Longbow - History

History

The earliest known archaeological evidence of the bow and arrow dates to about 10,000 years ago, found in Ahrensburg valley north of Hamburg. The term "longbow" is coined ca. 1500 in reference to the English longbow, to distinguish the simple self bow from the shorter composite bow. In medieval times in Britain the weapon was usually known as a "hand" or a "lug" bow, distinguishing it from the crossbow.

In the Middle Ages the English and Welsh were famous for their very powerful Welsh longbows, used to great effect in the civil wars of the period and against the French in the Hundred Years' War (with notable success at the battles of Crécy (1346), Poitiers (1356) and Agincourt (1415).

The first book in English about longbow archery was Toxophilus by Roger Ascham, first published in London in 1545 and dedicated to King Henry VIII.

The average length of arrowshafts recovered from the 1545 sinking of the Mary Rose is 75 cm/30 in).

Although firearms supplanted bows in warfare, wooden or fibreglass laminated longbows continue to be used by traditional archers and some tribal societies for recreation and hunting. A longbow has practical advantages compared to a modern recurve or compound bow; it is usually lighter, quicker to prepare for shooting, and shoots more quietly. However, other things being equal, the modern bow will shoot a faster arrow more accurately than the longbow.

A claymore and a longbow were the weapons carried by Lt. Col. Jack Churchill DSO, MC & BAR during World War II.