Frontier Partisans

The Adventurers, Rangers and Scouts Who Fought the Battles of Empire

The War Bow

September 15, 2015, by JimC

iIa7zjYThe classic frontiersman’s weapon is the rifle. From Daniel Boone’s flintlock “Ticklicker” to Al Sieber’s Winchester, Geronimo’s Springfield Trapdoor to the deadly Mausers of Boer commando fighters, from Liver-Eatin’ Johnson’s Hawken to Chris Kyle’s .300 Win. Mag on a Remington 700 action, the ability of hunters-turned-warriors to deliver accurate fire from long range is the key tactical characteristic of the Frontier Partisan.

For the proto-frontier partisans of the medieval era, the weapon of choice was the warbow. The bow was the national weapon of England and Wales, and legends abound of its effective against armored knights in the battles of Crecy and Agincourt. Interestingly, the archers used armor-piercing “ammunition” — purpose-built arrowheads designed and crafted to penetrate mail and plate.

When the Welsh fought for independence against the English King Edward I, they plied their warbows in classic frontier partisan warfare — raid and ambush in rugged terrain of wood and mountain, employing stealth and fieldcraft to great effect.

Shooting the warbow is a remarkable physical feat. The draw weight is often in the range of 150 pounds. That requires a great deal of strength, obviously, but also demands good technique, involving the whole body. Remains of archers of the medieval era show asymmetrical bone development due to the extraordinary demands of mastering their weapon. An elite archer started young and shot continuously to develop both the physical capacity and the technique to ply his weapon.

In honor of the premier of “The Bastard Executioner,” set in that turbulent time and place, here is a feature on a couple of guys working on that series, guys whose passion for the warbow is evident. Their enthusiasm makes my heart sing…

 

Filed Under: The War Chest

Previous Post: « Hats Off To A Legend
Next Post: Claude Dallas »

Comments

  1. Norm Andrews says

    September 15, 2015 at 2:52 pm

    This link maybe of interest to some of you folks,

    http://www.medievalsoldier.org/search.php

    A guy called Richard Andrews was an archer in the service of the Duke of Somerset, in France in 1443 , my family have lived in Somerset for as long as I can see, and Richard is a family name , but I can’t make a link to this guy.

    Norm.

    Reply
  2. Cannoneer No. 4 says

    September 16, 2015 at 4:51 pm

    Bernard Cornwell’s The Grail Quest series contains a wealth of fairly accurate historical background on English archers.

    Reply
    • JimC says

      September 16, 2015 at 7:24 pm

      Good call.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Frontier Partisans

  • Introduction
  • Jim Cornelius
  • Trading Post
  • The Muster (Links)
  • Search this Site

Podcast Campfire Sparked

Introduction to the Podcast,
or head on over to listen:
Frontier Partisans Podcast

The Trading Post is OPEN

Frontier Partisan t-shirt: Balen-Powell's illustration of Frederick Burnham on front; "The only partisanship we tolerate in these parts is Frontier Partisanship" on back.

Trading Post Cart

Cart is empty $0

Support Frontier Partisans

What I’m Aiming For

Go Fund Me

go fund me frontier partisans

Receive Frontier Partisans Posts Via Email

Categories

  • Chapters
  • Frontier Partisan Bookshelf
  • On Your Own Hook
  • The War Chest

Recent Posts

  • The SCIONICS Man
  • Working the Trapline — Dangerous Territories
  • Working The Trapline — Old Men & Texas Rangers
  • Prey
  • Working The Trapline — A Secret Mission & Waterfalls
  • A Barbarian Looks At 40
  • Born To Be Hanged
  • Frontier Partisan Firearms — The Guns Of Outlander

fp@frontierpartisans.com

© 2022 FRONTIER PARTISANS, Jim Cornelius