The Washington times., 1901-08-04
THE ARCHERY OF OLD.
A Law Prescribing the Minimum
Distance to BE Shot Over

In England shooting with the longbow
| was for centuries the chief national pas
| time. and its practice was enforced by
several acts of Parliament Two kinds of
arrows were used-first. the fight arrow.
a long, thin arrow. with plain iron point.
which was employed only for long-tiis-
tance shooting; second, the sheaf arrow,
a heavier shaft than the former, tipped
with a jagged, barbed iron head. two
pronged like a fork. which was the
weapon for short ranges. By an act Of
Henry VIII. it was forbidden for any
man over twenty-four years old to shoot
at a mark nearer than 90 yards with a
! flight arrow, or 40 yards with n sheaf
, arrow. The old English archers, how
ever, justly celebrated as they were for
the long range and precision Of their
shots. could not accomplish more than
$40 yards The greatest range which our
modern bowmen can.sttain is from 800 to
400 yards. In 1896 the Turkish AnbasSsa-
dor attended meeting of the Toxopholite
Society in London. and there shot against
the wind lis yards. and with the wind i6S
yards. He had a short Turkish bow, and
very light arrow twenty-five inches
long. with small feathers
In bygone days. therefore. when our an
cestors We're famous and formidable with
the longbow. the shooting grounds at
tached to every town. IL not also village,
in the Kingdom, answered to the voiun-
teer rifle rarges of modern times 1t
would appear. however, that the annual
meetings OF the National Rifle Associa-
ton had their counterpart in the open
competitions which were frequently held
in the neighborhoed of Ffnsbury. There
is extant "A plan of all the marks be-
longing to the Honorable Artillery Com
pany in the fields near Finsbury with the
true distances as they stood ammo 1881.
for the use of lonsbows. crossbows. hand
fevh or ton iai 10
are included in the plan, and the whole
length of this early Bisley appears to be
one mile, by about 400 yards wide The
longest distance between any two marks
is a5 Yards What may be termed the
first international shooting competition
was held on the Field of the Cloth of
Gold" when the English crossbowmen
matched themselves in friendly rivalry
against the French. The range was
twelvescore yards. and the English team.
which included Henry VIII in person,
came off easy winners
The bow for several centuries after the
invention of smallarmS was considered
the more perfect weapon. and did not
disappear from the Engiish array until
1927 charles H. ON his restoration. did
much toward the revival &C archery. Dur
ing that reign important meetings We're
held at Hampton Court and in HYDE
Park and attracted as many as f,HJ
archers and crossbowmen from all parts
of the country. The crossbowmen shot
nearly twenty score yards. and TO the
amaZement or spectators Hidue eNcelieht
shooting at that distance AT one of these
meetings in Hyde Park. three regiments
of foot which were being drilled In the
threw down their clumsy mus
kets in disgust. and broke their ranks To
go and watch the old national pastime.
These displays generally concluded with
showers of whistlfaS arrows, which are
supposed to have been used by the picket
guards to give notice to the camp of the
eneIny's approach during the night. From
that period until the latter part of the
century. archery appears to
have been almost forgotten. and then was
only revived as a fashionable and pleas
Ing amusement. The Toxopholite Society
was founded In 1850 by Sir Ashton Lever
London Globe.