THE DECADENCE OF ARCHERY

In England the practice of archery had been encouraged and enforced

from a very early peroid by all possible means, various statutes

having been enacted from the time of Edward I,(1) compelling all

males under a certain rank to shoot from the age of seven: obliging

merchants trading with countries from which bowstaves were imported

to bring into England in the same ship with their goods for every

ton of merchandise (2) four, and for each tun of Malmsey or Tyre

wine,(3) ten bowstaves of good and sound wood: allowing bowstaves of

6 ft. 6 ins. in length to pass free of duty: (4) and ordering butts

to be kept up. The first of the many Acts passed in Henry VIII's

reign with respect to archery required every male (except

ecclesiastics, judges, and people possessed of land of the value of

200 marks a year) over seven and under the age of sixty, to

practise archery, the use of crossbows and hand-guns being

forbidden.(5)

Hand-guns were first introduced into England about 1446. The

earliest mention of them seems to be in the roll of purchases for

Holy Island, in the county of Durham, and in that year there

appears an entry of

Bought ii handgunnes de ere iiii s.

 Do. Gonepowder iiii s.(5)

but from the words 'de ere' (or of brass), it seems doubtful if

these were what we should call hand-GUNS: more probably they were

hand-CANNONS. In 1471, however, Edward IV, landed at Ravensburgh

Castle in Yorkshire, having amongst his troops 300 Flemings armed

with 'hange gunnes';(7) yet there are few signs of the English faith

in archery being shaken during the reign of Henry VIII.

The first misgiving as to the efficiency of the bow against hand

firearms seems to have occurred in 1511, for Lord Herbert of

Cherbury, in speaking of the discussion in the Council as to going

to war with France, makes the party opposed to war, after reciting

our former victories against superior numbers, argue thus: -'Stands

it with reason of war to expect the like success still? Especially

since the use of arms is changed and for the bow, proper for men of

our strength, the caliver begins to be generally received, which,

besides that it is a more costly weapon, requires a long practice

and may be managed by the weaker sort.'(8) And though written many

years later, probably he had some authority for making the above

statement.

In 1512 an expedition of 10,000 men was sent to Guyenne, half being

archers who also carried halberds, which were placed on the ground

while they shot. Of these, the same author says: 'So that,
notwithstanding the use of caliver or handgunnes, I cannot but

commend the wisdom of that time, it being certain that when he that

carries the caliver goes unarmed,(9) the arrow will have the same

effect within its distance that the bullet and can again for one

shot return two. Besides, as they used the halbert with the bow,

they could fall to execution on the enemy with great advantage.'(10)

This expedition returned without doing much fighting, so we do not

know if the halbert was successful in 'execution' or not.

The victory of Flodden in 1513 was in a great measure due to the

archers, as the Scots gave way to avoid the storm of arrows poured

upon them, which enabled the other troops to charge and break their

ranks, the Scottish king himself receiving an arrow wound; the

Earl of Surrey - who commanded on this occasion - received, among

other rewards, the right of bearing on the bend of his own arms a

demi-lion of Scotland, pierced through the mouth with an arrow.

Partly, perhaps, on account of the victory of Flodden, a fresh

statute was passed in 1515 for enforcing the use of the bow, and

increasing the qualification for using a crossbow or hand-gun to

300 marks a year,(11) subsequently raised to 100L.(12) In the same

year, statutes were sent to Ireland providing that all merchants

coming from England into Ireland should with every twenty pounds

'worth of wares' bring a specified quantity of long-bows and arrows

to be sold to the king's subjects. It is stated that archers should

be the 'principal strength of footmen in time of necessity', and

that in default of long-bows divers of the king's subjects apply

themselves to Irish archery, as using Irish bows (which were shorter

than the English long-bow) and Irish spears, 'which induceth to Irish

disposition.'(13)

At the Field of Cloth of Gold each king had a guard of sixty archers

on horseback, and it is significant of the estimation in which

English archers were held that, in the treaties made in the early

part of the reign of Henry VIII, he always undertakes to provide a

specified number of archers: thus, in the treaty of August 1514, he

agrees, under certain contingencies, to provide 10,000 archers.

