It ends with a footnote on how the dates fit with what we know of the origins of the Bowyers' Company. This paper sets out to explore how the legend arose, what we know of archery in mediaeval Wales, and most significantly, what we can trace of how and when the 6' longbow came into being as the dominant English infantry weapon of the 14th and 15th centuries. At Agincourt in 1415, following Owain Glyndwr's Welsh Revolt of 1400-1410, not many Welsh were taken to France at all: of the 6-7,000 archers in Henry V's army at Agincourt, recruitment records show that only 400 were Welsh. There was a sizeable Welsh archer presence at Crecy, but not a majority: Edward III's army totalled about 13,500, of which about half were archers 4,500 English and 2,000 Welsh. However, with more accurate historical records available these days, it turns out that the factual numbers are not quite so romantic. Legend has given high prominence to Welsh archers for forming the backbone of the English armies in its victories over the French at Crecy (1346), Poitiers (1356) and Agincourt (1415). A paper presented by Upper Warden Tony Kench to the Worshipful Company of Bowyers,Ĭlick on the icon to the left to download a pdf version this article.
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