Medieval England Mary Rose Longbow
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Medieval England Mary Rose Longbow

Mary Rose Ship

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The Mary Rose was a ship of war unlike any other that had been built before her. Not only was she fitted out with a battery of cannons, but there were also hundreds of other weapons on board for the crew and the soldiers that she carried to use against their enemies.

Mary Rose Ship
Mary Rose Ship

As a newly built ship, she was equipped with the latest in weapon technology which included cannons and guns, however, she was packed with hundreds of more traditional weapons too, including 250 longbows along with around 8,000 arrows.

Mary Rose Longbows

When the wreck of the Mary Rose was discovered in the Solent many of her weapons were still intact, including 137 of the original 250 longbows. Until the salvage of these weapons from the Mary Rose, little was actually known about the design and power of these traditional weapons.

Mary Rose Longbows
Mary Rose Longbows

The discoveries made as a result of raising the wreck of the Mary Rose has greatly improved our knowledge of the power, draw, and range of the medieval longbow.

Facts about Mary Rose Longbows and Arrows

It was discovered that all of the longbows found on board the Mary Rose were hewn from a single bough of Yew. The yew was covered in an outer layer of sapwood which preserved the qualities and condition of the bow. It was discovered that there was no standard size for a longbow at that time.

English Longbow draw Weight

Although many of the longbows onboard measured 6 ft 6 inches in length, they were found to be a range of weapons measuring from 6 ft 1 inch to 6 ft 11 inches. It has been suggested by medieval weaponry historians that the draw of the longbow would be between 65-70 lbs.

Facts about Mary Rose Longbows and Arrows

Arrows fired from such a weapon would have the ability to pierce armour at a distance of around 250 yards. A skilled archer would be able to fire between 10-12 arrows per minute from such a weapon, making it incredibly effective and lethal.

The longbows were strung with hemp which had been coated in glue to protect it from damage from moisture. The arrows fired from these weapons were 3ft long and called bodkins. Arrows with a long point were used against chain mail, while the shorted bodkins were for armour piercing.

Why was the English longbow so effective?

Longbows were extremely powerful weapon and lethal when used properly. The arrows would easily penetrate chain mails and frequently did so, which is why metallic armours became necessary. Longbows were also easily made, cheaper and easy to handle. They, therefore, made perfect weapons against enemies.

Medieval Warriors with longbows and arrows
Medieval Warriors with longbows and arrows

When was English longbow first used?

English longbows were first used in medieval times in the 14th century. They were introduced on the battlefield as weapons that made arrows dangerous beyond expectation. Longbows seemingly originated in Wales and were as tall as a man.

Mary Rose Archers

The archers that served aboard the Mary Rose were highly trained and incredibly well skilled in the use of their bows. In 1363 the English Archery Law was passed which stated that men were obliged to practise their archery skills every Sunday.

Training in the use of the longbow included learning a set of commands that would be issued during a battle, each command corresponding with an action carried out by the archer.

Mary Rose Ship Hall
Mary Rose Ship Hall

The men who served as archers on the ship would have needed to have considerable strength in order to draw the bow to its full range.

This fact has been evidenced in the skeletal remains of 200 men found aboard the wreck, which all showed signs of strong muscle development in the shoulders.

Mary Rose Arrows

Mary Rose revealed over 3500 arrows along with 137 whole longbows that were discovered from its ruins. The arrows were made of poplar, ash, beech and hazel. The draw lengths of the arrows were somewhere between 24 inches to 32 inches.

The longbows of Mary Rose were found in perfect conditions. They were even tested which could draw an average force of 100 lbf. It was a weakened draw force since the arrows had been damaged due to seawater and mud.

Mary Rose Arrow
Mary Rose Arrow

Mary Rose longbow testing

Some of the longbows and arrows of Mary Rose were tested to destruction. The war bows were found to be very heavy. The scientists even found archers, among the many skeletons that were found, who were likely in strength and physique.

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