Real Marks, Roving Marks come from Marks that stood in the fields
of Finsbury and Southwark.
Not flags, not personal emblems: Longbow history is about real Marks.
Marks are shot at a variety of Clout-type distances.
Archers drop their arrows as close to the designated Mark as possible.
A typical shoot has up to a eighteen different Marks set out at different distances.
Marks were sponsored by the City Guilds: “Plaisterers Stake”
By Guild members: “Turkes Whale”
By Businesses: “Grasshopper”
By Royal Households: “House of York”
They were named after
Events in history:
“Water Gap”
Historical figures: “Scarlet”
After benefactors: “Angell“
Locations: “Bunhill”, “Blackwell Hall”
Animals or birds: “Cuckoo”, “Beehiuve”
After natural features: “Neues Tissick”, “Flint”
Real marks, real history still in the making
The origin and historic context is explained on the back of each Mark.
So are the original maximum and minimum distances they were shot at in the fields of Finsbury and Southwark.
The Fraternity inaugurates Marks at its shoots.
Archers make, sponsor and sign them.
All can “Make their Mark” and be a part of history.