Medieval archery: the place name evidence

One of the most interesting class of field names recorded on the 18th and 19th century Inclosure and Tithe maps includes the term 'Butts’, referring to the place where archery was practiced during the medieval period (although butts were also a medieval unit of measurement).  Butts are also referred to in more general place names such as 'Archery Field'.  Such names are important in reflecting arguably one of the most significant factors in the military success and international reputation of England during this period (Online article on medieval archery).  The Butts are typically  located on the margins of villages or towns on common land where archery practise could take place without interruption.  Such names are recorded in c. 50% of Worcestershire villages, with the  best known probably being The Butts on the north side of Worcester, just outside the medieval defences.  Examples include

Throckmorton Inclosure Plan of 1784 overlain on modern aerial photograph, showing the location of 'Butts Close' (copyright Worcestershire County Council)

The  butts comprised  a level flat area of land, up to 200m long, forming a range along which the archers could shoot.  Originally they would contain a number of circular flat-topped, turf-covered target mounds, often arranged  in pairs. The mounds provided a level platform for the targets and were usually positioned at one end or either end of the range.  No such mounds have yet been recognised in Worcestershire but they can vary from between 2m to 8m in diameter and are 1m to 3m high. The mound may be surrounded by a shallow ditch from which the soil to build the mound was obtained. (Information from the English Heritage Monument Class Description.)

The survival of the Butts, even if only as place-name evidence,  reflect an important aspect of medieval society. Archery training was compulsory for all males, traditionally starting at the age of seven. A series of statutes passed in the 14th and 15th centuries banned a large number of field sports and other games in order to protect regular archery practise.  Edward IV passed a law that every Engishman from the age of 16 to 60 should own a longbow (of his own height) and to practice every Sunday after church and on feast days.  In 1542 an Act established that the minimum target distance for anyone over the age of 24 years was 220 yards (the modern competition maximum is 80 yards)!  A trained archer could shoot 12 to 15 arrows per minute and hit a man-sized target at a minimum of 200 yards. The maximum range of a longbow was about 400 yards.

All men from 16 to 60 had a duty to protect the country in time of crisis (the posse comitatus). But a levy of archers for military service could also be taken in each county from anyone with land or rents worth from £2 to £5 (or they could pay for a substitute). In 1346 at the battle of Crecy, the English army of Edward III  had 7,000 to 10,000 archers out of a total strength of 19,000 men.  

The bow used was the longbow, up to 78” in length and made of yew (the favourite being Spanish yew) or Wych Elm, Elm, or Ash. In 1510, Henry VIII purchased 40,000 yew bow staves from the Doge of Venice. The draw weight was up to a remarkable 120 pounds, with the bow drawn 'to the ear' (rather than to the corner of the mouth as is common in modern archery). The attachment points for the string were protected by horn ‘nocks’.  There was no arrow rest on the handle as on modern bows,  with the arrow resting on the index finger.  At short range, an arrow could penetrate 4 inches of seasoned oak, and could penetrate the armour of a knight at 200 yards.  A nobleman could therefore be killed by a common man.

The use of archery declined during the 15th century as it became impossible to maintain the strict training needed to maintain the strength and skills needed to shoot a longbow. This may partly have been a consequence of a more mobile society with a shift of former labourers to the towns. In 1477, Edward IV banned an early form of cricket because it was thought to be interfering with regular archery practice. The invention of the musket in 1520 sealed the fate of the weapon.  Although the musket had a slower rate of fire, it required far less training to use.  Archers comprised 17 percent of the late 16th century Trained Bands but in 1595 all bows were ordered to be replaced by musket.  

There was, however, a considerable nostalgic reluctance to give up the weapon and they continued to be used into the 17th century. In East Anglia in the 1620s it was even suggested that a return to longbows  might so shock invaders from a larger and better-equipped foreign enemy that it would give the smaller English Trained Bands an edge of surprise!  Locally, in 1627 there were complaints that troops in St John’s, Worcester, were not bringing longbows and arrows to musters or training with them regularly and there were warnings from the Constable that the butts at Holt and Cotheridge were ruinous. The parishioners of Northfield (then in North Worcestershire, now outer Birmingham) were better prepared.  In 1620 they spent 4d on repairing the Butts and in 1623 built a new set at a cost of 1s.  In 1628-9 the Statute of Henry VIII requiring archery practice was restored and as late as  1633 Charles I issued an new order for the use of bows in the Trained Bands, with training to be provided by a master bowman. Indeed, a company of pikemen also armed with bows (the ‘double-armed man’) was formed in Herefordshire in 1642. But despite such efforts, the age of the longbow had passed into that of gunpowder and longbows saw little service during the Civil Wars, except in the Scottish army.

From its origin in the training needed for military service, archery developed as a sport from the 16th century. Henry VIII started a number of sporting archery groups – protecting them against prosecution from accidentally shooting passers-by! The ‘The Society of Finsbury Archery’, was founded by at least 1594.

Further On-Line Resources

Badminton Library: Archery
English Archery in the Hundred Year's War by Peter McLaren
Mary Rose archery finds
La Belle Compagnie