Important dates in the History of the Longbow
A variety of bows & part bows -some flat, some rounded in section, most of them long - have been found in England, dating back to 3000 B.C.
c 449 When the Saxons brought their bows to subdue the Britons, it was recorded that they had not seen such a terrible weapon before.
c 870 The Vikings came armed with long bows and battle axes.
1100 Law completely absolving any archer who accidentally killed or injured a passer-by whilst practicing. (Henry I)
1252 Assize of Arms. All males between 15 and 60years shall keep arms, including bows. (Henry III). The longbow is accepted as a formal military weapon
c 1270 Edward I thought by some to have brought the Long Bow from Wales, but contemporary descriptions said Welsh bows were short, wide and flat - and the English already had and used long bows.
c 1280 Edward I adopts the longbow during the Welsh campaigns after seeing how effectively the Welsh used it.
1284 Statute of Winchester confirms Assize of 1252. (Edward I)
1293 Ivo le Bowyere appeared in court of the Abbot of Westminster: the first bowyer known by name in London.
1298 Battle of Falkirk. "The English archers chased the Scottish bowmen off the field". (Edward I contra Wallace). Archers weakened the Scottish shiltrons enabling cavalry to break into then and mop them up.
1314 Battle of Bannockburn "The English failed properly to use their archers' advantage". (Edward II contra Bruce)
1333 Battle of Halidon Hill. "They were so galled by the English archers that they were soon thrown into disorder". (Edward III contra Douglas)
1337 Hundred Years War began.
1340 Battle of Sluys. First recorded effective use of archers at sea.
1341 Edward III changed the old feudal levy by which armies were raised, to indentured contracts with Captains of armed retinues. These specified the force & the length of each man's service - 40 days min. to I year max. after which he was discharged & could re-enlist. For the first time there was a paid professional army. Commanders respected the bowmen, had high regard for their skill & made good tactical use of them. The French scorned all infantry, often riding down their own men as they insisted on employing the cavalry charge as the only way of waging war.
1346 Battle of Crécy. Strategic use of archers & dismounted knights. The Black Prince won his spurs at 16 years of age. (Edward III contra Philip VI). Outnumbered 5 to 1, the English withstood 15 attacks to gain a decisive victory.
1348 The Black Death decimated the population.
1356 Battle of Poitiers. Classic example of skilful use of archers. (Black Prince contra King John II of France). Outnumbered 3 to 1, the English gained victory.
1369 Statute requiring compulsory archery for all. Bowyers listed, as a craft, to serve their turn weekly in the watch on the Thames water-front.
1377 Richard II kept a standing bodyguard of 4,000 archers.
1388 Law that all labourers were to have bows and practise with them on Sundays and Holidays (Richard II).
1403 Battle of Shrewsbury. Archers from Cheshire, under Owain Glyndwr, joined the turncoat Earl of Northumberland & his son Hotspur against Henry IV, the King they had previously supported. Demoralised by the death of Hotspur, the rebels fled, &. the House of Lancaster reigned for the next 60 years.
1405 Regulations for the making of serviceable arrowheads (Henry IV).
1413 When Henry V came to the throne, most of the lands won in France by Edward III had been lost.
1414 Royal proclamation insisting on archery practise for all men.
1415 Battle of Agincourt. A sick & vastly outnumbered English army beat the French who had learnt little from Crécy & Poitiers. As they tried to charge they were slaughtered by the carefully positioned archers.
1416 Law that Aspen wood (Poplar) must only be used for arrows, not patens (clogs).
Throughout the 100 years war, the English were victorious in many minor battles, due to their intelligent use of archers.
1448 Margaret Paston, in a letter to her husband, asks for crossbows as the house is too low to use longbows. The first known written reference to "LONG" bows, previously referred to as "ENGLISH" or "HAND" bows.
1450 Battle of Formigny, the loss of Normandy. The English are defeated by a coordinated pincer movement between French archers and French cavalry.
1453 Battle of Castillon, the loss of Aquitaine. The English are defeated by a coordinated relay between French artillery and French archer volleys, followed up with a Breton cavalry attack in the flank together with a frontal assault by men at arms on foot.
1455 Wars of the Roses. Englishman fought Englishman using the same weapon with which they had fought side by side against the French.
