a covering of grass. As well as regularly tamping the sides into shape, maintenance involved frequent compacting of the face, and filling in the cavities created by arrow strikes. The grass would need cutting and in dry weather the butts would need to be watered. Regular Sunday practice at the butts was compulsory by law from 1363 for all men between 16 and 65. Targets, set against the backstop of the butts, were improvised and might consist of an oyster shell or a garland – a wreath of brushwood. Another popular target was the wand: a narrow stave of wood, set in front of the butt, the idea being to split it with the shot. Inset: Shooting at the marks (c. 1500). Permanent courses were laid out in cities such as London for shooting over distances. Archers shot round these courses in groups, in the manner of golfers. They shot at designated marks set up at different distances. Each mark was identified by a distinguishing insignia on top of a wooden post, which was set in a stone plinth. In 1498 the mayor of London designated 11 acres of the city, Finsbury Fields, for archery practice. A map of the location dating to 1594 shows 194 marks, with distances ranging from 130yd to 345yd! Despite the designation of Finsbury Fields as a shooting area, it remained busy with the everyday traffic of people. Accidents happened, but the protocol was to call ‘loose’ if it was clear to take a safe shot and to call ‘fast’ (which originally meant safe) if shooting must be stopped to allow someone to pass. Playing ‘fast and loose’ was a dangerous game.

 Altarpiece of St. Sebastian c. 1493