On the feast day of St.Perpetua and Felicitas, members of the Worshipful Company of Bowyers and Fletchers petitioned the Mayor, Alderman and Commonality of the City of London to pass legislation requiring Bowyers not be allowed to make bow at night since " it leads to inferior workmanship".

On the same day 7th March 1371 the Fletchers of London petitioned to become a separate Guild from the Bowyers stating that " their work should be entirely separate and no man should who is engaged in one trade should meddle in the other in any way". Anyone doing so, or working in the night time should pay a fine of 40 shillings for a first offense and a fine doubling for every subsequent offense.

The petitions were granted and came into force on the 12th of March 1371.

Four men refused the demarcation, John Patyn, Robert Vernne, Richard Prodhomme and John Lyon and were bought before the Mayor of London and were given until Easter to dispose of their stock and change their trade. On September 9th 1375 Robert Vernne was bought before the Alderman and Mayor again for carrying on both trades of Bowyer and Fletcher. Vernne promised to only follow one trade, but on the 13th of October, Vernne was fined and imprisoned for breaking his undertaking and was ordered by the Mayor of London only to be a Fletcher

Bow makers and arrow makers .... YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !!!

Interesting history.

Very cool.

bad as out congress with all the piddley laws for us and not them

They still regulate some trades to a much greater degree over there then here in the US...for the immediate time being.

That's interesting.

I'd be interested to know if they ever passed laws regarding the proportions and appearances of bows...for the sake of comparing to my own laws here in New Bowmania. I bet they didn't like Evil Dwarf Bows back then either.

Of course, they didn't like Hardys back then either, which is my surname. One ancestor, Sir John de Hardy, was the sheriff of London in 1527, and went on to become Lord Mayor of London. I'm sure he did a bang-up job, but strangely he died of poisoning while in office. Perhaps the work of some disgruntled fletcher!

Phil, that is so interesting. Thank you. Jawge

Back when indoor lighting was candles and such, yeah, ok.

Heck of it is this law is probably still on the books ;-)

I guess the Penn Archery Works Bowyers Guild is in trouble. Yesterday at our weekly get together one of our group was working on a rifle stock. another was tapering some wood arrow shafts, another grinding lamination's, and a few were even working on bows.

Oh I forgot, this is 2019 in the USA

Thanks Phil, that was interesting. - - Marc

Marcus, I'm gonna tell on you!!!!!!!

The laws were weird much later than that, even today there are laws on the books that never get enforced for obvious reasons.

In a few hundred years people will look back at some of our laws and say what were they thinking. :-) Then again I wonder at some of our laws now.

Hahaha, interesting :-) JF

Ever hear of 'blue laws'?

Still no Sunday hunting here in Mass.

That was during the hundred years war, I bet they wanted mass production of a quality product and that was why the laws were enacted. Seems odd now, but they probably had their reasons then. Very interesting read, thanks for sharing

That's because they were "subjects"... Sure glad we here in the USA are Citizens!!

Thanks for the history.

VRV

Thanks

Taking heed.

DanaC, I was just thinking of the blue laws the other day, and kinda wishing some were still in place, especially the ones about stores being closed on Sunday. Not for the religious aspect necessarily, but so people might tend stay at home with their families and such. I was thinking of this while getting my car washed by some guys on a Sunday and thinking how i would hate to have to do that, but there I was getting my car washed enforcing the idea that they should be open on Sunday. IDK if it is nationwide but in Texas car lots still have to be closed on Sunday and I have met salesman who do not want the laws changed cause they would have to be there on Sunday, but the dealership owners, said they wouldn't mind them being open on Sundays

Sorry, you chaps don't make our rules any longer, Phil. Pretty sure that was settle a while back :^) Interesting history though.

I hear that, but on the other hand I know folks who work Sundays and holidays and are thankful to be getting the hours. Personally I like my weekends free...

Those guys were lucky they didn't get drawn and quartered or beheaded or burned at the stake. English were crazy back then. Read 'A History Of The English-Speaking Peoples' by Winston Churchill.

Bowmania

dana get out of that commie state

In Alaska, where I live, it was once illegal to "frequent a bawdy house." The felony statute was on the books until the mid-1970s.

If such a thing were still illegal today, can you imagine the bulging prisons? Our Congress and Senate would be empty, but that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. : -)

It's still illegal to put tomatoes in clam chowder in Mass. Keep that stuff in Manhattan.

Interesting, Phil

Ain’t that the truth Styks. New England Chowder for me too. Matter fact we are having some today for dinner.

Wonder if they ever burned a Bowyer at the stake.

They might burn a woodsman if someone says they lived in the woods too.

Lot of insane stuff.

No tomatoes in New England Clam Chowdah, No Catsup on Chicago Style Hot Dogs. And, up until June of 1976, there was an 1838 extermination order in Missouri, on Mormons. Crazy days.

Same as the regulations on the firearms industry today.

I thought that KING ( at the time) was the one who decided that only daylight hours could be used for making bows. Interesting history.

