Editing English longbow (section)

== Surviving bows and arrows ==

More than 3,500 arrows and 137 whole longbows were recovered from the ''[[Mary Rose]]'', a ship of [[Henry VIII]]'s navy that capsized and sank at [[Portsmouth]] in 1545. It is an important source for the history of the longbow, as the bows, archery implements and the skeletons of archers have been preserved. The bows range in length from {{convert|1.87|to|2.11|m|ftin|abbr=on|order=flip}} with an average length of {{convert|1.98|m|ftin|abbr=on|order=flip}}.{{sfn|Staff|2007|p=6}} The majority of the arrows were made of poplar, others were made of beech, ash and hazel. Draw lengths of the arrows varied between {{convert|61|and|81|cm|in|order=flip}} with the majority having a draw length of {{convert|76|cm|in|order=flip}}.{{sfn|Staff|2007|p=7}} The head would add {{cvt|5|to|15|cm|in|order=flip}} depending on type, though some {{cvt|2|to|4.5|cm|in|order=flip}} must be allowed for the insertion of the shaft into the socket.{{sfn|Strickland|Hardy|2005|p=6}}

The longbows on the ''Mary Rose'' were in excellent finished condition. There were enough bows to test some to destruction which resulted in draw forces of {{cvt|450|N|lbf|order=flip}} on average. However, analysis of the wood indicated that they had degraded significantly in the seawater and mud, which had weakened their draw forces. Replicas were made and when tested had draw forces of from {{cvt|445|to|823|N|lbf|order=flip}}.<ref name=Strickland-17/>

In 1980, before the finds from the ''Mary Rose'', Robert E. Kaiser published a paper stating that there were five known surviving longbows:{{sfn|Kaiser|1980}}

* The first bow comes from the [[Battle of Hedgeley Moor]] in 1464, during the [[Wars of the Roses]]. A family who lived at the castle since the battle had preserved it to modern times. It is {{convert|1.66|m|in|abbr=on|order=flip}} and a {{cvt|270|N|lbf|order=flip|adj=on}} draw force.<ref>{{harvnb|Kaiser|1980}} cites: {{Cite journal|first1=Henry |last1=Gordon |first2=Alf |last2=Webb |year=1972 |title=The Hedgeley Moor Bow at Alnwick Castle |journal=Journal of the Society of Archer-Antiquaries|volume=15|pages=8, 9}}</ref>
* The second dates to the [[Battle of Flodden]] in 1513 ("a landmark in the history of archery, as the last battle on English soil to be fought with the longbow as the principal weapon..."<ref name="harvnb|Heath n.d.|p=134">{{harvnb|Heath n.d.|p=134}}</ref>). It hung in the rafters at the headquarters of the [[Royal Company of Archers|Royal Scottish Archers]] in [[Edinburgh]].{{sfn|Kaiser|1980}} It has a draw force of {{cvt|360|to|410|N|lbf|order=flip}}.
* The third and fourth were recovered in 1836 by John Deane from the ''Mary Rose''.<ref>{{harvnb|Kaiser|1980}} cites: {{Cite book|first=Paul H. |last=Gordon |title=The New Archery |location=New York |publisher=D. Appleton-Century Co.|year=1939|page=183}}</ref> Both weapons are in the Tower of London Armoury and Horace Ford writing in 1887 estimated them to have a draw force of {{cvt|280|to|320|N|lbf|order=flip}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Kaiser|1980}} cites: {{Cite book|first=Horace |last=Ford |title=The Theory and Practice of Archery |url=https://archive.org/details/theoryandpracti00buttgoog |location=London |publisher=Longman Green and Co.|year=1887|page=[https://archive.org/details/theoryandpracti00buttgoog/page/n21 3]}}.</ref> A modern replica made in the early 1970s of these bows has a draw force of {{cvt|460|N|lbf|order=flip}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Kaiser|1980}} cites: {{Cite book|first=Alexander |last=McKee |title=King Henry VIII's Mary Rose |location=New York |publisher=Stein and Day |year=1974|page=103}}</ref>
* The fifth surviving longbow comes from the armoury of the church in the village of [[Mendlesham]] in [[Suffolk]], and is believed to date either from the period of Henry VIII or Queen [[Elizabeth I]]. The Mendlesham Bow is broken but has an estimated length of {{convert|1.73|to|1.75|m|in|abbr=on|order=flip}} and draw force of {{cvt|350|N|lbf|order=flip}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Kaiser|1980}} cites: W.F. Paterson, Chairman, Society of Archer-Antiquaries. Letters, 5 May 1976.</ref>