In the Middle Ages the English and Welsh were famous for their very powerful Welsh longbows , used to great effect in the civil wars of the period and against the French in the Hundred Years ' War ( with notable success at the battles of Crécy ( 1346 ) , Poitiers ( 1356 ) , and Agincourt ( 1415 ) .
They were used to great effect in the civil wars of the period and against the French in the Hundred Years ' War ( with notable success at the battles of Crécy ( 1346 ) , Poitiers ( 1356 ) and Agincourt ( 1415 ) .