Imagine if “Short Longbows” were a like short barreled rifles?..a special tax or banned.

thanks,, that is so interesting

In relation to "marc of PAW" and the "Penn Archery Works Bowyers Guild", of whom I've met a good handful of their members; my question:

Doth thou creatith thy bows under light of candle or oil flame, whilst thy village Lutist entertains with lively melody?

If I lived any closer, I would enjoy such an evening's fare....

Thank you, Phil, for the history lesson. Please, share more when you can! (Though, I think I already know how us lefty Archers were received....!)

PS: Dilly Dilly!

sounds like job security to me.

What about that other law Phil, the one enforsing all males to shoot the butts on a sunday ! I can't remember for how long and at what time period that was with out going through a few books, but you would probably know. Might have seen you post that somewhere !

The quote masters of the craft and a " Jack of all trades but "King of none comes from that Era .

After I started making longbows full time; I found that I no longer seemed to have enough time to make good arrows. I can see why they wanted us to focus on one or the other.

Also, as I get older, I need more light to do good work on bows, so only making bows in the day light has its merits also. I’m good with the old laws.

Now, if we could just get some fair competion laws working on the foreign bow makers who sell their bows and arrows through eBay and Amazon, and who don’t pay the 11% excise tax we have to pay! I say draw and quarter them!!!!

Gee, ya think your life sucks 'til ya hear about somebody else worse off!

That law makes perfect sense, I think that I have gotten a few of those after hours bows. Boy, they really suck. When the sun goes down it is time to settle down and enjoy some tea or warm ale and fine lute music. paste and copy to know what it sounded like

https://youtu.be/SzV_pd7g_gQ

https://youtu.be/Y4jvmh_Giaw

On the 5th of September 1416, The Wardens and Alderman of The City of London were instructed to inspect the work of the Ancient Company of Lonbowstringmakers (written as one word)as "many had lost their lives fighting the kings battles owing to defective bow strings", for which the string makers were blamed.

On the 17th of January 1417, The Warden to the City Chamberlain set the following regulations ..

No "foreigner" may be set to work making strings without the Wardens permission.

Only "well chosen" English hemp was to be used.

No "Tubbed or "Coleyn" hemp was to be used.

Each man must swear to "make true and able of his work"

No member of the Company was to buy strings from outside the city and sell them within the city.

thanx for the history lesson.,.

Back in the 60s in became illegal to make bowstrings in the USA while smoking the Mary Jane form of hemp.

Very cool indeed!

Hemp is now legal in the United States, I would like to see someone copy the old english techniques right down to the hemp string and report on it. We may be in for a bit of a surprise.

Bear sold hemp strings for junior bows up to 30#, back in the '50s.

At one time English wine merchantd were required to import so many bow stavves for every cask of wine they imported.

Hemp was planted at Fort Riley , Kansas years ago. It can still be found in the ditches around there. I think it was for making rope .

http://warbowwales.com/#/hemp-strings/4587736044

Jeremy Spencer and Alistair Ashton from Warbow Wales have done extensive research and experimentation into Hemp strings .... very interesting reading

" Now, if we could just get some fair competion laws working on the foreign bow makers who sell their bows and arrows through eBay and Amazon, and who don’t pay the 11% excise tax we have to pay! I say draw and quarter them!!!! "

Interesting point - and a heckuva loophole! Might want to bring that to your Congresscritters' attention. (And copy to your state F&G, they get Pittman-Robinson funds.)

I’ve brought it up with my senators, the IRS, and eBay and Amazon. No one is much interested as they don’t see much money being collected. However; if I don’t pay my excise taxes every 3 months, I get threats of fines, interest, and closure of my business.

All bows for sale in the city must not have a detachable magazine, a pistol grip, a fore stock or any trigger device, a bayonet lug or flash hider and must not be in possession along with a quiver that could possibly contain more than 6 arrows.

You say that as a joke NY, but first “military style weapons” (whatever that means), then all hand guns, then all guns, then crossbows, then any bows and finally most knives.

Dictators and totalitarian regimes can’t afford to let an armed citizenry exist.

People who give up some of there freedoms in exchange for a promised safety hat usually never materializes don’t deserve either (freedom or safety)

Hemp is used for the big rope lines that ships use to tie up with. Strong stuff.

dean: a good, longtime friend of mine went from being a well-know "punk band" lead guitarist in the 1980s, to being a well-trained Lute player today, complete with period-style instrument, and ancient style garb....

You just gave me an idea for an upcoming shoot with our little band of "Strictly Sticks Traditional Archers"...!!!

Thank you!

A little off topic,but in Canada smoking marijuana (DOPE) is now legal.Its a huge embarrassment for the majority of people here that are against it.All it is by legalizing it,is social engineering by a liberal left wing government.With the end result of having its citizens becoming apathetic, and where every thing is permissible. U.S.A please don't take the same road we are on in Canada.!!!!

During the Russo-Japanese War, the Japanese produced repeating crossbows which were able to lay down a formidably heavy pattern of fire.

In the 1950s, George Stevens of Marcella, Ark. made a 5 shot rapid fire crossbow. bvd

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