Sporting and Athletic Records

THE ENGLISH LONG BOW 13 IV.—RANGE OF THE ENGLISH LONG BOW Robin Hood and his merry men could shoota very longway insong. Some of the feats thus recorded may justly, to use Dr. Hanmer'swords "be ranked among the lies of the land." As for instance;— He shot two north country miles and an inch at a shoot! At marks full forty score [i.e., 800 yards] they used to prick and rove. It was also said by them of old time that a mile had been covered by an arrow in 3 flights, by using a very strong bow as a crossbow— [he archer sitting on a low stool, placing his two feet on the middle of the bow-, and drawing the string to him with both hands. Be these things how they may, it is certain that in modern times no one has sent an arrow a quarter of a mile from an English long bow. Ap­ parently the longest shoots which have any claim to be regarded as authentic are as follows;— 360 yards, by J. RAWSON towards the end of the last century at Manchester on ground slightly sloping in his favour. 340 yards, by A. TROWAKD in 1798 on Moulsey Hurst. The ground was level and the wind very slight. Mr. TSOWARD shot this distance two or three times both up and down the wind. 308 yards (with a slight wind) and 307 yards ift. (in a calm), by H. A. F ORD. Of these the first two are not by any means so trustworthy as the last. At the same time it must be remembered that long distance shooting was not what FORD practised, but target-shooting. It isquite possible therefore that his performance has been beaten, but it is certainly safe to say that 300 yards is very near the limit for an arrow's flight from a bow used in the ordinary way.