[64] ANTIQUITIES. Extras from Obfervations on the Practice of Archery in England. In a Letter to the Rev. Mr. Nor. ris, Secretary. By the Honourable Daines Barrington. From Vol. VII. of the Archaelogia, or Mifcellaneous Tracts relating to Antiquities: published by the Society of Antiquaries of London. DEAR SIR, As S fome of our moft fignal victories in former centuries were chiefly attributed to the Englifh Archers, it may not be uninterefting to the Society if I lay before them what I have been able to glean with regard to the more flourishing ftate of our bowmen, till their prefent almoft annihilation. This fraternity is to this day called the Artillery company, which is a French term fignifying archery, as the king's bowyers is in that language ftyled artillier du roy; and we feemed to have learnt this method of We therefore find that William the Conqueror had a confiderable number of bowmen in his army at the battle of Haftings, when no mention is made of fuch troops on the fide of Harold. I have upon this occafion made use of the term bowman, though I rather conceive that thefe Norman archers fhot with the Arbaleft (or cross-bow) in which formerly the arrow was placed in a groove; being termed in French a quadrel, and in English a bolt ‡. Though I have taken fome pains to find out when the fhooting with the long bow firft began with us, at which exercife we afterwards became fo expert, I profess that I cannot meet with any pofitive proofs, and must therefore ftate fuch grounds for conjecture as have occurred. Our chroniclers do not mention The term of butt, or mound of earth on which the marks are fixed, is likewife French. + By the late publication of Domefday, it appears that Baliftarius was a most common addition to English names, but I have not happened to meet with that of Arcitenens. See in Suffolk, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire, and fome more counties. In the Bayeux tapestry indeed the Normans are represented as drawing the long bow; but it is conceived that this arras was woven many centuries after the Norman invafion, and when that weapon was used in France. Hence the term, I have foot my bolt. This fort of arrow is now chiefly ufed in Norfolk, where it is ufeful in fhooting rabbits, which do not take a general alarm, as upon firing a gun. Fitz Stevens, who wrote in the reign of Henry the Second, fays that the London fkaters moved fafter than telum balifte; which feems to prove that the cross-bow was most commonly used at that time. the After the death of Richard the Firft in 1199, I have not happened to ftumble upon any paffages alluding to archery for nearly one hundred and fifty years; when an order was iffued by Edward the Third, in the fifteenth year of his reignt, to the fherives of moft of the English counties for providing five hundred white bows, and five hundred bundles of arrows, for the then intended war against France. Similar orders are repeated in the following years; with this difference only, that the fheriff of Gloucefterfhire is directed to furnish five hundred painted bows, as well as the fame number of white.|| The famous battle of Creffy was fought four years afterwards, in which our chroniclers ftate that we had two thoufand archers, who were opposed to about the fame number of the French; together with a circumftance, which feems to prove that by this time we ufed the longbow, whilft the French archers fhot with the arbaleft. Previous to this engagement fell a very heavy rain, which is said to have much damaged the bows of the French, or perhaps rather the ftrings of them. Now our long-bow (when unftrung) may be moft conveniently covered, fo as to prevent the rain's injuring it, nor is there fcarcely any addition to the weight from fuch a cafe; whereas the arbaleft is of a moft inconvenient form to be sheltered from the weather. As therefore, in the year 1342, orders iffued to the fherives of each county to provide five hundred bows, with a proper proportion of arrows, I cannot but infer that these were long-bows, and not the arbaleft. *Du Cange cites Guiaft, an ancient French poet, for the fame fact: and Vinefauf mentions that this king killed many Turks with his own cross-bow, 1. 3. c. 11. It is not from thefe facts prefumed that neither English or French ever used any fort of long bow at this period, but only that it did not prevail fo much as to train the archers in companies, in the manner that the Arbalefters were difciplined. It is not ftated from what bow the arrow iffued which killed William Rufus.