Tweed TV - The English Longbow

Dregs of Humanity

Mikes Loades, military historian, fight director, weapons expert and horse archer, tells us in his excellent history of the longbow (video below) that the English were once seen on the continent as the 'dregs of humanity, brutish and ignoble'. Perhaps that view remains if you consider English Square in Benidorm, but mastery of the longbow (along with the Welsh), 'the honest weapon of the common man', enabled the English to change the course of European history at the battles of Crécy and Agincourt. The English had arrived — 'Brentry' rather than 'Brexit'.

Practice Makes Deadly

Our skill with the longbow was the result of lots and lots of practice, which was mandated by law for Englishmen so that we always had a ready number of proficient archers to defend our isles. Practice makes deadly.

You may want to brush up on your longbow skills for the next meeting of the Fraternity of Saint George (1509), an archery club that organises events and all types of shoots for longbows here and in France.

If you don't have a longbow, and you're eager to loose off a few arrows, then The Craft Guild of Traditional Bowyers and Fletchers might be able to help.

The bows in the top picture are highly regarded Bickerstaffe Longbows available from The Longbow Shop, which has an excellent selection of British-made longbows.