An image of a man holding a longbow, poised to release the arrow.

COFFEE MORNING: English Longbows

27th Sep 2024
10:15 am - 12:00 pm

This talk has been rescheduled to Friday, 27 September. Come along to ‘English Longbows: The Military, Movies, and Making’. 

The development of the English longbow was pivotal in the English army gaining dominance in medieval Europe. The value placed by English royalty on archery had significant impacts on military tactics, armour development, society, figures of speech, human anatomy, and even French forests – before the ready availability of musketry changed warfare irrevocably.

This illustrated talk will touch on these and link them to the development of the warbow from its precedent primitive bows, why this weapon was significantly more effective than the crossbow, and the rediscovery of archery as recreation in the UK, with the introduction of the Victorian longbow.

Callum Youngson is a recently retired clinical academic who has worked at Leeds and Liverpool Universities. He has also been an amateur bowyer for the last 15 years and will bring along some examples of the various designs of longbows.

Tickets to attend the talk in person are £3 and may be purchased online through Eventbrite (a booking fee is payable) or at Ilkley Manor House when we open on weekends, 11am to 4pm. Tickets may be available on the door but will be subject to availability, and we cannot guarantee admission.

Arrive at Ilkley Manor House at 10:15am to have time to get a hot drink and biscuit. The talk will start at 10:30am, lasting roughly an hour with time for questions at the end.

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