Crosswords0 min ago
MM Links July 2012 Week 3
54 Answers
At one time archery was crucial to the defence and protection of England. It was the great long bow that won, among others, the battle of Agincourt .English longbowmen could loose between 6 and 8 flights of arrows per minute with a range of 200 to 300 yards against the French cross bowmen who could fire between 2 and 3 bolts a minute over a much shorter distance.
The arrows from a longbow, taking into account the weight/velocity ratio, could penetrate a suit of armour (whereas a musket ball could not). I sometimes take visiting school children on historical tours of our village church and church yard. One question I always ask is 'what tree in this church yard saved England?' Just a small three letter word - I get oak, ash, elm etc but rarely the great yew tree. The branches of the yew had the flexibility and strength to make the long bow, some with 200 to 300 lb pulling weight. But the yew berries were poisonous to some animals and so they were regularly grown in church yards to save the farm animals and to give us a supply of yew wood for the bows. Even today you see many many yew trees in churchyards. Bowmen must have been unusually strong pulling back a 200 lb bow with three fingers on the string just below the notched arrow. Those three fingers were vital - the French cut them off when they could - the uncaptured English waved their fingers in the air - the famous or infamous two fingered salute !
Archery practice for all Englishmen was compulsory on the village greens on Sunday afternoon back in the middle ages and later.
The arrows from a longbow, taking into account the weight/velocity ratio, could penetrate a suit of armour (whereas a musket ball could not). I sometimes take visiting school children on historical tours of our village church and church yard. One question I always ask is 'what tree in this church yard saved England?' Just a small three letter word - I get oak, ash, elm etc but rarely the great yew tree. The branches of the yew had the flexibility and strength to make the long bow, some with 200 to 300 lb pulling weight. But the yew berries were poisonous to some animals and so they were regularly grown in church yards to save the farm animals and to give us a supply of yew wood for the bows. Even today you see many many yew trees in churchyards. Bowmen must have been unusually strong pulling back a 200 lb bow with three fingers on the string just below the notched arrow. Those three fingers were vital - the French cut them off when they could - the uncaptured English waved their fingers in the air - the famous or infamous two fingered salute !
Archery practice for all Englishmen was compulsory on the village greens on Sunday afternoon back in the middle ages and later.
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