The English Longbow

But I still wish, with you, that pikes could be introduced, and I would add bows and arrows. These were good weapons, not wisely laid aside; 

1st. Because a man may shoot as truly with a bow as with a common musket.
2dly. He can discharge four arrows in the time of charging and discharging one bullet.
3dly. His object is not taken from his view by the suioke of his own side.
4thly. A flight of arrows, seen coming upon them, terrifies and disturbs the enemies' attention to their business.
5thly. An arrow striking in any part ol a man puts him hors du combat till it is extracted.
6thly. Bows and arrows are more easily provided everywhere than muskets and ammunition. 

Polydore Virgil, speaking of one of our battles agamst the French in Edward the Third's reign, mentions the great confusion the enemy was thrown into, sagittarurn nube, from the English; and concludes, Est res profecto dictu mirabilis, ut lantus ac potens exercitus a solis fere Anglicis sagittariis victus fuerit; adeo Anglus est sagittipotens, el id genus armornm valet. If so much execution was done by arrows when men wore some defensive armour, how much more might be done now that it is out of use. 

~ Benjamin Franklin to Charles Lee, February 11, 1776[1]

JIM: I was particularly taken with the Archer series and the quality of the long bow as like this early strategic weapon, practically, and the cottage industry of providing arrows for the archers and weaving it in. I believe that's a series that you weave in with the "Grail Quest," as well. 

Mr. CORNWELL: That's right. Yeah. Well - and the long bow is absolutely extraordinary. Its another appeal of the "Agincourt" book. I mean, if you think that the guys at "Agincourt" - there were probably 5,000 English archers. They probably took something like a million arrows on that expedition. When the French were actually advancing, when the first French line was advancing - and they probably took about seven to eight minutes to actually cross that muddy field - they were being hit by a thousand arrows a second. 

CONAN: These were the (unintelligible)... 

Mr. CORNWELL: Ben Franklin... 

CONAN: ...after the crossbowmen? 

Mr. CORNWELL: Yeah. Well, the cross - the English didn't use the crossbow, and the French never deployed their crossbowmen, which was another reason they lost. I mean, Ben Franklin - who was absolutely no idiot - said that if only the American rebels could be armed with a long bow, they would have won the revolution in one year. And the duke of Wellington actually enquired of London whether it was possible to raise a corps of longbowmen to fight against Napoleon. 

Well, the truth was they couldn't, because it took about 10 years to make an archer to become as strong as you needed to be to pull that weapon, and also to learn how to aim it, which is very, very difficult. So it was an extraordinarily difficult weapon to master. And curiously, the only place that seems to have mastered it ever was in the British Isles. The French tried to, and they just never got to it. 

CONAN: Jim, thanks for the call.

JIM: I remember as a - early watching movies years ago, I saw Thomas Gustain's(ph) "The Name of the Rose," and there's a famous scene in there where a longbowman takes on a Mongol archer with a composite bow... 

CONAN: Composite bow, yes. 

JIM: ...and it's an amazing series of, you know, scenes as he competes and he just keeps putting the target farther and farther away, and had an incredible range. Well, thank you very much.[NPR]

Longbow: Accuracy:


For its day the longbow possessed both long range and accuracy, though seldom both at once. Scholars estimate the longbow's range at between 180 to 270 yards. It is unlikely however, that accuracy could be ensured beyond 75-80 yards. At longer ranges, the preferred tactic to unleash volleys of arrows at masses of enemy troops. During the 14th and 15th centuries, English archers were expected to shoot ten "aimed" shots per minute during battle. A skilled archer would be capable of around twenty shots. As the typical archer was provided with 60-72 arrows, this permitted three to six minutes of continuous fire.

Longbow: Tactics:


Though deadly from a distance, archers were vulnerable, particularly to cavalry, at close range as they lacked the armor and weapons of the infantry. As such, longbow equipped archers were frequently positioned behind field fortifications or physical barriers, such as swamps, which could afford protection against attack. On the battlefield, longbowmen were frequently found in an enfilade formation on the flanks of English armies. By massing their archers, the English would unleash a "cloud of arrows" on the enemy as they advanced which would strike down soldiers and unhorse armored knights.


To make the weapon more effective, several specialized arrows were developed. These included arrows with heavy bodkin (chisel) heads which were designed to penetrate chain mail and other light armor. While less effective against plate armor, they generally were able to pierce the lighter armor on knight's mount, unhorsing him and forcing him to fight on foot. To speed up their rate of fire in battle, archers would remove their arrows from their quiver and stick them in the ground at their feet. This permitted a smoother motion to reload after each arrow. 

Longbow: Training:


Though an effective weapon, the longbow required extensive training to use effectively. To make sure that deep pool of archers always existed in England, the population, both rich and poor, were encouraged to hone their skills. This was furthered by the government through edicts such King Edward I's ban on sports on Sunday which was designed to ensure that his people practiced archery. As the draw force on the longbow was a hefty 160–180 lbf, archers in training worked their way up to the weapon. The level of training required to be an effective archer discouraged other nations from adopting the weapon.
Longbow: Usage:


Rising to prominence during the reign of King Edward I (r. 1272–1307), the longbow became a defining feature of English armies for the next three centuries. During this period, the weapon aided in winning victories on the Continent and in Scotland, such as Falkirk(1298). It was during the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) that the longbow became legend after it played a key role in securing the great English victories at Crécy (1346),Poitiers (1356), and Agincourt (1415). It was, however, the weakness of the archers, which cost the English when they were defeated at Patay in (1429).


Beginning in the 1350s, England began to suffer a shortage of yew from which to make bow staves. After expanding the harvest, the Statute of Westminster was passed in 1470, which required each ship trading in English ports to pay four bow staves for each ton of goods imported. This was later expanded to ten bow staves per ton. During the 16th century, bows began to be replaced by firearms. While their rate of fire was slower, firearms required much less training and permitted leaders to quickly raise effective armies.


Though the longbow was being phased out, it remained in service through the 1640s and was used by Royalist armies during the English Civil War. Its last use in battle is believed to have been at Bridgnorth in October 1642. While England was the only nation to employ the weapon in large numbers, longbow-equipped mercenary companies were used throughout Europe and saw extensive service in Italy.[About.com]