The medieval longbow

For the reconstruction cameo in this programme, the Team concentrated on trying to make a replica of a medieval longbow, the lethal weapon of the skilled English archers, which was to make them so feared throughout Europe. The medieval archer was trained from childhood and became part of an elite class of soldier. The power of a bow is measured in pounds: the equivalent weight required to draw back the string. A longbow could have a power of over 150lb. Due to the stresses on the body, archers found that one side of their body developed more than the other. It is even possible for archaeologists to identify archers from human remains because of their over developed bones.

Specialist bowyer Steve Ralphs, who featured in the programme, crafted a longbow from a single stave of yew – just as it was done in the medieval period. Yew was the most popular material for bows because it combined great strength with flexibility. It was in such high demand that there was even a yew tax, whereby merchants bringing in goods from overseas were also required to bring in quantities of yew (which was in short supply at home) as duty.

'The defence of the realm and the English archer depended on the yew longbow,' says Steve Ralphs. 'By making a bow you are basically taking an inert piece of wood and turning it into the weapon that is going to knock a chap off a horse at 300 yards!'