1472 Law that merchants must import 4 bow staves with every ton of goods brought into England (Edward IV).
1482 The price of yew bows controlled at 3s 4d (Edward IV).
1483 Merchants must import 10 good bow staves with every butt of wine- a clever way of getting staves from Spain, as import duty (Richard III).
1502 First reference to the formation of the Unitie Laudable and Fraternitie of Prince Arthur.
1503 The use of crossbows forbidden to all but Lords & rich landowners.
1509 First reference to the Guilde and Fraternitie of Saint George, on receipt of the King's allowance of 600 guineas.
1511 Every man up to 60 & every man child to have and use longbows. Bowyers compelled to live where their services most required, (Henry VIII)
1513 Battle of Flodden. Probably the last important affray in which archers were used in any great number (Earl of Surrey contra King of Scots).
1520 Henry VIII demonstrated his considerable archery skill before the King Francis I, at the Field of the Cloth of Gold between the French enclave of Ardres and the British enclave of Guines in northern France.
1537 Henry VIII granted a Charter to the Guild and Fraternitie of Saint George, formed "for the better defence of the realm by the maintenance of the Science & Feate of Shootinge". Amongst other concessions, they were indemnified from a charge of murder should they kill anyone whilst practising, provided the warning cry "Faste" had been given. The cry is still used today.
1541 Provisions of 1511 confirmed. Rules made for regular archery practice. Houses for "unlawful games" forbidden (Henry VIII).
1544 First mention of meeting of the Society of Finsbury Archers
1545 First English book on archery printed, "Toxophilus" by Roger Ascham, tutor to Princess Elizabeth. Its principles still guide archers today.
1545 Loss of the "Mary Rose" with many archers on board.
1547 Battle of Pinkie Cleugh: Archers are still part of the army.
1557 Orders for the keeping of bows & arrows by all (Mary).
1566 Bows of imported yew not more than 6s 8d. English yew 2s (Elizabeth I).
1571 Statute of 1472 (import duty on wine) re-affirmed.
1588 Battle of the Spanish Armada ; fought in the main with guns. Only 800 archers were used. Archery in decline.
1590 Publications by Sir John Smith advocate continuance of military archery. The official beginning of the Finsbury Archers.
1595 The longbow is de facto retired from military service.
1603 Musselburgh Arrow first shot for in competition. Still shot for today by the Queen's Body Guard for Scotland, the Royal Company of Archers.
1623 Repeal of Statute of Winchester regarding provision of arms.
1634 Ben Fisher's book echoes Sir John Smith's plea of 1590 for archery.
1644 Tippermuir. Probably the last open battle in which bows were used.
1660 Duty on bow staves to be £4 for 120 (Charles II).
1661 Archery display in Hyde Park by 400 archers, led by Sir Edward Hungerford. One of many such "reviews' held about this time.
1662 An Act ordering military weapons does not mention bows. Their use in war is officially over.
1673 First competition for the Ancient Scorton Silver Arrow. The oldest sporting trophy still openly competed for in this country.
1681 A number of archers shoot before the King at Hampton Court.
1688 The bow still being used in some Scottish Clan battles. Society of Kilwinning Archers formed in Scotland to shoot the Popinjay (dislodging a wooden bird from a lower). Still shooting today.
1761 Last recorded meeting of the Finsbury Archers, begun in 1590. The open ground on which they shot had gradually been enclosed & built on until they could no longer continue.
1781 The Toxophilite society (later called Royal) formed. Although a few short lived groups had appeared from time to time, & there were many private meetings, this was the First Society in 200 years to be formed expressly for archery. Still meeting and shooting today.
1785 Present Woodmen of Arden formed. Little is known of an earlier group of that name. Still shooting on the same ground, at Meriden.
Royal Kentish Bowmen enjoyed the patronage of the Prince Regent (later King George IV). At this time the various coloured scoring rings were standardised, as were the scoring values (which became known as the Prince's reckoning, as he was generally supposed to have suggested it). The standardisation of the distances shot now made comparisons between archers and their skill more accurate. The same scoring & distances are still used today, except in International competition although the old Inner White is now coloured Blue.
1787 The Royal British Bowmen were the First to admit Ladies as shooting members. Other Societies eventually followed suit.
c 1792 Organised competitive Open Meetings becoming popular. Rules being formulated for Target Archery Meetings based on those of the Society of Archers (Scorton 1673). By now about 20 Societies of some size throughout Great Britain.
c 1835 Princess Victoria shot with the Royal St. Leonard's Archery Society. It is not recorded that she was ever an enthusiastic archer, but she did as Queen, appoint a Master of Archery to her household.
