Woodlands.co.uk

Archery, powerful bows and arrows

By woodlandstv

Slow connection? Watch in lower quality

http://www.woodlands.co.uk Woodlands archery, powerful bows and arrows. Long bows made from yew were used during the Hundred Years War. Neil Eddiford from Wolfshead Bowmen describes the properties that made yew suitable for the long bow, and how often English yew wasn't used at all. Other woods used for bows were ash and wych elm. He also looks at the arrows with fletchlings of goose feather, a bodkin point or a needle bodkin. These are serious weapons for medieval warfare, and Neil describes the range and penetration power these arrows could have.

Wolfshead Bowmen are a re-enactment group and Woodlands TV met up with them at the Weald Wood Fair at Bentley Wildfowl and Motor Museum.


Comments are closed for this post.

Discussion

look at my videos at dakota gutzke

dakota gutzke

August 5, 2013

forearms too, they held back 90 to 125 lb draw weight that they found on the queen mary ship that went down.

manga12

September 16, 2013

the midevel bodkin point would not go compleatly though according to tests a few years ago using simeler equiptment to the speed and shaft of the arrow, as well as a modern steel bodkin, on the other hand they would dent and poke into the armor, and of course after a few 100 arrows would do significant damage to plate, but they would often go for the horse and not the wearer directly, or would be used to slow them down as the constant hammering is enough to hold back even hardy mounted foes

manga12

September 16, 2013

Which is why you were aroused when you wrote this!

timewiper

September 25, 2013

8 people are french =)

nick1023097prescott

October 6, 2013

Well if you don't know how can we help you?

Chris

October 7, 2013

I've made more bows following the dimensions from the MR bows than the average bowyer, and as long as the dimensions AND the wood quality are correct, many of theese bows end up over 150 lb. Both I and others have also tested theese bows using arrows equal to those used back in the old days, and they do penetrate quite well as long as the bow is 140 lb + shot from 60-70 yards. Using a 90-110 lb bow you will have some more trouble penetrating armour, at least until they are very close.

nidrinr

October 8, 2013

the ones found on the queen mary were said to be 120lbs draw, and that was told me by a guy from three rivers when I asked what is the largest weight bow, he said well the ones on the queen mary were 120 lbs, and the archers on there had bends in their forearms from the emence weight of the draw and shooting them often, but the one thing is that it depends on how they shot the shafts were infact very thick and heavy and could hit with lots of momentum at terminal volocity and not all had plate

manga12

October 9, 2013

It was a common belief that the bows were not any heavier than 120 lb, but I'm not the only one making, selling and shooting bows made from true dimensions from the MR-bows. I'm not sure how many replica bows true to both dimensions and wood quality you or the guy from 3 rivers have made, but even finding a piece of yew with the quality they used is hard. Both me and others that have made several true replicas have proved the most powerful bows to be closer to 200 lb. TBC

nidrinr

October 10, 2013

.. (continue) Even the latest book about the MR states this, the book "weapons of warre". This book also has dimensions of all of the bows thay found, making it easy to make bows similar to the ones they used. You also find quite a lot of people able to shoot 150 lb bows, even people shooting up to 200 lb bows, proving this weights are manageable.

nidrinr

October 10, 2013