The English longbow archers were feared in the Middle Ages – and rightly so. Because their weapons proved to be decisive for the war in several battles. Now several dead people found in a medieval cemetery in Exeter reveal how striking the long arches were. In one of the dead, an arrow pierced the skull with the same force and twist as a modern bullet.
The English longbow was the most successful weapon of English and Welsh armies in the Middle Ages. Made from yew wood, the 1.80 meter long bows were light, stable and a deadly weapon in the hands of an experienced archer. Because the high tension of the longbow gave the arrows an astonishing impact. Contemporary sources tell of longbow arrows that pierced armor and thick wooden gates. The English probably owe it to their cohorts of archers that they repeatedly defeated the ponderous knights of the French in the Hundred Years’ War, including the battles of Agincourt and Crecy.
Find in a medieval monastery cemetery
However, apart from the contemporary tradition, it has so far been unclear how punchy the longbow arrows actually were and how serious the injuries they caused were. “There is hardly any physical evidence of injuries from weapons in medieval burials and traces of arrow wounds are exceptionally rare,” explains Oliver Creighton from Exeter University and his colleagues. Findings made by the researchers in a medieval cemetery of a Dominican monastery in Exeter are all the more exciting. From the 13th to the 17th centuries, wealthy members of the community were buried in addition to monks of the order.
During excavations in this cemetery, archaeologists discovered a place where the bones of several people were lying in the ground, jumbled together. Among the finds are 22 bone parts, including an almost complete skull and three teeth. Almost all relics show traces of broken bones and other injuries that date from the time of death, as the researchers report. They suspect that these remains came from warriors who were killed in battle and later relocated to this cemetery.
Bullet shot with twist
The skull from the period between 1282 and 1395 and a lower leg bone from the beginning of the 15th century are particularly revealing. Because both had injuries that apparently came from longbow arrows. A shot hit the lower leg of one of the men, penetrated clothing and muscles and then got stuck in the bone. The skull of the second man was once completely shot through by an arrow. This can be seen from a smaller entry wound above the dead man’s right eye and a larger exit wound at the back of the head, as Creighton and his colleagues report.
“This proves that the arrows shot from longbows could cause injuries that were comparable to modern bullet wounds,” said the researchers. “The microscopic examination of the fracture patterns around the arrow holes also provide the first indications that the medieval arrows were so feathered that they turned clockwise during flight.” Such a twist gave the arrows greater stability and accuracy. For similar reasons, gun barrels are also provided with a turn that rotates the bullets when fired. “These results have profound implications for our understanding of how striking the English longbow was,” Creighton says. “The injuries to these dead demonstrate the terrifying reality behind the medieval depictions and portrayals.”
Source: University of Exeter; Specialist article: Antiquaries Journal, doi: 10.1017 / S0003581520000116