Public Servant Lifestyle

Actor, author and longbow expert Robert Hardy joins forces with historian Matthew Strickland to unveil the long story of the English longbow.

The Great Warbow by Matthew Strickland and Robert Hardy

Robert Hardy, one of the experts closely involved in the conservation of the Mary Rose bows, joins medieval historian Matthew Strickland to produce a major new study of the medieval longbow at war.

In 1979, divers excavating the wreck of the Mary Rose discovered numerous yew longbows in remarkable condition, some still in their packing chests. The finds have revolutionized our knowledge of power and performance of the weapon that helped to win the great battles.

Pictured (right): Longbow collector and acknowledged expert on medieval archery, 'All Creatures Great & Small' actor Robert Hardy has co-written this new book.

Though the longbow is most famous for its role in the Hundred Years War, the authors take us on a fascinating journey through its long history in warfare from the Anglo-Saxon and Viking period right up to the Wars of the Roses and the longbow’s gradual decline in Tudor England. We see its deployment in diverse theatres of war, in Wales and Ireland, on the crusades in Syria and Palestine, and in guerrilla warfare deep in the forests of England. The longbow’s increasing importance is traced through the bitter Anglo-Scottish wars of Edward I and Edward II, including the great battle of Bannockburn, to its apogee in the fields of France under Edward III and Henry V.

Hundred Years War

Tactical developments and the weapon’s performance against armour are closely examined, while a comparative study of the crossbow and composite bow provides an essential context for the longbow’s significance. This book provides a fresh and authoritative account of one of the deadliest and most feared weapons of the Middle Ages.

Author and historian Dr Matthew Strickland originally read history at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, before becoming a Rutherford Research Fellow at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. He is now a Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Glasgow. His previously published works include: War and Chivalry: The Conduct and Perception of War in England and Normandy, 1066-1216, together with numerous articles on chivalric culture and medieval warfare.

Co-author and well-known archery expert Robert Hardy, CBE, FSA is one of Britain’s foremost actors, whose many roles have included the Earl of Leicester in the celebrated BBC television production Elizabeth R, as Shakespeare’s Henry V and Hamlet. He is probably most fondly remembered for his portrayal of Siegfried Farnon in BBC TV’s long-running series based on the ‘Vet’ books of James Herriot: All Creatures Great and Small. Currently he is appearing in the Harry Potter films. A former Trustee of the Royal Armouries in Leeds - and at present a Consultant to and Trustee of the Mary Rose Trust - he is author of another acclaimed volume on the same subject – clearly close to his heart: Longbow: A Social and Military History.

The Great Warbow is in the shops now, priced £25.00 (hardback), from Sutton Publishing.

More information available in Books