The Longbow

Added 8 May 1997
Revised 3 February 2008

I promised an overhaul of my crossbow, longbow and stonebow pages many moons ago. I've started pecking at the surface of it today (3 Feb. 2008). I've got a lot of stuff to try to integrate and add, so it may take a while, but I am hoping to stay on top of it this time.

The longbow is a weapon that revolutionized Medieval combat. In the hands of skilled archers, hundreds of thousands of arrows could rain down on an opposing force with severe consequences. In many battles, archer armies that were outnumbered by as much as 8 to 1 accomplished kill ratios of 1000's to 1. Yes, thousands of the enemy dead per one dead archer. Such was the case at the Battle of Crecy in 1346. The longbow helped bind England together throughout most of the Middle Ages. The history and stories of the longbow are rich and wonderful. So draw back your desk chair and loose yourself into the realm of the longbow. (Sorry about the pun. I just couldn't resist!)

• Manual for building a c. 40 lb. Longbow - Interested in making your own longbow? Well thanks to Hans Schuurman and Dick De Bruin of Roger Ascham, Traditional Archery, you can make your own longbow! Both men were nice enough to put a great deal of work into supplying me with this manual. Added 13 May 1997, Revised 3 February 2008
• Manual for making wooden selfarrows - Interested in making arrows to go along with that longbow? Well thanks again to Dick De Bruin of Roger Ascham, Traditional Archery, you can! Added 17 May 1997
• Roger Ascham, Traditional Archery - Learn about Roger Ascham, Traditional Archery!! Because a clubs members define the club, Roger Ascham, Traditional Archery is one of the best! They will be more than willing to help you out with questions you might have about longbows. Check them out! Added 13 May 1997
• Bowyer Chronicles - Useful information and tips from a first-time bowyers. Revised 3 February 2008
• The English Longbow - The history of the English longbow, with a short historical perspective on pre-Medieval archery. Added 18 May 1997, Revised 14 April 2001
• The English Longbowmen - Some information regarding English longbowmen, how people became longbowmen, and the like. Added 27 December 1999, Revised 21 May 2005
• History of the longbow - Added 8 May 1997, Revised 14 April 2001
• History of the Longbow???? - I received this enteresting etymological essay a while back, and while I have doubts about it's validity, I thought I would add it to my site anyway. It is, if nothing else, an entertaining description of how "the finger" became the finger. Since posting this page, I have gotten some partial confirmations of it's validity. Added 27 December 1999, Revised 22 February 2003
• Longbow and crossbow terminology - I dare say this is a rather extensive list of definitions. More pictures will follow as soon as I can get to a scanner. Revised 14 April 2001
• The crossbow vs. the longbow - This page is a crossover from the crossbow section of this site.
• Other resources of information about longbows