In 1537, the patent of the Honourable Artillery Company was

granted, making Sir Cristopher Morres, Kt., and others, overseers of

'the science of artyllary that ys to vyt, for long bowes, cross

bowes, and handgunnes.' Among other privileges, it provides that

they shall not be responsible to anyone accidentally shot while

they are practising, if the archer before shooting has called out

'faste', a word still in use at meetings to restrain ardent

shooters from crossing over too soon.(14) Further patents were

granted to the Artillery Company by James I in 1605, and Charles I

in 1633, and in these patents power was given to replace the

Finsbury Fields in the state they were in in the reign of Henry

VIII, the owners having put up fences, &c., which interfered with

the archers' marks. It may be mentioned here that the right to

practise archery was not confined to the fields near London alone,

as in 1583 there is a petition to the Council from the inhabitants

of Sittingbourne, Kent, who complain that N. Fynche, of Faversham,

and S. Pardage, of Sittingbourne, obstruct them from practising

archery in the Baforde field.(15)

An act passed in 1541 proves the value at this time on the

long-bow.(16) It provides that everyone over seven and under sixty

(except ecclesiastics or judges) shall practise with the bow: that

parents and masters shall teach their children and servants to

shoot, and shall have for all males over seven and under seventeen

a bow and two arrows, and for those above that age a bow and four

arrows, under a penalty of 6s.8d.; all male servants, over

seventeen and under sixty, who neglected to provide themselves with

a bow and four arrows were to be fined 6s.8d.; no one under

twenty-four was allowed to shoot at a standing mark, except for

rovers, and then they were to change places at each shot, under a

penalty of fourpence a shot; whle all above the age of twenty-four

were forbidden to shoot at less then eleven score yards, under a

penalty of 6s.8d. Butts were to be put up and maintained in every

parish, so that shooting might take place on holy days, and at

other times. No one under seventeen was to use a yew bow, unless

his father or mother possessed lands of the annual value of 10L, or

he himself had goods to the value of 40 marks. Bowyers were to make

four common bows of 'elme, wyche, basil, ashe', or other wood for
every one of yew; or, if near London, two such bows for every one

of yew. Bows were to cost from sixpence to a shilling, and no yew

bow more than 4s.4d., under a penalty of 20s. Bowyers were also

always to have a specified number of bows ready, and were liable

to fine in default. Aliens were not allowed to practise archery, or

export bows and arrows, under pain of forfeiture, and in default

of paying such fine as might be imposed upon them, imprisonment.

That the former statutes on the subject were neglected, and some

such statute as the foregoing was required, appears evident from a

contemporary writer, who, after praising the bow, says: 'O what

cause of reproach shall the decay of archers be to us now living?

Yet what irreparable damage, either to us or other, in whose time

need of similar defence shall happen, which decay, though we

already perceived fear and lament, and for restoring thereof cease

not to make ordinances, good laws and statutes: yet who effectually

putteth his hand to continual execution of the same laws and

provisions? or beholding them daily broken, winketh not at the

offenders.'(17) Subsequent writers also frequently lament the decay

of archery.

At the battle of Pinkie Cleugh in 1547, bows were used on both

sides, and the English archers contributed much to the victory.

In the year 1557 an Act was passed repealing the Statute of

Winchester (13 Ed. I), and fixing the number of different arms

that should be provided by persons possessed of various incomes and

property; with other arms owners of estates of 1,000L a year or

upwards were to have thirty long-bows and thirty sheaves of

arrows, the number gradually decreasing till owners of goods to the

amount of 20L are reached, who were to have one long-bow and one

sheaf of arrows. Hacquebuts, in addition, were to be provided by

owners of 200L and upwards; and the best evidence of the

estimation in which the long-bow was still held, showing that at

this time the two were considered of equal value, is that it was

expressly provided that no one should be obliged to have or

provide the former weapon at all, as long as one long-bow and one

sheaf of arrows was kept in place of each hacquebut required by

the Act.(18)

In 1557 Giovanni Michiel, in his report on England to the Venetian

Senate, says:-

But, above all, their proper and natural weapons are the bow

and arrows, of which so great is the number, owing to the general

use made of them by all sorts of persons without distinction of

grade, age, or profession, that it exceeds all belief. This does

not proceed from choice, but also from the obligation imposed

generally on all heads of families to provide each individual of

his household with them, including all the boys when they come to
the age of nine years - all for the sake not only of suppressing

every other exercise, but with all diligence to increase this one,

in which the English place all their strength and all their hope,

they to say the truth being most expert archers, so that they would

not yield to any other people more trained and experienced than

they are; and such is their opinion of archery and their esteem for

it, that they prefer it to all sorts of arms and to harquebuses, in

which they trust less, feeling more sure of their bows and arrows -

contrary, however, to the judgement of the captains and soldiers

of other nations. They draw the bow with such force and dexterity

at the same time, that some are said to pierce corslets and

body-armour, and there are few among them, even those that are

moderately practised, who will not undertake at a convenient

distance, either aiming point blank or in the air (as they

generally do that the arrow may fly further), to hit within an inch

and a half of the mark.(19)

The above extract is given at length, as it may fairly be

considered an impartial opinion of English archery at the time.