-In Shakespear's time deer were killed by the cross-bow. See Hen. VI. †A. D. 1341. See Rymer-Before this, Froiffart mentions four thousand English archers in 1327, and two thousand at the battle of Cayent in 1337. Garbas, which Du Cange fhews to have confifted, at a medium, of twentyfour arrows. By another order (in Rymer) it appears that the white bows were pence cheaper than the painted ones. fix The painted bows were confidered probably as fmarter by this military corps, and poffibly this covering might contribute to duration alfo. As for the white bows, it should seem that they were not made of yew, which is rather of a reddish brown, nor could the fheriff well have found a fufficient quantity of this material in his county. We find indeed, by fubfequent ftatutes, that yew was imported for this purpose at a very high price. For thefe orders to the the rives fee Rymer, A. D. 1342 and 1343. VOL XXVII. F We We are still in the dark indeed when the former weapon was firft introduced by our ancestors; but I will venture to shoot my bolt in this obfcurity, whether it may be well directed or not, as poffibly it may produce a better conjecture from others. Edward the First is known to have served in the holy wars, where he must have seen the effect of archery from a long-bow* to be much fuperior to that of the arbaleft; in the ufe of which the Italian ftates, and particularly the Genoefe, had always been diftinguifhedt. This circumftance would appear to me very decisive, that we owe the introduction of the long-bow to this king, was it not to be obferved, that the bows of the Afiatics (though differing totally from the arbaleit) were yet rather unlike to our long-bows in point of form §. This objection therefore must be admitted; but ftill poffibly, as the Afiatic bows were more powerful than the arbaleft, fome of our Englifh crufaders might have substituted our long-bows in the room of the Afiatic ones, in the fame manner that improvements are frequently made in our present artillery. We might confequently, before the bat tle of Creffey, have had such a sufficient number of troops trained to the long-bow as to be decifive in our favour, as they were afterwards at Poitiers and Agincourt ||. The battle of Poitiers was fought A. D. 1356, four years after which a peace took place between England and France. When treaties are concluded, it generally happens that both nations are heartily tired of the war, and they commonly are apt to fuppofe that no fresh rupture will happen for a confiderable time; whence follows the disuse of military exercifes, especially in troops which were immediately difbanded upon the ceffation of hoftilities, and the officers of which had no halfpay. We find accordingly, that in the year 1363 Edward the Third was obliged to iffue an order forbidding many rural sports, and enjoining the use of archery; which even in the space of four years, had begun to be neglected: this order was again repeated in 1365. The Black Prince died in 1373, and Edward survived him but four years; we cannot therefore expect * It appears by Procopius that the Perfians ufed a bow which was drawn in the fame manner that is uted by our archers: σε ελκεται δε αυτοίς παρα το μέτωπον η νεύρα, παρ' αυτό μάλιστα των ωτων, το δεξιον. L. Γ. In 1373 a French ordonance makes mention of Genoefe arbalestiers, as being in their fervice. I hope to have proved, in the first volume of the Archaeologia, that the magnificent castles built by Edward the Firft were fimilar to thofe of the Holy land. Our long bow alfo differs materially from Diana's or Cupid's bow, as well as from thofe of the Daci on the Trajan and Antonine columns. It is likewife called, in feveral ancient ftatutes, the English bow In both thefe battles the archers of England deftroyed the French cavalry, and in the latter are faid to have drawn arrows a yard long As "jactus lapidum, lignorum, ferri, pilam manualem, pedivam, et bacularem, canibucam, et gallorum pugnam."---Sec Rymer, A.D. 1363. any any further regulations for promoting archery, after the laft order which I have stated, and which iffued in 1363. During the fix firft years of this interval, the Prince of Wales was in foreign parts, and the whole ten were the dregs of Edward's life. Richard the Second, who fucceeded, is well known to have little attended to the cares of government; in the fifteenth year, however, of his reign (A.D. 1392), he iffued an order, directing all the fervants of his household never to travel without bows and arrows, and to take every opportunity of ufing this exercife*; which injunction feems to prove, that it had, during the greater part of his reign, been much neglected. Henry the Fourth, though of a more warlike difpofition, feems to have done little more for the encouragement of archery than his predeceffor; as the only ftatute of his reign which relates to this head, goes no further than obliging the arrowfmiths to point their arrows better than they had hitherto done. The wars during his reign were indeed confined to this country; but the use of archers feems to have been well known, as the duke of Exeter, at the beginning of his rebellion, entertained a