1843 The first Grand National Archery Meeting.
1845 The First G.N.A.M. at which Ladies competed.
1849 At his 2nd National Meeting, Horace Ford became Champion of England, a position he won 12 limes. His Long Bow scores for the York Round, shot two ways, have not yet been equalled.
1856 Ford's treatise on archery published. He brought a logical, intelligent application of basic principles to the art of target shooting. An exceptional work of great value, which effected great changes and improvements, not least drawing of the arrow under the aiming eye, not as previously to the ear (though the latter still applies to longer distance archery and warbows).
1861 Grand National Archery Society formed.
1875 First public Meeting for Miss Alice Legh of Cheltenham, Lady Champion of England an incredible 23 limes. She wrote an authoritative and enthusiastic chapter for the Badminton Sports Library (Archery) on the benefits of archery for ladies young or old.
1900 and 1904 limited archery in the Olympics.
1908 Archery included for men and women in the London Olympics. William Dod and Miss Q.F.Newall of Great Britain won the gold medals for Double York and Double National Rounds respectively. The men's silver medal and the women's silver and bronze medals were also won by British archers. At this lime Long Bows were still being used.
c 1938 Steel bows introduced. Soon to become universally popular.
1950 A group of archers who wished to preserve the traditional Long Bow and methods of shooting as they knew it, formed the British Long Bow Society. It now has around over 2000 members throughout the U.K. and abroad.
1951 Society of Archer Antiquaries formed to research, catalogue and shoot all types of bows & other archery equipment, from all over the world, of all periods. It is recognised as a learned Society.
c 1952 Modern styles of composite bows, with recurved limbs, gradually superseded steel bows and greatly improved performance potential.
1979 Rediscovery of the wreck of the Mary Rose. Quantities of archery equipment began to be raised from the sunken Tudor warship. First accurately dated examples from that period.
1974 Archers of the Finsbury Mark re-formed, echoing the old Finsbury Archers, & shooting Clout & Rovers as was done before.
1983 Guild of Elizabethan Archers formed, to shoot archaic Rounds & "Games" and to fund worthy archery causes.
1987 Sufficient craftsmen now making Longbows to form a Craft Guild.
1996 Unitie Laudable and Fraternitie of Prince Arthur re-formed for maintenance of the longbow archery traditions as practised into the 16th Century. Occasional use of Standard and Military Arrows.
1998 "Ayme for Finsbury Archers" republished to keep alive the Traditions of the Longbow.
2000 Foundation of the International Artillery Archers Association, in furtherance of the tradition of shooting at the (fixed) Marks. Following the characteristics of the Mary Rose finds, the IAAA agreed the specification of the Warbow, the Standard Arrow, the Military Arrow and attainable poundages used and distances shot.
2002 The Fraternity of Saint George is re-formed and permitted by the Honourable Artillery Company to shoot in its Artillery Garden. Maintenance of longbow traditions as practised into the 16th Century.
2003 First ever Night Shoot at the Marks introduced by the Fraternity of Saint George.
2004 Shooting at the (fixed) Marks is re-introduced back into France at the Chateau de Moussy by the Fraternity of Saint George.
2005 First ever British Longbow Society Championship at the Marks, hosted by the Fraternity of Saint George.
2006 The Museum of Archery in Crépy-en-Valois, France, gives official recognition to the tradition of Shooting at the Marks in France; inauguration of a display "le Tir aux Marques" in its main Hall.
2006 The Fraternity of Saint George introduces the Universal Longbow Flight Scale, measuring archer efficiency in poundage / distance and gaining a fast growing data-base.
2007 Steering Group of the Fraternité de Saint Sébastien in convened (2006) and meets at the Museum of Archery in Crepy-en-Valois, to establish a French / International counterpart to the Fraternity of Saint George in France.
2007 First ever Championship at Flight shooting, hosted by the Fraternity of Saint George. Concurrently the Fraternity started the International Mary Rose Warbow Trophy; a competition of Flight, Standard, Military Arrow, distance Target, Marks, Speed, Distance volley and Wand shooting.
2009 March of the Archers of the Fraternity of St George 1509 in the City of London
2015 Anniversary 600 of the Battle of Agincourt, on the day, on the hour in the Honourable Artillery Company