In the reign of Elizabeth, out of every hundred men twenty were

archers, forty harquebuziers, the rest being armed with halberds

or bills and pikes.(20) Numerous instances occur of the use of

archers, and mention of archery matters is frequent. For example,

in 1560, 3,500 bowstaves were purchased for 850L; three years

later, 500 bows and 1,000 sheaves of arrows are sent to

Newhaven;(21) instructions to levy archers for the defence of the

Borders are common.(22) In Ireland in the expedition against Shan

O'Neil bows were used with much effect on both sides. Shan O'Neil

himself, writing in 1565 to the Cardinals of Lorraine and Guise,

tells us of a curious archery feat; for he says: 'When I was in

England I saw your noble brother, the Marquis d'Elboeulf, transfix

two stags with a single arrow.'(23) In 1569 the efficiency of

archers on horseback seems to have deteriorated, as the Earl of

Sussex, writing from York, says: 'of the horse sixty-five all

archers and therefore unserviceable.' Next year he says: 'it had

been better that most of the shot had been good archers then so

ill-furnished arquebuziers.'(24) In 1567 endeavours were made to

form corps of harquebuziers in the coast towns from Plymouth to

Newcastle, and in order to further this the harquebuziers were to

have the rather doubtful privilege of 'liberty to shoot at various

fowls with respect of time and place, and WITHOUT HAIL SHOT'; but

also the more substantial ones of being free of the towns; free

from all town rates, tenths, fifteenths, and subsidies, from all

musters except their own, and to receive four pounds a year, for

which they were to provide a good substantial harquebuze with a

compass stock of such bore that every three shots may weigh one

ounce, flask, touch-box, sword and dagger, jerkin and hood.(25) The

encouragement of archery was, however, not neglected, as in 1571 an

Act was passed(26) which recites that one of the causes of the decay
of archery is the excessive price of bowstaves, and orders that the

12 Edward IV shall be enforced, directing half the penalty for

default to be paid to informers, the failure of the Act being

ascribed to the fact that formerly the whole of the penalty went to

the Crown. The merchants of the Steelyard remonstrated against

this, setting forth the difficulty of procuring bowstaves;(27) and

possibly the interesting report quoted in a former chapter as to

the countries from which bowstaves were imported was ordered in

consequence, as well as a return of the number of bowstaves

imported into England in 1772, from which it appears that there

were brought from 'Embden' 1,950 staves, from 'Suningborge' 1,975,

from 'Danske' 3,060, from 'Hambroughe' 2,000, and a large number

(not named) from 'Dorte', which were brought down the Rhine, 'and

the bowestaves were are brought from thence are the beste stuffe

and have the name of Cullyne (Cologne?) staves.'(28)

In 1572 also the statutes for keeping in repair the butts were

enforced with the increased activity, and many entries are to be

found in the accounts of various parishes under this head,

extending well into the seventeenth century. As a rule, these

entries simply refer to putting up and repairing the butts, hauling

timber, earth, &c.; but occasionally village ambition takes a

flight, and such an entry as this is found: '1576. Item making a

Turk for shott, boards nails and making xviiid. item the paynter

xiid.'(29) In 1577 Mr. Highfield, in a note to Lord Burleigh,

strongly advocates the use of archers, both on foot and on

horseback.(30)

Footnotes:

(1) Statute of Winchester

(2) 12 Ed. IV, penalty 6s.8d. for each bowstave deficient

(3) 1 Richard III, penalty 13s.4d.

(4) 1 Richard III c.2

(5) 3 Henry VIII c.3

(6) ARCHAEOLOGIA, vol. xxii

(7) Grose, MIL. ANT.

(8) LIFE AND RAYNE OF HENRY VIII

(9) i.e. without armour

(10) LIFE AND RAYNE OF HENRY VIII

(11) 6 Henry VIII c.13

(12) 14 Henry VIII c.7

(13) Hist. MSS. Com. 9th Report

(14) STATE PAPERS, Dom. vol.ccxiv. No. 10 (1590) is a grant of a

pardon to E. Seabourne for killing H. Reignolds by chance with an

arrow while practising at 12 score pricks.

(15) STATE PAPERS, Dom. vol.cxxv

(16) 33 Henry VIII c.9

(17) Sir Thomas Elyot, THE GOVERNOUR

(18) 4 & 5 Philip & Mary c.2

(19) STATE PAPERS, Ven. vol.vi

(20) Grose, MIL. ANT.

(21) Harl. MA. 309

(22) STATE PAPERS, Dom. vol.cclix

(23) Froude, HIST. ENG. vol.viii

(24) STATE PAPERS, Dom. vol.cclxxiv

(25) STATE PAPERS, Dom. vol.xi

(26) 13 Eliz. c.14

(27) STATE PAPERS, Dom. vol.lxxxiii

(28) Hatfield MSS. 214

(29) Hist. MSS. Com. 10th Report

(30) STATE PAPERS, Dom. vol.cxiv

pages 138 through 147 THE DECADENCE OF ARCHERY

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