confiderable band of them. Fourfcore archers are faid alfo to have contributed greatly to a victory of this fame king over a large body of rebels at Cirencefter, fome of which feem to have been of an Amazonian difpofition; as his majefty attributes this fuccefs to the good women, as well as men, of this town; and for these their fervices grants them annually fix bucks and a hogfhead of wine. I do not find any act of parliament of Henry the Fifth in relation to this exercife; and all the orders in Rymer, till the battle of Agincourt, relate to great guns, from which he feems at firft to have expected more confiderable advantage than from the training of bow men . It should feem, however, that this fort of artillery, from its unwieldinefs, bad and narrow roads, together with other defects, was as yet but of little ufe in military operations. In the year 1417 this king therefore afcribes his victory at Agincourt to the archers; and directs the therives of many counties to pluck from every goofe§ fix wingfeathers, for the purpose of improv. See Rymer's Foed. A. D. 1392--In the twelfth year indeed of this king's reign, an act paffed to oblige fervants to fhoot with bows and arrows on holidays and Sundays.-See Raftell's Statutes. By the 6 Hen. VIII. c. 2. all male fervants must provide themselves with one bow, and four arrows: which their mafter is to pay for, by ftopping it out of their wages. + See Grafton, who informs us alfo that the Prince of Wales was wounded in the face by an arrow at the battle of Shrewsbury. See Rymer's Foed. A. D. 1400. See an order, "De equis pro cariagio gunnorum regis capiendis." "Pro operationibus ingeniorum," et De non tranfimittendo gunpoudre verfus partes exteras," A.D. 1413. "Præter aucuas brodoges," which poffibly means geefe that were fitting, or taking care of their goflings; we now fay brooding. ing arrows, which are to be paid for by the king†. A fimilar order again iffues to the fherives in the following year, viz. 1418. In 1421, though the French had been defeated both at Creffey, Poitiers, and Agincourt by the English archers, yet they ftill continued the ufe of the cross-bow; for which reafon Henry the Fifth, as duke of Normandy, confirms the charters, and privileges of the baliftarii, which had been long eftablished as a fraternity in his city of Rouent. During the long reign of Henry the Sixth, I do not meet with any ftatute or proclamation concerning archery; which may be well accounted for whilft this king was under age, or the weakness of mind which enfued, as far at least as relates to his perfonal interference in this matter but it is rather extraordinary that his uncles fhould not have enjoined this exercise, as they were fo long engaged in wars with France; the lofs of which kingdom may be perhaps attributed to this neglect. It was neceffary for Edward the Fourth, who fucceeded, to be prepared against the Lancaftrians; and yet we find much earlier ftatutes for * "Magis congruas et competentes." the promotion of archery in Ire lands than in England, which was more likely to become the scene of civil war. In the fifth year, therefore of his reign, an act paffed that every Englishman, and Irishman dwelling with Englishmen, fhall have an English bow of his own height, which is directed to be made of yew, wych, hazel, afh, or awburnell, or any other reasonable tree according to their power. The next chapter alfo directs that butts fhall be made in every township, which the inhabitants are obliged to fhoot up and down every feast day, under the penalty of a halfpenny when they fhall omit this exercife¶. In the fourteenth year however of this fame king, it appears, by Rymer's Fœdera, that one thoufand archers were to be fent to the duke of Burgundy, whose pay is fettled at fix pence a day; which is more than a common foldier receives clear in the prefent times, when provifions are fo much dearer, and the value of money is fo much decreafed. This circumftance feems to prove, very ftrongly, the great eftimation in which archers were ftill held. In the fame year, Edward, preparing for a war with † I am told by an arrow-maker that thefe fix feathers fhould confift of the fecond, third, and fourth of each wing. It is to be obferved, that his majefty was not very munificent in paying for thefe feathers, as in the year 1417 there was little or no demands for pens, to which ufe at prefent they are almoft folely applied. See Rymer's Fœd. A.D. 1417. See Rymer's Foedera. The English ftatutes of Edward IV. to this purpofe are those of the feventeenth, ch. 3, and twenty-fecond, ch. 4, of the fame king; in the preamble to the first of which it is faid, that the defence of this land was much by archers;" and in the fecond," that victorious acts have been accomplished by archers." Alder probably. See the collection of Irish statutes, Dublin, 1723. France, |